Seven games. Seven answers. Wembanyama owns both ends, Memphis stays perfect, Maxey saves Philadelphia, and Houston makes Oklahoma City feel every injury. Saturday was a night of separation, resilience and consequences.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2026 · ALL 7 GAMES FINAL · ORIGINAL 4DK ANALYSIS
4DK / PLAYER OF THE NIGHT
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA. THE WHOLE FLOOR BELONGS TO HIM.
Tyrese Maxey scored 38 in a five-point comeback without LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Darius Acuff Jr. hit nine threes on his way to 38 in a loss. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 as Houston flattened Oklahoma City. Cameron Boozer gave the last unbeaten team 27 and nine. Saturday gave us several credible candidates. We give the night to Wembanyama because he was the rare player who dictated both teams' shot selection while carrying his own offense.
Forty-three points on 34 attempts tells us he embraced the workload. Six blocks tell us Minnesota had to account for him even when he never touched the ball. His transition dunk after blocking Jonathan Kuminga's three was the signature sequence: erase a possession at one end, finish it at the other. San Antonio won its fourth straight, and Wembanyama's influence was larger than the ten-point margin. He changed the rules of what the Wolves could comfortably attempt.
4DK podium: Tyrese Maxey — 38 in a comeback win; Cameron Boozer — 27 and nine for 6–0 Memphis; Jabari Smith Jr. — 30 and six threes in Houston's response.
4DK / ROOKIE WATCH
BOOZER KEEPS WINNING. ACUFF KEEPS SCORING.
Cameron Boozer scored 27 with nine rebounds as Memphis improved to 6–0. The raw production is strong, but the larger story is how naturally his game fits an offense with established passing and spacing. Boozer is learning to contribute to winning habits instead of simply accumulating rookie numbers.
Darius Acuff Jr. poured in 38 points and made nine threes for Sacramento, his second consecutive huge scoring performance. That shooting talent is impossible to ignore, even as the Kings fall to 0–6. Utah's Darryn Peterson led the Jazz with 16, while Milwaukee rookies Nate Ament and Brayden Burries each scored 14. Kingston Flemings added six assists and four steals for Atlanta. The Rookie Watch discussion is getting deeper every night, and team context matters when we evaluate the performances.
GAME 01 / REGULAR SEASON
PORTLAND LOSES MORANT. NOT ITS IDENTITY. UTAH NEVER GETS COMFORTABLE.
The first response to a significant injury tells us something about a team’s foundation. Portland entered Salt Lake City without Ja Morant, whose hamstring strain has taken away a primary downhill creator, and without Shaedon Sharpe. This could have become a night of confused possessions and uncertain hierarchy. Instead, the Trail Blazers established the terms immediately. Down 7–6 early, they ripped off 17 unanswered points, held Utah scoreless for almost six minutes and never surrendered the game's emotional control. Deni Avdija was the organizer and aggressor: 24 points, including 19 before halftime, and the willingness to get to the stripe rather than settle for the first jumper available.
Damian Lillard supplied 22 points, and the distribution beyond the two headliners mattered just as much. Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara and Scoot Henderson each finished with 14. Portland led 59–42 at halftime and carried that control through the third. The Jazz turned it over 20 times, and a sequence of four consecutive Utah giveaways in the third period captured the mismatch: Portland was defending actions before Utah could reach the intended second option. The Blazers' 48–37 rebounding edge also made it difficult for the home team to manufacture extra chances. This was not merely a good shooting night disguised as a blowout; Portland imposed a defensive rhythm Utah could not solve.
Utah's rookie Darryn Peterson scored 16, but Lauri Markkanen struggled to 13 on 3-for-14 shooting in his return from a wrist injury. Keyonte George managed eight points. Those numbers matter because the Jazz need their established scorers to reduce the difficulty of the game for their younger players. When the first action stalls, someone must create a clean second one. Portland repeatedly denied that release. We are not declaring the Blazers immune to Morant's absence after one night. We are saying their defense, veteran guards and collective discipline gave them a blueprint for surviving it.
