Brunson and Banchero Bruised, Sengun and Suns Surprise. Everything You Need To Know About The NBA In One Spot.

I put out the call on The Yak and Twitter the other day that I wanted to start a team-specific NBA newsletter type blog to keep basketball heads and casuals alike up to speed on the league by superfans of each team. The responses were overwhelming and the plan moving forward will be to divvy these up into two weekly blogs on Tuesdays and Fridays separated by Western and Eastern conferences so they're more digestable. But for the initial blog, I wanted to throw the entire league in there just so everyone got a taste of what's to come. So here is your dose of NBA Brain Food:

Atlanta Hawks (7-5, 5th in the East) via Harrison C

• The Atlanta Hawks are quietly putting together a nice start to the season, especially since Trae young was injured for at least a month on October 29th.  The team is 5-2 since his absence with key contributors Jalen Johnson, Nikal-Alexander Walker, and the bench playing a major role.  
• The defense has vastly improved since Youngs absence and they are playing as a top 5 Defensive rated team.  The defense is led by Dyson Daniels, NAW, and have a good Rim presence in Kristaps Porzingis.  
• The team does not shoot a high volume of three pointers (although Coach Quinn would like to see more) and instead have relied on transition offense and good ball movement to score in Trae young's Absence. 
• The hawks will rely heavily on the collective unit to keep the team above water in Trae's absence.  The offense will not be nearly as easy to come by, but the defense should be much better to keep them rolling.  
• The hawks take on the jazz tonight in the second game of a back-to-back.  porzingus has not played a back to back to date this year, so expect more Bench minutes from Okongwu.  

Boston Celtics (6-7, 11th in the East) via Dan F

• The Celtics are 3-4 in November, with two of their losses falling short by two points.
• Jaylen Brown has stepped in Jayson Tatum’s absence averaging a career high 27.7 PPG (six 30 point games) to start the season.
• With a lot of questions on where rebounds would come from this season, Neemias Queta has stepped up averaging 8.1 RPG (8+ REB in 5 of his last six games). Luka Garza has been hot on the glass as well with 7+ REB in his last three games off the bench(17.6 MPG). 
• After shooting 17.4% from behind the arc in October, Payton Pritchard has started to find his stroke doubling that percentage in November (35%) hitting 5 threes in 2 of his last four.
• Jordan Walsh has earned an increase in minutes, playing a career high 29 min against the Sixers on Tuesday night (23.2 MPG in L6) after a handful of 1 minute appearances and four DNP’s to start the season. His effort on the defensive end has grabbed the attention of Joe Mazzulla. “I just think his energy and effort have been top notch,” Mazzulla praised. After Josh Minott started the last nine it’s been made clear that Mazzulla will feed the hot hand and reward hustle plays.

Brooklyn Nets (1-10, 13th in the East) via Justin

• Nets are 1-4 over their last 5 averaging 109 ppg and giving up 119.8 ppg. On the season they give up an average of 124.9 ppg. Second worst defense in the league (Wizards). 
• Over the Nets' last three games since entering the starting lineup Egor Demin is averaging 11.3 points 3.7 rebounds 5 assists 1.7 TO 48% FG 47% 3P in 25.3 minutes per game. On the season he is shooting 37.5% from 3 which is the third highest among seven rookies to attempt over 40. Egor was hurt from July through early October with a plantar fashcia tear and hopefully just starting to get going. +50,000 ROY #DKPartner
• Jordi Fernandez (coach) has emphasized Nets' rookies will need to earn their minutes this season. Day'ron Sharpe was ruled out of their game against the Raptors and starting PF Noah Clowney saw the back up center minutes rather than going with the rookie Danny Wolf. Clowney has scored double figures in 4 of the last 5 games. 
• Nic Claxton took a leap offensively this year. Leads the Nets in APG with 3.7. Last 6 games in 31 minutes per game he is averaging 17.7 ppg 7.7 rbp and 4.8 apg. 

