When Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles injury in May, many were content to write this year’s Celtics team off.

Luckily, Jaylen Brown didn’t write back.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday Alex English, Jonquel Jones, and Tyler Ulis! 🎉

Game Recaps

Brown’s 50 PTS fuel Boston to 146-115 rout of Clippers

Last spring, the Celtics traded away two pillars of their 2024 championship team in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, lost Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tear, and prepared to for a 2025-26 season that many called a reset year.

This fall, Boston is a top three seed in the East once again. And you don’t have to look hard to find the reason why— he probably just hit a jump shot in your face.

The Celtics won their third straight game and 12th of their last 15, drubbing the Clips by 31 and snapping their six-game win streak thanks to a 50-point gem from Jaylen Brown. Derrick White also added 29 for Boston, while Kawhi Leonard and John Collins each scored 22 for LA.

Tying for his career-high, the former Finals MVP did more of what he’s done all season, connecting on tough looks with wicked efficiency and keying Boston’s winning brand of basketball. We’ve always wondered what JB could do with the reins to his own offense, and now, the answer is clear: wreak untold havoc on opposing defenses.

Seriously, just watch some of the shots he makes in this game. You won’t be disappointed.

Booker’s last-second three lifts Suns over Thunder 108-105

Phoenix has gone through many different iterations in recent years, but one thing has remained the same: Devin Booker ballin’.

On Sunday, that tradition continued as D-Book scored 24 PTS to lead the Suns to a tight win over the reigning champs. His most valuable bucket came with 1.6 seconds to go, when Booker sized up, crossed over, and delivered a 35-foot go-ahead three over Alex Caruso. You can’t practice that kind of clutch.

The shot snapped a four-game win streak for the Thunder, who got 25 from SGA and 23 from Jalen Williams but shot just 31% from three. OKC is still the only team in the league with 30 wins, and when you’re at the top of the heap, you get every opponent’s best shot. A gutsy win for Phoenix, a learning opportunity for the Thunder, and an unforgettable shot from Book!

Elsewhere around the NBA:

• It appears the decline of Joel Embiid was… greatly exaggerated. The former MVP has started to look like himself of late for a Sixers team trending in the right direction. On Saturday, Philly won its third straight game, beating the Knicks 130-119 behind 36 PTS from Tyrese Maxey, 26 PTS from rookie stud VJ Edgecombe, and 26 from The Process, his eighth straight game with 20+ PTS. Embiid also added 10 REB, 5 AST, and his first dunk of the season. With Kelly Oubre and Trendon Watford still on the mend, the full-strength Sixers could be factors in the East.

• Many stars understandably take rest on back-to-backs. Anthony Edwards drops 30. A weekend road trip down the East Coast ended in two wins for Minnesota, the first a 125-115 win over Miami on Saturday and the second a 141-115 blowout against Washington on Sunday. Ant scored 33+ PTS in both wins, pushing the Timberwolves to a tie for fourth in the West.

• The Clippers and Magic will each miss key players for an indefinite amount of time due to MCL injuries— LA’s Derrick Jones Jr. suffered a Grade 2 sprain just four games after returning from another MCL injury in the same knee. He’ll be reevaluated in six weeks. Orlando’s Jalen Suggs has a Grade 1 contusion, and his timetable for recovery will depend on how he responds to treatment.

• In a clash of preseason Eastern conference contenders, the top-seeded Pistons squeaked past Cleveland 114-110 thanks in part to a big night from two-way player Daniss Jenkins. Jenkins scored 25 PTS, including 21 in the second quarter, and hit four free throws in the final seconds to help Detroit down the Cavs despite missing Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren, and Caris LeVert. It was the first time in nine games that the Pistons beat the Cavs in Cleveland.

Record Retrospective

In today’s league, coaches spend sleepless nights scheming to slow down opposing superstars. But what if, instead of trying to defend the other team’s best player, you could keep the ball from them altogether?

It was that question that led to the lowest-scoring game in NBA history on November 22, 1950. In an age before the invention of the shot clock, Fort Wayne Pistons coach Murray Mendenhall designed a gameplan intended to keep the ball away from the reigning champion Minneapolis Lakers and MVP George Mikan: keep the ball away.

Rather than actively attempting to score a basket, the Pistons passed the ball around the court for much of the game, determined to slow the pace of play and neutralize the Lakers’ offense. With six seconds left, Pistons rookie Larry Foust connected on a layup over Mikan to give the Pistons the win… by a final score of 19-18.

In the end, Mikan scored 15 of Minneapolis’s 18 PTS, while his Lakers teammates shot a combined 0/6 from the field, but it wasn’t enough against Fort Wayne’s stall strategy. After the game, Lakers coach Larry Kundla said that play like the Pistons’ would “kill professional basketball.” And sure enough, four years later, the NBA installed the 24-second shot clock we know and love today.

Some records are not made to be broken…

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we out! Thanks for spending a portion of your day with us. This week, make time to do something that helps you unwind. Whether it’s a walk, a movie, or a good book, sometimes small joys can make a big difference. See you soon!

Walker Carnathan