TURNING POINT — A 17–0 Portland first-quarter run flipped a 7–6 deficit into a commanding lead; Utah never recovered.
4DK OUTLOOK — Portland moves to 4–1 and shows it can defend its way through an injury stretch. Utah falls to 1–5 with shot creation and turnovers demanding attention.
The Sixers were missing LeBron James and Joel Embiid on the second night of a back-to-back. That is the sort of scheduling reality that exposes whether a contender has an offense or merely a collection of stars. Tyrese Maxey made the answer uncomfortable for Charlotte. He scored 38, repeatedly bent the defense with speed and finished the job at the foul line. Philadelphia did not dominate this game from start to finish. It survived an early 37-point Charlotte quarter, lost control again in the third and trailed 97–90 after Brandon Miller turned a block on VJ Edgecombe into a transition assist for Moussa Diabate. That was the moment the Hornets should have protected.
Instead, Philadelphia's composure outlasted Charlotte's execution. Anfernee Simons scored 19 off the bench, including two crucial baskets during the late comeback, and Maxey's free throws with 1:22 remaining gave the Sixers the lead for good. Edgecombe then hit a left-wing three to make it 105–101. The rookie's overall shooting was uneven, but the confidence to take and make that possession matters more than a pretty box-score percentage. Philadelphia committed just eight turnovers while Charlotte had 18. In a five-point game, that possession economy is the difference between being explosive in stretches and being reliable for 48 minutes.
Grayson Allen's 27 points and seven threes gave the Hornets a major lift, and Miller added 24 with five triples. Yet the final minutes were filled with missed chances, including an uncontested layup Charlotte failed to convert inside the last half-minute. The Hornets had enough shooting to win but not enough late-game organization to finish. Philadelphia, meanwhile, learned something useful about its ceiling: when the two biggest names sit, Maxey can still function as the primary engine and the supporting cast can close around him. That is more than a survival win. It is a meaningful statement about depth.
TURNING POINT — Charlotte led 97–90 late, but Simons steadied Philadelphia, Maxey took the lead at the line and Edgecombe buried the decisive wing three.
4DK OUTLOOK — The 6–1 Sixers have proof of concept without James and Embiid. Charlotte slips to 3–4 after giving away a winnable finish.
There is a difference between a team finally making shots and a team rediscovering how to generate good ones. New Orleans looked much closer to the second version Saturday. The Pelicans shot 56.6 percent from the floor, established a 35–18 first-quarter advantage and forced Atlanta to chase a game that was already being played at New Orleans' preferred pace. Saddiq Bey scored 25 on 9-for-13 shooting, but the more encouraging number belonged to Jeremiah Fears: 20 points and seven assists. The young guard kept the ball moving, gave the offense a point of attack and helped prevent the stagnant possessions that had haunted the Pelicans during their 0–4 start.
Atlanta's problem was not a lack of willingness to shoot. It was the inability to create enough separation between a good attempt and a rushed one. The Hawks launched 46 threes and made eight. That 17.4-percent clip made every miss feel heavier because New Orleans was comfortable securing the rebound and resetting the tempo. CJ McCollum scored 14 in his return to New Orleans, Jalen Johnson contributed 13 and seven rebounds, and Kingston Flemings supplied six assists and four steals. The activity was there in isolated moments. The sustained shot quality was not. A second-quarter 13–4 Atlanta push offered a brief opening, but the Pelicans never allowed the contest to become a true late-game coin flip.
New Orleans also received 15 apiece from Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III, the kind of complementary balance that prevents a defense from loading up on a single scorer. A fourth-quarter 17–6 surge put the game away. The Pelicans have now won two straight after four losses, and we are more interested in the shape of these wins than the streak itself. Fears' decisions, Bey's efficient finishing and a connected offensive approach are things that can travel. Atlanta, which has dropped four of five, needs to rediscover its own hierarchy before another night of perimeter volume becomes another night of wasted possessions.
TURNING POINT — New Orleans opened 35–18, then used a 17–6 fourth-quarter push to extinguish Atlanta’s last hope.