Charlotte Hornets (4-7, 12th in the East) via Jake L

• They've been without LaMelo Ball for the past couple of weeks and haven't had Brandon Miller since the 3rd game of the season.
• The Rookies have been the bright spots for the team so far; mainly Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Sion James (McNeeley stinks. Kon leads all rookies with 16.6 points per game and Kalkbrenner is 9th with 9.9 points per game. He's also been their best interior defender leading the team with 2.4 blocks per game. Sion James has been incredibly efficient with the limited minutes he's been given (54.5% FG and 58.6% from 3).
• The Hornets struggle to guard the perimeter, too many young undersized guys on the wing, so they do well against teams that lack perimeter scoring (see the Bucks game last night). Where they've shined is their ball movement and aggressiveness getting into the paint. They're 2nd in the league in drives per game (59.8) but only 16th in points in the paint. So they're driving to the rim a lot and kicking it out to the perimeter. If they're stars are able to get healthy, the hornets will be a playoff contender in the east. Since that seems to never happen with the Hornets, you can expect them to scrap out 30ish wins for the year with their young talent and look to build for the future.
• Fan base is frustrated with LaMelo's latest injury since it came out of nowhere and has been saying he can come back any day for the past couple of weeks. There's some speculation that this is him softly telling front office that he wants to be traded, but the word around the league is that there's not a lot of value for somebody that doesn't seem to be "locked in" all the time.

Chicago Bulls (6-5, 9th in the East) via Mikey Bets 

• Seven players averaging over 10 points per game 
• Multiple rotations with “gut feeling” logic from Billy Donovan 
• Patrick Williams is finally looking comfortable and moving at a pace that allows him to play his style defensively and not clog up the floor on offense. His hustle plays are not available on the stat sheet but is proving to be a valuable player (except for the fact he makes 18 million a year on the bench)
• The last 3 losses have still looked competitive besides the final minutes of the 4th quarter. 
• Bulls are only averaging 27 ppg in the 4th quarter compared to their first 3 quarters (31ppg each quarter)
• Kevin Huerter, Patrick Williams, Jalen Smith continue to be serviceable as backups and plug and play starters for Isaac Okoro who could be subbed in and out with the starting rotation 
• Matas Buzelis continues to grow and show the Bulls front office why they need to build around him as long as Billy allows him opportunities. 
• Josh Giddey has been awesome so far averaging 21/10/9 on 46% shooting, but he's missed the last two games after getting crossed up in unreal fashion on Saturday

Cleveland Cavaliers (8-4, 2nd in the East) via Joe R

• Cavs improve to 8-4 as of November 12th with a margin of victory over their last 10 games of 11.9 pts. The  Cavs get a bounce back win over Miami after previously losing to them on Monday in dramatic fashion. Cavs in their win last night were without  Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jaylon Tyson, Max Strus.  
• They play Thursday night on the 2nd leg of a back-to-back without Darius Garland, Lonzo Ball, and Jaylon Tyson
• Darius Garland re-injured his Toe against Miami on Monday, the same toe he previously had surgery on this past off season. Expected to miss some time. How long is TBD.   
• Jaylon Tyson has been this years lightning rod. Athletic defender that has been hitting 46% of his 3’s currently. From 10mins a game last year to 25 now.  Expect his minutes to eventually be cut when Max Strus is healthy. Off the bench, Tyson has been averaging 11pts and 4 boards. 
• After a hot start to the season for Evan Mobley, coach Kenny Atkinson is encouraged and wants to keep expanding Evans role. BUT, Kenny doesn’t want Mobley to forget what made him an all star. Let the game come to him and play within the offense more. Mobley is Averaging 20.6pts 4.6assts and 8.6 boards.
• Sam Merrill has been this Cavs team’s Kyle Korver. In and out of the starting rotation due to injuries, he’s 41% from 3 his last 30 games, 47% from 3 his last 10 games, currently averaging 14.6pts a game

Dallas Mavericks (3-9, 14th in the West) via J.D. 

