NBA roundup of the 12 games from the 23 October 2026 matchday.
Milwaukee Bucks 125-132 Chicago Bulls
We start with the headline act of the roundup. Chicago expects a great deal from Caleb Wilson and, after a difficult debut last night, he shone in Milwaukee both physically and with pure talent. Threes, blocks, dunks… He did a bit of everything to finish with 21 points and help the Bulls secure their first win of the season.
The best thing about Tiago Splitter’s team, who also earn their first win as head coach in Illinois, is that they recovered from a poor start that left them down by as many as 15 points at the end of the first quarter. Norman Powell also played at a high level in the comeback with 25 points.
And Milwaukee? Well, 34 points from Tyler Herro and the feeling that he could go on to pad his stats. The wins are another matter.
Boston Celtics 107-103 New York Knicks
After the final-minute collapse in Detroit, the Celtics bounced back against the best possible opponent, the champions New York Knicks. To make such a statement they got an excellent performance from Jayson Tatum, who posted 36 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, putting his poor showing on opening night behind him.
It was truly a great game, one in which, although the New Yorkers looked beaten at the start of the final quarter, they managed to react and get within just one point with less than two minutes to play. Commendable effort, but it ended up being in vain against a Tatum who was unstoppable in the clutch.
Last but not least. Zero points from Mikal Bridges in 22 minutes and a quiet Jalen Brunson with 19 points. Mike Brown has work to do to wake the champions up.
Washington Wizards 102-112 Toronto Raptors
These Toronto Raptors mean business. LeBron James warned that a team Kawhi Leonard joins automatically becomes a good one, but the Canadians were already at that point before the hero of that 2019 ring returned.
Darko Rajaković’s players are frightening. Athleticism, scoring, defence… They could be the real obstacle in the Eastern Conference, as we discussed in the latest episode of the nbamaniacs podcast, and they don’t even need Leonard to take on a heavy workload. Last night there were 16 points from his signature move, along with 23 from R.J. Barrett and 28 from Scottie Barnes.
The defeat wasn’t a disaster for Washington either. They are building something, and they suffered from how well the opponents defended Anthony Davis, who didn’t get past 9 points and 9 rebounds. Trae Young reached 22 points with 12 assists. And no, A.J. Dybantsa has not yet made his debut.
Charlotte Hornets 81-128 Atlanta Hawks
What an utter disaster for the Hornets! They let LaMelo Ball go and entrusted the project to Brandon Miller –recently re-signed for a fortune– and Kon Knueppel. Well, the first went 2 of 14 from the field and the second has yet to debut as he is injured.
Either way, none of that explains losing at home by 47 points to the Atlanta Hawks, who have otherwise started the season like a rocket. Early this morning seven players finished in double figures, led by Jalen Johnson’s 19. In short, one project is firing on all cylinders and the other looks really bad.
Orlando Magic 93-115 Minnesota Timberwolves
Of the Orlando Magic who excited fans a few years ago, only the names remain. They will end up winning games, but their situation is as clear as the Minnesota Timberwolves made it tonight, beating them with ease even though Anthony Edwards went just 5 of 23 from the field…
Not even that helped. The Wolves were far superior and, entering the final quarter, led by as many as 26 points. The best part is that all of them contributed, with seven players scoring between 11 and 15 points.
For the Florida side, there is little to highlight beyond Wendell Carter Jr.’s strong performance with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Can they turn things around? We’ll have to wait and see.
Indiana Pacers 105-121 Dallas Mavericks
A game to forget. The Pacers are not yet what they want to be, and the Mavericks are no joke; so much so that although Aaron Nesmith knocked Cooper Flagg out with a really ugly foul, the Texans kept a cool head and closed out a game in which they led by as many as 34 points.
The second half was simply superfluous. Indiana dressed up the result, but by resting their best players more than planned. Tyrese Haliburton still has a lot to do to reach his best level, while Pascal Siakam led the way with 23 points. The best in Dallas? Kyrie Irving, who looked much more sharp in reaching 24 points with 5 of 10 from three.