4DK OUTLOOK — The Pelicans improve to 2–4 with a more connected offense. The 3–4 Hawks must confront their shot-selection problem.
This was the kind of Victor Wembanyama performance that changes how we discuss a basketball game. Forty-three points would have been enough to dominate the headline. Add six blocks, four assists and seven rebounds, and the impact becomes bigger than scoring. Minnesota could make the right initial read and still find the possession erased at the rim. Wembanyama's block of Jonathan Kuminga's three-point attempt, followed by his sprint for a two-handed dunk, illustrated the problem: San Antonio's center can end your offense and begin his team's attack in one sequence. That is a structural advantage few opponents can match.
Minnesota deserves credit for refusing to fold while missing Anthony Edwards after knee surgery and Rudy Gobert because of back spasms. Ayo Dosunmu scored 27 with nine rebounds; Kuminga and Jaden McDaniels added 19 apiece. When LaMelo Ball went to the bench with foul trouble in the second quarter, the Wolves responded with a 16–0 burst to take a 51–46 lead. That stretch showed genuine resilience and some offensive versatility. But the foul situation eventually became another pressure point. Ball was limited to 20 minutes and fouled out, leaving Minnesota with even fewer dependable ways to control the late-game tempo.
The Spurs answered with the kind of supporting cast that makes a superstar's eruption translate into a win. Dylan Harper scored 25 and handed out six assists; De’Aaron Fox contributed 20 points and seven assists. San Antonio opened the second half 13–4, retook control and forced the Wolves to spend the final stretch trying to survive possessions rather than dictate them. Wembanyama did not have to be perfect—he took 34 shots to reach 43—but his combination of volume, deterrence and transition reach made every Minnesota adjustment incomplete. Four straight Spurs wins have turned an early-season question into a legitimate statement.
TURNING POINT — San Antonio opened the third quarter 13–4 after Minnesota’s 16–0 second-quarter rally, and Wembanyama’s two-way takeover finished the separation.
4DK OUTLOOK — The Spurs climb to 4–2 behind an MVP-caliber two-way performance. Minnesota is 4–3 and must manage major absences without losing its defensive identity.
Memphis is no longer just an entertaining early-season story. At 6–0, the Grizzlies are the NBA's lone unbeaten team, matching the best start in franchise history. What makes this run impressive is that Saturday's 31-point demolition arrived with Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. sidelined by back issues. Cam Spencer stepped into the starting point-guard role and delivered 13 assists without a turnover. That is the sort of stabilizing performance that allows everyone else to attack with confidence. Memphis did not look like a team patching holes; it looked like a team with enough clarity to make injuries part of the next-man-up equation.
Rookie Cameron Boozer scored 27 and grabbed nine rebounds, continuing to look like a player whose decision-making is arriving as quickly as his production. Isaiah Stewart scored 24 on 8-for-9 shooting, and GG Jackson made all five of his threes on the way to 21. The Grizzlies scored 42 points in the third quarter and held Sacramento to 25, turning an 11-point halftime lead into a blowout. This was an offensive avalanche built on passing, spacing and the confidence to keep moving the ball. The bench produced 81 points, an extraordinary illustration of how many ways Memphis can hurt an opponent.
Sacramento's Darius Acuff Jr. deserves a separate conversation. Thirty-eight points, nine made threes and five assists is not ordinary rookie production, especially after his 34-point outing against New Orleans. He scored 21 in the first half to keep the Kings within 66–55. But individual brilliance cannot compensate for a defense that continually gives up quality looks and a roster that cannot string together stops. Domantas Sabonis added 14 rebounds and eight assists, yet the Kings fell to 0–6. We see a budding star in Acuff. We also see a team that is asking its rookie to carry an unreasonable share of the emotional and offensive burden. Memphis is building habits. Sacramento is still searching for them.
TURNING POINT — Memphis won the third quarter 42–25, transforming a competitive halftime score into a 31-point final margin.
4DK OUTLOOK — The 6–0 Grizzlies own the league’s only perfect record and a legitimate Rookie of the Year contender. Sacramento remains winless at 0–6 despite Acuff’s emergence.