• The Mavs fired their GM Nico Harrison as the public heat was too much after the Luka Doncic trade. Rumors that he tried to have Anthony Davis return too soon to help save his job when doctors warned that could lead to an achillies tear.
• The Mavs are 1-7 in November with an average margin of defeat of 7.6 points. Their lone win came on the road against the Wizards.
• The Mavs have struggled from 3 this year, ranking last in the NBA. P.J. Washington has been especially bad, shooting only 17.2% in November, while Klay Thompson has been well below his career average, shooting only 26.7% on the season. The lone bright spot has been Max Christie who is shooting 40.5% from 3 in November.
• Davis and Dereck Lively II have both not played in November. Moussa Cisse has seen an increase in minutes as he fills the big man role in their absence.
• Brandon Williams and Naji Marshall have seen increases in their minutes per game and points per game in November. They are likely to see an increased role as Dallas tries to solidify their backcourt with Kyrie Irving out and D'Angelo Russell not establishing himself as the starter 

Denver Nuggets (9-2, 2nd in the West) via Grant M

• The Nuggets are 9-2 with the #2 Offensive Rating (122.6) and the #2 Defensive Rating (109.4). In short: they are cooking.
• Nikola Jokic has 6 triple doubles in the first 11 games and has been extremely efficient. In his last 5 games he is averaging 36ppg, 13rpg, 11apg while shooting 77% from the floor (85TS%) and 65% from three. He dropped 55 in 33 minutes against the Clippers on Thursday night.
• The bench unit is much improved compared to the past few years, keeping or extending leads rather than losing them. Jonas Valanciunas plays the Jokic offensive hub role well enough that the team can function similarly without Jokic on the floor. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been shooting the three very well (46% on 6 attempts per game) off the bench.
• Christian Braun and Cam Johnson both left Wednesday night’s game with injuries. If they turn into long absences Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Peyton Watson would likely see more minutes. Maybe Spencer Jones as well. 
•  The Nuggets play three of their next four on the road, including a trip to Minnesota which recently has been a tough matchup. Their win on October 27 snapped a 7-game losing streak to the Timberwolves. 
•  Nikola Jokic is really really really good. 

Detroit Pistons (10-2, 1st in the East) via Adam M

• With key players out in Cunningham, Duren, Thompson, Harris, and Stewart…Wednesday’s win against the Bulls proved what the Pistons bench is capable of. 
• Wednesday night was not the only game that role players stepped up. Although Cade and Duren played in Monday’s victory, the Pistons still heavily relied on the “next man up” mentality. Daniss Jenkins had a career high 24 on Monday, shooting 4-6 from behind the arc with a game tying 3 at the buzzer to help elevate the pistons to a 9-2 record. (Best start since 05-06 season). 
• In regards to the Cade and Duren injuries, neither appear to be significant. No, Cade did not miss a game due to arm soreness from his 45 shot attempts on Monday. He injured his hip on a fall taken in the game vs the Wizards. Duren missed due to a slight ankle injury suffered Monday night. Both could return Friday.
• Injury concerns aside, Jalen Duren is making a solid All Star case early. He’s averaging a double-double on the season and, in November alone, is putting up 23.2 points and 13.7 rebounds on 68.8% shooting. 
• The next game for the Pistons is Friday night in the NBA cup vs the 76ers in Detroit. I expect both Robinson and Levert to continue to get three point shots up in order to hang around with the 76ers scoring, pending the status of Cunningham and Duren. The Pistons played the 76ers last week where each Robinson and Levert had 4 threes and aided to the Pistons win at Philly. 

Golden State Warriors (7-6, 9th in the West) via T.J.