Miami Heat 111-128 Detroit Pistons
Are the alarm bells ringing in Miami? Losing two games doesn’t say much in itself, but the manner of the defeats isn’t good. After conceding 131 points to Minnesota, they now have 128 scored against them by Detroit, making it clear that for the moment they have no defence.
And there are more problems: although Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 36 points and 12 rebounds, his time on court alongside Bam Adebayo left the latter with a miserable 4 points. Meanwhile, Klay Thompson kept firing threes as if he were still the player he once was, and went 2 of 11 on the stat sheet…
The Florida side seem lost, while the exact opposite is true of the Detroit Pistons, who have picked up exactly where they left off and appear to be better. Last night their top scorer was John Collins with 23 points, and Isaiah Joe made a big contribution off the bench with 12; both are recent arrivals.
San Antonio Spurs 110-114 Houston Rockets
The best game of the night? It could be. A far more solid Rockets side than last season –Fred VanVleet has given them steadiness– stood firm and ended up celebrating a win over the Spurs, in which Victor Wembanyama was much better than on opening night, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Throughout the contest it felt as though neither side was willing to lose, but one had to. The key moment was Kevin Durant’s three less than two minutes from the end, and the decisive play was Amen Thompson’s block on Victor Wembanyama. It is already an iconic image, and it further enhances the elite defender the Rockets have in him.
Anything else? Well, Alperen Sengun’s 29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and the Spurs’ insistence on starting four small –but genuinely small– players alongside ‘Wemby’.
Utah Jazz 120-119 New Orleans Pelicans
No, we haven’t forgotten the rookies or how they shone tonight. After the opening-night hammering in Memphis, the Jazz woke up against New Orleans, with Darryn Peterson contributing 15 points. Exactly, the number 2 pick from the last draft is starting to get going.
Despite the rookie’s good showing, the good news for the Salt Lake City side goes further, with Jaren Jackson Jr. recording a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds and Keyonte George putting up 19-10. Incidentally, the Pelicans had two chances to turn the score around in the closing moments, but first Zion Williamson (23 points) committed an offensive foul and then Dejounte Murray missed his shot.
Golden State Warriors 108-111 Memphis Grizzlies
Cameron Boozer has arrived. In a rookie class from which much is expected, the Duke product looks set to fight for the very top, which he confirmed last night in his first professional game, scoring 25 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing 6 assists to beat the Warriors on their own floor.
Memphis has barely been mentioned during the preseason, but they already have two wins and at the very least seem clear on the path ahead. The opposite is happening in Golden State, where fellow rookie Yaxel Lendeborg shone with 18 points and 13 rebounds, a very good contribution that nonetheless can’t lift a team that looks doomed and in which Stephen Curry (24 points) cannot hide his frustration.
Lo Angeles Clippers 117-125 Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles derby was entertaining. You could argue the Lakers are better, but also that the Clippers aren’t here to be pushed around. That formula produced a game that was completely level at the break, but in which Luka Doncic (23 points) and company ended up imposing their will.
The purple and gold are doing exactly what was expected. The Slovenian sends Walker Kessler flying, while Austin Reaves keeps scoring on his own (28 points). For the Clippers, Darius Garland remains the big story and reached 26 points. Incidentally, the latter still have many pieces to get back, such as Brandon Ingram. There is room for improvement.
Sacramento Kings 120-128 Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento lost, but keep an eye on Darius Acuff Jr.’s 33 points. It is obvious that the number 7 pick from the last draft is going to get plenty of court time to show all his qualities, but for that very reason he must repay that faith. He still needs to fine-tune his game –he went 2 of 11 from three– but at least the capital of California has a reason to be optimistic.
As for the game itself, the Blazers struck in the third quarter, outscoring Sacramento 26-44. From there they simply protected their lead until the final buzzer. Deni Avdija was top scorer with 26 points, while Damian Lillard reached 19. Two games and two wins for Portland. The Oregon side look promising.
(Photo by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)