NBA roundup of the 15 games played on 1 November 2026.
Boston Celtics 109-102 Milwaukee Bucks
We start with an exercise in collective strength. Boston announced that Jayson Tatum would be rested against the Milwaukee Bucks, but that did not mean they buckled – far from it.
The Celtics had Paul George as top scorer (25 points) and an excellent Derrick White (24) to beat an opponent who, needless to say, is not going through its best moment after parting ways with Giannis Antetokounmpo months ago.
The Celtics remain near the top of the East, while the Wisconsin side sit near the bottom even though Tyler Herro continues to perform at a good level (25 points last night).
Brooklyn Nets 114-104 Charlotte Hornets
A minimal-quality game in Brooklyn, tragedy for the Hornets with Kon Knueppel’s relapse on the day of his return, and a final win for a Nets side who have at least given themselves a second reason to smile this year.
That is the summary of a game that will not go down in history and in which Michael Porter Jr. shone above the rest with a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds. The forward is showing his talent, even if he is not quite thriving in the New York team.
Incidentally, it was another ill-fated night for Brandon Miller, who finished with 10 points on a painful 2 of 15 from the field. He is disappointing, plain and simple.
New York Knicks 135-105 Chicago Bulls
The champions are finally here. Four wins in five games, the latest one steamrolling the Chicago Bulls with a 33-point performance from Jalen Brunson.
It was a hammering, measured by the 84-52 on the scoreboard at half-time. The worst thing for the Illinois side is that it cannot be called a surprise, as they are really struggling and players expected to step up, such as Matas Buzelis, have gone missing.
Finally, add to the Knicks’ good news the debut of Dalton Knecht, who managed 10 points and 7 rebounds in 16 minutes.
Washington Wizards 105-120 Atlanta Hawks
Anthony Davis is still in great form (26/10 tonight), but the Wizards cannot quite find their rhythm. They have won games and at times play well, but at others they simply vanish from the court.
Against the Hawks there was plenty of the latter, as they lost by 15 points at home after a really poor second half. The Georgia side, another very inconsistent team, enjoyed a 26-point night from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and swept the bench battle 52-16.
They need to be watched closely to see how they develop, but these are two projects that currently live a bit in no man’s land.
Detroit Pistons 106-112 Philadelphia 76ers
Another game with the whole Sixers gang together and another win, this time against a very good team in the Detroit Pistons, to move to an excellent 8-1.
In Philadelphia they know they probably have the best starting five in the league and they wear it with calm, a calm that comes from knowing nobody has to force things and that the game simply comes.
This time the top scorer was Jaylen Brown with 30 points, while Joel Embiid posted a great double-double of 26 points and 15 rebounds. For the Michigan side, the best was Cade Cunningham with 26 points and 11 assists.
New Orleans Pelicans 120-113 Utah Jazz (overtime)
The Pelicans continue to recover from their poor start and this time beat the Jazz in overtime, with Dejounte Murray running the show.
The guard was on court for 45 minutes, finishing with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Zion Williamson shone alongside him with another 23 points. Incidentally, Saddiq Bey was key again, scoring eight of his 22 points in the extra period.
For the Salt Lake City side the story repeats itself. They have positive moments on court, even good play, but lack consistency. While they search for it, there were 39 points and 9 assists from Keyonte George.
Oklahoma City Thunder 124-116 Cleveland Cavaliers
On to the MVP talk! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won the last two and has still received criticism for his game, the free throws and so on. Well, he has been left to fend for himself – with injuries to Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren – and is silencing the doubters by the second.
In the second consecutive game against Cleveland, Shai went up to 42 points to lead his team to a huge win, one that underlines him – if it was needed – as a generational player.
Shai usually does not force things and lets the game come to him, but this time he took complete charge to keep OKC among the elite. Chapeau! Incidentally, Aday Mara made his first start (9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks).
Memphis Grizzlies 103-107 Indiana Pacers
Are the Grizzlies running out of steam? Perhaps a little. The 6-0 with which they began the campaign was entirely unrealistic for a rebuilding team and now defeats are starting to arrive, like this latest one against the Pacers, who incidentally got almost the whole ‘herd’ back at once.