• After a strong 4-2 start to the season, the Warriors ended October with a loss to a Giannis-less Bucks team, followed by a loss to a winless Pacers team. 
• The Warriors have faced the strongest schedule to start the year - with five back-to-backs by Nov. 19, and multiple stretches of 3 games in 4 nights (Thanks, Adam!). Tough to manage for one of the oldest teams in the league, and explains their up-and-down start. 
• Steph Curry missed three games due to illness, but has returned to the lineup and scored 46 points last night vs. the Spurs to right the ship. 
• Draymond and Jimmy Butler seemingly called out younger players not being willing to sacrifice for the team. Most beat writers consider this as targeted at Kuminga and Podz, which led to a starting lineup change vs. the Spurs. Draymond will start at Center in most matchups, with Quintin Post possibly rotating in and replacing Will Richard in certain matchups.
• Jonathan Kuminga was moved to the bench and replaced in the starting lineup by Will Richard for better spacing (Kuminga shooting 32% from 3) and defense. Kuminga left last night's game with knee soreness (tendinitis). I expect his minutes to be less than 25 even when he returns, and will most likely be traded by the deadline in February.
• Brandon Podziemski was also replaced in the starting lineup by Moses Moody for better spacing around Steph/Jimmy, and defense. Moody will start for the foreseeable future, especially if he maintains his hot shooting (44% on the year). In 6 of 11 games this year, he has made 3+ Threes. 
• The Warriors play the Spurs again tomorrow - The Spurs are 30th in 3's allowed, and I expect more hot shooting from 3 from Moody & Horford. Horford struggled with his 3-point shot to start the year, but has since made 7 of his last 12. Ride both of their hot shooting. 

Houston Rockets (7-3, 4th in the West) via Freddie V

• After the 0-2 start the Rockets are 6-1 in their last 7 games while averaging 126 points/game
• Reed Sheppard started off slow but over his last 4 games:16.3 PTS 3 AST 2.3 STL 65% FG 60% 3P (6.3 attempts) all in under 25 minutes each game.  His minutes are going up and up each game (17,17 26,29,25 in his last 5)
• Steven Adams is leading the NBA in offensive rebounds per game, despite playing just 22 mins/game
• Rockets are #1 in Offensive rating (123.1) and #7 in defensive rating (112.1) 
• Rockets lead the NBA in second-chance scoring, averaging 20.4 points per game.
• The addition of Kevin Durant has been great so far as he's averaging 24.6 PPG with a 49.1% from the field, Durant also has the 2nd most points by a player in their first 10 games with the Rockets
• Rockets have one of the best benches in the league, averaging 35 PPG as a unit so far this season. Tari Eason is averaging 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds a game coming off the bench
• Sengun is looking like an All-Star averaging 22.1 Pts 7.2 Ast and 10.2 Reb while shooting 41.9 from beyond the 3point line. This season, players with: 200 Pts, 100 Reb, 70 Ast: Jokic, Sengun. That's all.

Indiana Pacers (1-10, 14th in the East) via Ryan S

• This injury ridden team is bad. 1-10 to start the season. Tyrese Haliburton out for season, Obi Toppin out for months, Benn Mathurin only played in 2 games with a toe injury (week to week).
• 20 different players have played in a game for the Pacers this season. (17 transactions since the end of September. 10 signed, 7 waived.)
• The constantly changing roster makes it difficult to build chemistry and successfully run a read and react type of offense. 
• Players who have the opportunity to step into a bigger role are struggling. Jarace Walker (30% FG this season) shot 12% against the Jazz, had 3 TOs and 0 assists. Jazz scored 152 points in their victory. 
• The Pacers defense (19th) is bad and offense (29th) is ugly.
• There is hope. Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell are both back from injury. This should help Nesmiths’ numbers increase as he is in an early slump (37% FG and 3PT). Siakams numbers are expected to remain similar with no Haliburton or Turner on the floor this season. Maybe a slight decrease when Mathurin returns. 
• Nembhard had a great game against the Jazz scoring 25 points, 7 assists and 1 TO. He is expected to be the primary facilitator with Haliburton out. 
• Rotations are constantly changing with injuries and roster changes. There are rumors of tanking but this team has no plans for that. The Pacers need to build on any success they can find so this losing trend doesn’t continue.

