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Good morning! Shoot some hoops today.
Roundball: What the NBA season has told us so far
By the end of the weekend, every NBA team will have played 15 percent of its regular season. Whatâs 15 percent of a season? Enough time to make decisions, apparently. The Mavericks already made the yearâs first splashy firing, of flailing GM-turned-fall guy Nico Harrison.
Other big developments so far:
- The Eastern Conference is ripe for someone to reach out and grab it, and the Pistons â winners of nine straight for the first time in 17 years â look like a good candidate. Detroit is 11-2, leading the conference while getting supreme play from Cade Cunningham and breakout center Jalen Duren, who is still just 21. The Pistons have even shown they can win without both of those guys, among several others. Hereâs a breakdown of how the team has been this great.
- The reigning champion Thunder still look like kings of the West. OKC is off to a 12-1 start, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is settling in for another two-man MVP race with Nikola JokiÄ. I assume you are shocked to be reading this.
- The poor Pacers, the other half of last yearâs Finals, are already down in Wizards territory at 1-11 as Tyrese Haliburton (torn Achilles) misses the season.
- The Lakers, yet to get a minute out of the rehabbing LeBron James, are 9-4. It turns out that Luka DonÄiÄ is good. Harrison now has more time to watch his games.
Thereâs a lot to take in, though. So I asked Zach Harper, author of our free NBA newsletter, whatâs catching his eye. We did a lightning round.
Zach, which of your preconceptions about this season are you already ditching?Â
đŹ Iâm absolutely abandoning the idea that the Clippers and Pacers are still built to withstand injuries. Itâs not so bad for the Clippers, but Chris Paul looks washed, pressed and folded, Bradley Beal is out for the season and John Collins is not that guy. Indiana has had too many injuries to reasonably expect them to survive, but I still didnât think theyâd be this bad. I thought theyâd be sneaky-dangerous as a Play-In team.
What were you right about, and how has the season confirmed your genius?Â
đŹ I never bought the Hawks as someone who would make the leap, because theyâre still the Hawks. They canât beat good teams, and I donât believe Trae Young missing is the reason. They just donât have an identity or culture. Iâm also sticking with âVictor Wembanyama is going to eat this planet.â Heâs a top-five player, and there is nothing anybody can do to stop him.
Has the Lakersâ performance without LeBron changed how you feel about their outlook? Or his?
đŹ Not really. We knew Luka was elite, so his play hasnât changed anything. Austin Reaves is definitely taking a leap. That was expected in a contract year, but maybe not to this degree. Iâm impressed, but in a playoff scenario, they still donât have enough defense or size. LeBron coming back at 41 years old with sciatica isnât fixing either of those issues. Itâs a really good regular-season team, though.
Thanks to Zach. Weâll check in all season, and you can find him all the time in The Bounce.
News to Know
A YouTube TV-Disney deal, finally
At long last, YouTube TV and Disney have put an end to their standoff. The two sides reached a deal last night to restore ESPN, ABC and other channels to YouTube TV after a two-week hiatus ⊠and ahead of a stacked college football slate on ABC today. (More on that shortly.) The agreement also gives YouTube TV subscribers access to ESPNâs new direct-to-consumer service. Andrew Marchand has all the details in his full report.
âLast Chance Uâ coach killed
John Beam, the former Laney College football coach featured in the Netflix docuseries âLast Chance U,â was shot and killed on the schoolâs campus yesterday. A 27-year-old suspect was taken into custody in connection to the shooting, with police claiming it was a targeted incident. More details here.
Those around the sports world paid their respects to Beam, who had become a legend in Oakland and the Bay Area for his efforts in coaching and mentoring the communityâs youth.
More news:
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New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes suffered a hand injury in a âfreak accidentâ at a team dinner. More here.
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Bill Belichick shut down rumors connecting him to the New York Giantsâ head coach opening in a statement yesterday. Weâll see about that.
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Former NBA guard Patrick Beverley was arrested in Texasfollowing a âfamily violence incident.â
- A hilarious story revealed by The Athleticâs Jon Krawczynski this week: LaMelo Ball reportedly scared off the Timberwolves in a pre-draft interview when he revealed his aspirations to be president of the United States.
- Kai Trump, the 18-year-old granddaughter of President Donald Trump, finished dead last in her LPGA debut this week. The tournament may have lost the plot by granting her a sponsor exemption, as Hugh Kellenberger writes.
Watch Guide
đș NWSL: Portland Thorns at Washington SpiritÂ
12 p.m. ET on CBS
The Spirit are the No. 2 seed in the NWSL playoffs, and the Thorns are No. 3. Whoever wins will probably be favored in next Saturdayâs NWSL Championship, now that No. 1 seed Kansas City is out. The Spirit might just be built for this.
đș CFB: No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 22 PittÂ
12 p.m. ET on ABCÂ
Notre Dame is playing for its Playoff life. Pitt, because this isnât an ACC game, is not. This contradiction made Pittâs coach say a bizarre thing this week: âIâd gladly get beat 103 or 110 to 10 in that game. They could put up 100 on us as long as we win the next two after that.â đ€
đș CFB: No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 4 AlabamaÂ
3:30 p.m. ET on ABCÂ
Bamaâs running game has been mediocre all year. Oklahoma leads college football in defensive success rate against the run. This seems concerning for Alabama, no?
đș CFB: No. 10 Texas at No. 5 GeorgiaÂ
7:30 p.m. ET on ABCÂ
Arch Manning will be the focus here, and heâs trending in a good direction lately. But so has Gunner Stockton, the latest Kirby Smart QB to figure it out after a choppy transition period.
Want tickets? Try StubHub.
Pulse Picks
As a rookie in 2008, Cliff Avril was on the 0-16 Lions. He then won a Super Bowl with the 2013 Seahawks. Read his thoughts on the difference between winning and losing cultures.
Ken Rosenthal joined âThe Sports Gossip Showâ to discuss MLBâs gambling scandal, but also shared his favorite piece of sports gossip â and his bowtie origin story. Fun.
Who among us hasnât stood in Costco, looking over unbeatably cheap wool socks and a multi-pack of underwear, wondering whether these clothes are worth taking home? Call me Captain Kirk, because I lived in every single piece of clothing from Costcoâs Kirkland Signature menswear line â and found some hidden gems. â Alexander Aciman
Over in The Athletic FC newsletter, Caoimhe OâNeill has a great explainer on the big changes to MLSâ calendar we mentioned yesterday.
Start the holiday season of terrible Christmas movies right with âA Very Jonas Christmas Movie,â available to stream as of yesterday. This is a blind recommendation, but no doubt it will be terribly wonderful. â Emily Olsen
After announcing a split with Under Armour this week, Steph Curryâs brand and appeal are reaching a new test, as Jason Jones writes.
In honor of the Wirecutter 2025 Marinara Champion let me rec this incredibly easy pasta. You can sub a non-meat sausage if you want and gnocchi for the noodles. Canât mess it up. (Really.) â Chris Sprow
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Curry ending his Under Armour partnership. He dropped 49 points in Nike shoes last night.
Most-read on the website yesterday: What happens when college football games are only for the rich? Itâs a reality.
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(Top photo: David Jensen / Getty Images)