Pascal Siakam got down to work with 20 points and Andrew Nembhard backed him up with another 22. They are still waiting for Tyrese Haliburton to overcome his physical problems, but it is essential for them to win games and not fall too far behind in the standings.
The best for Memphis? Cedric Coward with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Rookie Cameron Boozer was more subdued, going 4 of 14 from the field for 10 points.
Houston Rockets 107-117 Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota are a very good team. They have lost Anthony Edwards for around two months and keep winning tough games like this visit to the Houston Rockets.
LaMelo Ball is being more effective than ever (20 points on 6 of 11 from the field) and Ayo Dosunmu underlined what a great decision it was to re-sign him with 21 points and 6 assists. They play, they defend and they know at all times what to do.
As for Houston, a very poor final quarter condemned them, something reminiscent of what happened to them more than once last season. Either way, they must take it philosophically. Kevin Durant was top scorer with 21 points and Alperen Sengun posted a triple-double of 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Denver Nuggets 128-109 Toronto Raptors
Back to the MVP fray! Nikola Jokic has been heavily criticised at the start of this campaign – perhaps with good reason – but against the Raptors he reminded us what a huge player he is with a triple-double of 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in 30 minutes…
The Serbian genius’s ease at playing basketball is insulting. He already has 201 career triple-doubles, and 90 of them have come before the start of the final quarter.
And Toronto? Outclassed by the Joker and waiting for Kawhi Leonard to return to have the whole squad back again.
Phoenix Suns 119-132 Portland Trail Blazers
Portland’s start is anything but a coincidence. We said here that they were one of the most interesting and exciting projects of the season, and time is confirming it.
The Oregon side are 6-1 with an excellent Damian Lillard, who scored 25 points in Phoenix, and a deep rotation that has not suffered even from Ja Morant’s injury. They are doing brilliantly and the best part is that it does not seem at all impossible for them to stay on that track.
Exactly the opposite is what the Suns are experiencing, confirming the many doubts there were about them before the campaign began. Devin Booker (33 points) is better, but the team is still very far from being able to compete.
San Antonio Spurs 112-111 Dallas Mavericks
Goodness me, what Victor Wembanyama did tonight! We know he is capable of impressive things, but even so we did not expect 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks, a stat line that has only been recorded by two other players in NBA history: Wilt Chamberlain and Bob McAdoo.
The Frenchman is presenting his MVP candidacy night after night, as these 52 points come just after nailing 43 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And of course, at that level it is no surprise that San Antonio are on six consecutive wins.
The best news for Dallas is that even against that monstrous display they came close to winning. Kyrie Irving is at an excellent level and confirmed it with 29 points, while Cooper Flagg contributed a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. They must improve further.
Sacramento Kings 103-116 Los Angeles Lakers
And well, if we talk about the MVP race – it is early, I know – what can be said about the basketball Luka Doncic is putting on the table? The Slovenian was expected to be freer after LeBron James’s departure, but he is breaking every kind of scale.
Against the Kings he nailed 40 points, and that is now five games in which he has reached that figure out of eight played… It is ridiculous, as ridiculous as discovering that the 308 points he has scored in that number of games exceed the 303 that Michael Jordan scored over the same span in the 1988-89 season.
We do not know how far the Lakers will go – we are clearer about the Kings – but it is time to simply sit back and enjoy a player without equal.
Los Angeles Clippers 116-117 Miami Heat (overtime)
We close with the comeback of the night. Miami were 20 down against the Clippers and another tragedy in the Giannis Antetokounmpo era was looming; however, Erik Spoelstra’s side reacted in time and sealed the win with a buzzer-beating three from Klay Thompson.
We do not want to get carried away, but Klay is looking really good and tonight scored as many as 30 points, a total he had not reached since 8 April 2024, still as a Warriors player.
Either way, the Florida side have a lot to improve, as beating the Clippers in overtime (and almost by a miracle) is not what is expected of them. And Giannis? 27 points and 14 rebounds.
(Photograph by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