Los Angeles Clippers (3-8, 12th in the West) via Jeremiah D

• The Clippers are 0-6 in the month of November with an average margin of defeat of 10.2
• Bradley Beal is out for the rest of the season with a fracture in his hip. Kawhi has missed the last 5 games with a foot sprain. Injuries just keep pilling up. 
• John Collins is officially in the starting line up and it’s been a rough start 3/11 with 9 points against the Hawks and 1/6 with 2 points (-22) against the Nuggets tonight. 
• Jordan Miller was the only bright spot tonight going 6/9fg 5/7 from 3 with 22 points.
• Clippers are 20th in offensive rating and 26th in defensive rating. (We don’t do anything right.) 
• Clippers are 29th in ast/to ratio, 29th in turnover percentage and 30th in pace. This team is BAD! 
• Ty Lue’s rotations are all over the place the only thing for certain is CP3 is out of the rotation
• We now are headed out for a 7 game road trip. 

Los Angeles Lakers (8-4, 5th in the West) via Andrew K

• The Lakers are 1-2 just halfway through a five-game road trip, the point differential through these 3 games cumulatively is -39. After the massacre at Paycom Center, JJ brought up the decisiveness of the players and being hesitant to make scoring moves, leading to turnovers. The Lakers average just around 17 turnovers a game, 5th worst in the league.
• The Lakers are the 11th worst team in pace through the early season. Just recently after the Atlanta Hawks game, Dyson Daniels noted how easy it was to guard a team that plays slower and runs a more simplified offense that resorts to the PnR and trying to pick on one defender, the Thunder just folded the Lakers in the same fashion.
• During the three-game road trip Ayton is averaging 10 points on 75% shooting. You could see Ayton starting to get frustrated during the game vs the Hornets with his minimal touches. The kid wants to win, and I believe that Ayton’s role/touches will increase once LeBron returns.
• The Lakers have used 134 different lineups this season, the lineup of Luka/Reaves/Smart/Rui/Vanderbilt has been the most successful (in terms of Plus Minus), +14 while playing for 5 and half minutes. While the worst lineup the Lakers have used is Luka/Dalton/Jake/Rui/Ayton, -26 in 9 minutes, impressive.
• When it comes to free throws, I had to bring up free throws, Luka and Austin are opposites of where they get their free throws, Luka attempts more free throws when he plays at Crypto, 58 vs 31, while Austin attempts more free throws while on the road, 54 vs 34.

Memphis Grizzlies (4-9, 11th in the West) via Alex B

• Ja Morant's play has declined this year and is a hot topic in media related trade discussions
• Rookie standout Cedric Coward is averaging 14.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while seeing 27 minutes per game and his minutes are continuing to tick up.
• The Grizzlies are beat up currently with injuries to Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Javon Small, in the backcourt. Giving way to Cam Spencer who has made the most of his opportunity, shooting 48% from 3 in his last 10 games while averaging nearly 7 attempts per game.  

Miami Heat (7-5, 6th in the East) via Nicky Smokes

• The Miami Heat are must-watch TV (Editor's note: This is from a Miami Heat fan). Forget everything from last season — this team leads the NBA in scoring with 124.8 PPG, playing fast, free, and lighting up the scoreboard.
• The story of the season so far? Norman Powell. “Stormin’ Norman” is off to the hottest start in Heat history, topping 20+ points in 8 of 9 games, with 5 of those over 25 points.
• Even without Bam Adebayo, the Heat are 3-1 in their last four, thanks to a dominant bench that ranks 2nd in the NBA with 48.2 PPG.

• Players to watch:

  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. – was on a tear before last night, averaging 17 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST.

  • Kel’el Ware – stepping up big in Bam’s absence with back-to-back double-doubles, including a 14-point, 20-rebound performance.

  • Simone Fontecchio – the Italian sniper is fitting in perfectly, averaging 11.5 PPG while shooting 50% from deep.

