Imagine a Bulls fan in October seeing this: ⬇️

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Kris Humphries, Jonny Flynn, and Kevon Looney! 🎉

Game Recaps

Wemby prevails in battle of No. 1 picks, Spurs beat Mavericks 135-123

Victor Wembanyama (29 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST) won the headliner and the night. In a matchup framed by the league’s present and future, the Spurs leaned on their franchise centerpiece to pull away late and take down the Mavericks and Cooper Flagg.

Wemby stretched Dallas’ defense with five made threes and anchored San Antonio on the other end, but Flagg (32 PTS, 6 REB) was every bit the star on the other side as well. Naji Marshall matched Flagg with 32 points of his own, and Max Christie added 20, but the Spurs repeatedly answered Dallas’ runs with spacing and movement.

After trailing for virtually the entire game, Dallas went on a run in the middle of the fourth quarter and cut San Antonio’s lead to 1, but the Spurs hit their free throws and came away with a clear win in the end.

Brunson and Knicks take down Nuggets 134-127 in double OT

In a game defined by endurance and late-game execution, New York leaned on Jalen Brunson to survive one of Denver’s most relentless offensive efforts all season.

Brunson (42 PTS, 9 AST, 8 REB) carried the Knicks through both extra periods, creating space off the dribble and getting to his spots against a tiring Nuggets defense. Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 PTS, and New York’s shooting depth showed up when it mattered—the Knicks finished with 18 made threes and just enough answers when Denver threatened to take control.

Jamal Murray poured in 39 points on heavy usage, while Nikola Jokic battled through an inefficient shooting night to post a 30-point triple-double in almost 45 minutes. Tim Hardaway (19 PTS) helped off the bench for the Nuggets, but Denver’s offense stalled late as fatigue set in during extra time.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

• After four quarters of back-and-forth basketball between the Jazz and Hawks, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (23 PTS, 5 AST) hit a game-winning fadeaway to hand Atlanta the 121-119 win. Isaiah Collier (25 PTS, 11 AST, 7 REB) and Kyle Filipowski (15 PTS, 17 REB) impressed for Utah, but a standout night from new addition Jock Landale (26 PTS, 11 REB, 5-8 3PT) pushed the Hawks forward.

• The Timberwolves rallied all the way from down 18 on Wednesday night to beat Brandon Ingram (25 PTS) and the Raptors 128-126, their first win in Toronto since 2004—or, as Anthony Edwards (30 PTS, 8 REB) put it, they “ain’t beat Toronto since Bruce Lee died.” Naz Reid (17 PTS, 8 REB) and Bones Hyland (20 PTS, 7 REB) were crucial to the Wolves’ win off the bench.

• 2025 No. 21 pick Will Riley scored a career-high 20 points as the Wizards, still without any of their new acquisitions, took down Cade Cunningham (30 PTS, 8 AST, 8 REB) and the Pistons in a wire-to-wire 126-117 win.

• Without their respective point guards (who’ve just been traded for each other) the Cavs took down the Clippers 124-91 by controlling the game early and never letting Los Angeles find its footing. Donovan Mitchell finished with 29 PTS and 9 AST, while Cleveland’s depth overwhelmed the short-handed Clippers.

• Trey Murphy III had 44 points and hit 12 threes, but Milwaukee survived a wild finish and got the 141-137 win over New Orleans behind a Ryan Rollins-led scoring effort, with 7 players scoring at least 13 points. Rollins (27 PTS), Kevin Porter Jr. (18 PTS, 9 AST), and Myles Turner (16 PTS, 9 REB) all helped the Bucks outlast Murphy’s scoring explosion.

• The Hornets are now winners of eight straight games after a 109-99 W over Houston behind 24 from Kon Knueppel and 20 from LaMelo Ball. Kevin Durant (31 PTS, 3 REB, 5 STL) took charge at home, but aside from Jabari Smith Jr. (17 PTS, 7 REB), no other Rocket scored more than eight points.

Trade Deadline Wrap-Up

We had already seen Jaren Jackson Jr., James Harden, and Nikola Vucevic traded by Wednesday, but the final 48 hours before the 2026 NBA trade deadline were ridiculous. Let’s get started. ✍️

• Mavericks trade Anthony Davis to the Wizards for a package including Khris Middleton and two first-round picks: The Mavs pivoted off their short-lived pairing with Davis and traded him to the Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, and draft compensation, including two first-round picks. Dallas later flipped Branham for Tyus Jones from Charlotte, who had just acquired the guard from Orlando for cash considerations.

• Bulls continue teardown, send Coby White to Charlotte and Ayo Dosunmu to Minnesota: Chicago continued dismantling its core at the deadline, sending White and Dosunmu to the Hornets and Timberwolves, respectively, and receiving Collin Sexton, Rob Dillingham, and multiple second-round picks in return. The Bulls also attached themselves to the four-player Bucks–Suns trade (more on that later) and flipped Ousmane Dieng, whom they had acquired as part of the White deal, for Nick Richards.

• Warriors add Kristaps Porzingis, trade Kuminga and Hield to Hawks: After months (if not years) of trade rumors surrounding Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State made an aggressive consolidation play by sending him and Buddy Hield out in exchange for Porzingis, betting on the Latvian’s elite size and shooting to raise their postseason ceiling. The Warriors also dealt Trayce Jackson-Davis to Toronto, further streamlining the frontcourt rotation.

• Pacers trade for Ivica Zubac; Clippers get Mathurin, Jackson, two FRPs: Indiana addressed a long-standing need in the middle by acquiring Zubac as a stabilizing, playoff-tested center. The move followed rumors earlier in the week and marked another step in the Clippers’ teardown, as Los Angeles pivoted toward a young scoring talent in Bennedict Mathurin and first-round draft capital.

Other moves to know about:

• After publicly pivoting away from trading Giannis, the Bucks completed a multi-player deal with the Suns, sending Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey to Phoenix in exchange for Mark Williams and Nigel Hayes-Davis.

• The Lakers traded Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for sharpshooter Luke Kennard.

• Oklahoma City acquired 2024 No. 16 overall pick Jared McCain from the 76ers in exchange for Houston’s 2026 first-rounder and three second-round picks.

• Chris Paul was offloaded by the Clippers to the Raptors in a three-team deal also involving the Nets, who acquired Ochai Agbaji, a future second-round pick, and cash. Paul isn’t expected to remain with Toronto long-term.

• Utah sent Jock Landale to the Hawks and took on Lonzo Ball and two second-round picks in a three-team deal with Atlanta and Cleveland, the former of which sent cash to the Jazz. Utah is expected to waive Ball and make him a free agent.

• The Knicks acquired guard Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans in exchange for Dalen Terry, who they had acquired in a swap with Chicago for Guerschon Yabusele, and two second-round draft picks.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

We’re hoops guys, but we won’t be mad if you Enjoy a little football come Sunday. Stay safe and warm this weekend!

Austin Zeglis