Milwaukee Bucks (7-5, 7th in the East) via Colin B

• Lost in Charlotte without Giannis on Wednesday(11/12) with Myles Turner, Ryan Rollins Bobby Portis scoring 60 of the Bucks’ 100 points
• After a strong start to the season, Cole Anthony has struggled mightily the last two games, scoring 8 total points on 22.7% shooting from the field
• Gary Trent Jr.'s struggles continue, with murmuring beginning that he should be moved to the bench with Kuzma permanently in the starting lineup
• Myles Turner has settled in nicely with the Bucks, particularly from 3. Has shot 44% from deep this month.
• Next game is also against the Hornets, this time in Milwaukee on Friday (11/14) in the NBA Cup. Giannis is expected to be back.

Minnesota Timberwolves (7-4, 6th in the West) via Spencer C

• Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are on fire from 3. Jaden at 53% on 3.5 attempts per game and Ant at 50% on 8.3, making him one of the league’s best high volume shooters. 
• The Wolves point guard rotation remains a mess, as Dillingham hasn’t taken the leap. Conley is inconsistent, and Donte’s hit or miss. Any of them could get benched or minutes restriction on any given night, making it risky to bet. 
• Without Gobert the defense is brutal (144 defensive rating, -24 net) compared to 109 when he’s on the floor. This continues to be a big problem for the wolves. 
• Wolves coming off its first 3 day rest and faces the Kings Friday the 14th. Expect a sluggish start and possible early deficit. A strong second half push. Ant and Jaden should both hit their scoring overs. 
• Julius Randle’s quietly having a strong season, averaging 25/7/6 and staying consistent. He and Ant have been iso demons carrying much of the scoring load. Randle’s also notched two triple doubles in his last five games.

New Orleans Pelicans (2-9, 15th in the West) via Colby J

• Zion Williamson has already missed 5 games and Head Coach Willie Green is on the hot seat and truly may be fired at any moment as he’s lost both the locker room and the fanbase. 
• New Orleans is without its 2026 first round pick so don’t expect them to go into tank mode even with injuries to Zion along with guards Dejounte Murray and Jordan Poole.

• With Zion being out Rookie Derik Queen has came on strong, in his last 5 games he’s averaging 14.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 4.4 APG. Expect him to be a focal part of the offense as the season goes on. 
• Trey Murphy III has had a very sluggish start to the year and outside of his 41 point outing against the Spurs last week, he’s only averaging 16.2 PPG and shooting 33.7% from deep in his other 10 games. 
• Saddiq Bey has made a good first impression as a Pelican, he’s got at least 2 three pointers in 8 of his first 11 games and is shooting 40% from 3 on the year.
• The Pels are again one of the worst 3rd quarter teams in the league, ranking either 29th or 30th in Net RTG, Offensive RTG, and Defensive RTG when coming out of halftime. 

New York Knicks (7-4, 3rd in the East) via Rebecca C

• Knicks were on a 5 game win streak which ended tonight. The streak was characterized by a strong opening half averaging 66.6. In tonight’s loss they had only 42.
• Jalen Brunson rolled his ankle towards the end of the game. It was reported he left the garden in a walking boot and crutches. The Knick captain is tough, but this is something that we will all be watching closely. (Editor's note: He's been ruled out for Friday's game and will be evaluated daily)
• Mitchell Robinson has been the knicks’ X factor while playing limited minutes (16.5 per game). In his 5 games, he averages 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 of them offensive, and 1.75 blocks. His defense is spectacular. 
• Mike Brown’s new offense has been a success so far. Knicks are averaging 121 points per game and haven’t had a game below 100. 
• With a less Jalen-centric offense, the Knicks’ scoring distribution has evened out. He is averaging 27.7 points with 6.6 assists. He’s had 2 games with 10 assists. 
• KAT continues to oscillate between playing the 4 and 5. His offense continues to excel. He has 10 double-doubles in 11 games.

Oklahoma City Thunder (12-1, 1st in the West) via Nick C

• Since losing its lone game to the Trail Blazers last week, OKC has come out with vengeance, winning by an average of 24.5 points in the four games since that loss.
• OKC’s next matchup comes against the Hornets after two full days of much-needed rest. That’s notable given Charlotte is an Eastern Conference opponent -- the Thunder went 29-1 vs the East last season and are 3-0 this year against Eastern teams.
• Chet Holmgren has hit 21 of his last 30 shots (70%) since returning from injury as he tightens up his shot diet. Efficiency appears to be a focus.
• The Thunder have been a cheat code on the defensive glass, ranking No. 1 in the NBA in defensive rebounds and averaging 37.8 per game over their last five.
• Isaiah Joe has quietly been on a heater since coming back from injury, hitting 3.6 threes per game on 40.8% and maximizing his fourth-quarter minutes in blowouts while the starters sit.

Orlando Magic (5-6, 10th in the East) via Mason M

• Paolo Banchero left last night's win vs. the Knicks with an injured groin. His status will be something to monitor moving forward as he did not return. (Editor's note: He's been ruled out for Friday's game and will be evaluated daily)
• Magic coach Jamahl Mosley recently answered questions about his rotation as a potential issue to the Magic slow start. \
• Magic made a huge trade for Desmond Bane over the summer. However Bane start in Orlando has been much less than what the Magic desired. Only shooting 27% from 3 and just over 1 3pt made a game. Some believe the rotation is to blame for Banes shooting issues. He did hit a game winning 3-pointer earlier this week though.
• Jalen Suggs returning from injury, returned to the lineup at the start of the season. He averages 20 minutes a game and is shooting 45% from 3. Also has hit over 2 3s in 3/3 of his last games played
• Due to Suggs reduced minutes opposing guards are taking advantage. PGs are averaging over 26.6 points a game versus the Magic and SG average 26.3 with both positions shooting over 47% from the floor

Philadelphia 76ers (7-4, 4th in the East) via Devin C

• To the surprise of many the 76ers have started off 7-4 despite sporadic play from Joel Embiid and Jared McCain and Paul George still yet to touch the floor.
• Tyrese Maxey has put himself in the MVP conversation. He is third in the league in scoring at 32.1 points per game.
• This team has been fantastic in the 1st, 2nd and 4th quarters but absolutely terrible in the 3rd. Very weird trend to take advantage of with live betting the quarter. See scoring and league ranking below by quarter:
• Q1: 32.0(5th)/Q2: 32.8 (3rd)/Q3: 23.1(30th)/Q4: 31.5 (2nd)

Phoenix Suns (7-5, 7th in the West) via Connor F

• Suns are 7-5, winning 5 of their last 6 games. 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games. As well as hitting the under in 6 of those 8 games. 
• Jalen Green is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after re-injuring his hamstring in LA vs the Clippers. Grayson Allen will start in place for him going forward. 
• Grayson Allen is HOT, he just scored a career high 42 points vs the Pelicans and made a franchise record 10 threes in a single game. He’s now averaging a career-high 19.0 PPG, his next highest — 13.6 back in 2023-24. 
• Their identity is starting to come to shape, three-point attempts and forcing turnovers, this defines their success as a team. They rank 7th in Defensive TOV% and 6th in three-pointer rate. (Cleaning the Glass) 

Portland Trail Blazers (6-5, 8th in the West) via Casey G

• Blazers have had one of the hardest early schedules in the NBA having 9 of their first 11 games against playoff teams from last year. 
• If you’re looking to bet the blazers, bet them when they are underdogs as they are 5-1 ATS as a dog compared to 1-4 when they are favorites.
• Deni Avdija is playing like a legit all star, averaging 26/6/5 as the do it all man for the blazers so far. 
• After a relatively cool start, Shaedon Sharpe has back to back 30 pt games and is starting to find his rhythm behind the arc, shooting over 40% from 3 in the past two. 

Sacramento Kings (3-9, 13th in the West) via Ben M

• Zach LaVine missed last nights game against the Hawks with a thigh contusion moving Russell Westbrook on his 37th birthday into the starting point guard spot
• After the loss Kings are now 1-6 against the spread at home
• Top 3 point shooter is Zach LaVine who is shooting 43% from 3 and 52% FG’s
• Schroder had been struggling with the starters but looked great with the second unit yesterday (plays better when he has the ball in his hands more )
• Most losses in NBA history it appears 12 games into the season everyone including the Beam is on the trading block

San Antonio Spurs (8-3, 3rd in the West) via Robby G

• Wemby looked to the 3pt line more often as teams sent multiple defenders his way. He plays teams who have big men really well as they send help in a form of double teams instead of triple teams.
• Stephon Castle looking aggressive, his assist numbers are up.  Does have a tendency to shoot 3s even though he's not very good. 
• Castle and Wemby both had triple doubles last night in a loss to the Warriors.
• Harrison Barnes has been the lone 3pt shooter you can trust, Julian Champagnie can make them but his playing time isn't what it should be.

Toronto Raptors (6-5, 8th place in the East) via Shay J

• The Raptors are 4-1 in their last 5 games their sole loss coming to the 76ers. During this span they are firing at a very efficient clip averaging 118.6 points per game with an average margin of victory over 10 points.
• The offence is currently being lead by the newest Raptor Brandon Ingram (Glorilla’s New Man) with 22ppg, 5.3 reb, and 3.6 assists over his last 5 games. With a top 5 half court offence in the league Brandon Ingram will continue to get to his spots and find ways to attack the basket which compliments his 90% FT. If his prop has been set between 19-21 jump all over it.
• Scottie Barnes is showing that’s he’s one of the best two way players in the league and is all over the passing lanes and not shying away from players attacking the rims. He’s averaging 2 steals and 1.7blocks a game and has been a lock with his 2.5 steals and blocks a game.
• With Jakob Poeltl’s back pain and early foul trouble in games keep an eye out for Raptors first round pick Collin Murray Boyles to fill in the stats sheet. Coming out of the draft everyone was concerned about his 3 point shooting ability, however the rookies put in a lot of work on his shooting and is currently 9-18 from the three and isn’t hesitating to let it fly. Teams will continue to help off the rookie and he will continue to shoot with confidence.

Utah Jazz (4-7, 10th in the West) via Collin T

• Utah scored a league high 152 points this week while shooting under 35% from 3 so a large majority of shots came in the paint. With the loss of Walker Kessler for the year expect Josef Nurkic and Kevin Love to get more playing 
• A Lauri 3 for first bucket is almost always the Jazz first play of the game. Averages 28 ppg and nearly 9 3PTA per game. 
• Another guy to watch from deep is Brice Sensabaugh! He consistently fires them up every game. With Isaiah Collier back the assists should go way up 
• Rookie Ace Bailey just got the starting lineup role this week, with a career high 20 points last game. 17 of them coming in the first half, so keep an eye on that as he gets more playing time. Also he loves being in Utah. Don’t let the media fool you. 

Washington Wizards (1-11, 15th place in the East) via Robbie G

• The Wizards' defense is awful. They are giving up an average of 129.67 points per game. This ranks 30th in the NBA. 
• Coach Brian Keefe emphasized the importance of rebounding before today's game. The Wizards responded by being out-rebounded 58-38 against the Rockets.
• Bilal Coulibaly has been out with a calf injury with no timeline for his return. This has opened the door for rookie Tre Johnson to start the last four Wizards games. Over those games, Tre is averaging 12.2 points per game and shooting 47.3% from three. 
• Alex Sarr has been a bright spot for this team this season. He is currently averaging 18.9 points per game. 8.6 rebounds per game, and 3.8 assists per game. Defensively, Sarr just ended his streak of 11 games with 2+blocks per game. This was the longest 2+ block streak in the NBA.
• There have been 18 losing streaks of 10 or more games in the NBA over the last three seasons. The Washington Wizards are now owners of four of them.

Thanks to all the contributors! If anyone stood out to you, make sure to let them know in the comments.

And thank you for reading! Hoping to make this a regular thing if the feedback is positive. Stay tuned on Tuesdays and Fridays for more, broken down by conference so a bit more digestible. 

Steven Cheah