For one quarter Milwaukee looked capable of competing on equal terms. The Bucks led 25–24 after twelve minutes. Then Cleveland scored 48 in the second quarter and turned the night into a lesson in interior efficiency. Evan Mobley finished with 27 on 11-for-16 shooting; Jarrett Allen added 25 on 12-for-16. Those are not merely good big-man lines. They are evidence that the Cavaliers were consistently getting to the areas of the floor they wanted, against a defense that could not force them into uncomfortable decisions. Cleveland led 72–46 at halftime after shooting 62 percent in the opening half.
Mobley and Allen are especially dangerous together when the guards do not have to manufacture every possession. Donovan Mitchell scored 15 and James Harden had 13 with seven assists, allowing Cleveland's frontcourt to control the finishing. Mario Hezonja supplied 11 rebounds, while Meleek Thomas returned from foot soreness to score 13 in 23 minutes. The Cavaliers' 37-point third quarter pushed the margin as high as 34. The key was not a single hot hand; it was the relentless repetition of advantageous matchups. Milwaukee kept arriving late to the same problem, and Cleveland kept cashing the same checks.
Kel'el Ware led Milwaukee with 19 points and ten rebounds, while Tyler Herro scored 15 and rookies Nate Ament and Brayden Burries contributed 14 apiece. There are pieces worth evaluating individually, but a 1–5 record and another heavy home loss make the collective picture impossible to ignore. Cleveland was coming off a loss to Atlanta and responded with force. Milwaukee needed to show it could absorb pressure and stabilize a possession; instead, it let one bad quarter become an entire night. For the Cavaliers, this is a reminder of their size advantage. For the Bucks, the defensive organization must improve before the season's early damage becomes a lasting identity.
TURNING POINT — Cleveland outscored Milwaukee 48–21 in the second quarter and led 72–46 at halftime.
4DK OUTLOOK — Cleveland improves to 4–2 and reasserts its interior strength. Milwaukee falls to 1–5 with its defensive problems exposed again.
Jabari Smith Jr. (HOU): 30 PTS, 9 REB, 6 3PM · Marcus Smart: 24 PTS, 7 3PM · Alperen Şengün: 16 PTS, 9 REB, 10 AST · Kevin Durant: 14 PTS · Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC): 26 PTS · Kenrich Williams, Bennett Stirtz: 11 PTS EACH
Houston's first loss of the season came Friday in Dallas, when its defense failed to close the game against Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg. Twenty-four hours later the Rockets responded in the most convincing way available: by refusing to let Oklahoma City get comfortable from the start. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 with nine rebounds and six threes. Marcus Smart added 24 and seven threes, helping Houston shoot 18-for-41 from deep. When Smart is punishing the space opponents leave him, the Rockets' half-court geometry changes. Help off the perimeter and the shot is there; stay attached and Houston can work through its interior creators.
Alperen Şengün returned after missing two games with back soreness and nearly recorded a triple-double: 16 points, nine rebounds and ten assists. His presence gave Houston a second organizer when Oklahoma City tried to pressure the ball. The Rockets turned a 37–30 advantage early in the second into a 55–34 lead with an 18–4 run. The Thunder did cut it to 62–51 by halftime, but Houston opened the third with eight straight points and never let the margin fall below 12 afterward. That is how a good team answers a defeat: not with a dramatic late rescue, but by removing the need for one.
The Thunder's situation deserves more than a shrug. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26, but Oklahoma City shot 10-for-32 from three and lacked the two-way balance that defined its early wins. Chet Holmgren has been ruled out for at least two months with a knee injury, adding to a growing list of significant absences. Without his length, spacing and defensive range, every lineup choice becomes more expensive. Houston improves to 6–1, and Oklahoma City has lost two straight after a 4–0 start. We are not writing off the Thunder. We are acknowledging that injuries are changing the roster's functional identity in real time, and the Power 30 must account for what this team can actually put on the floor.
TURNING POINT — An 18–4 second-quarter run gave Houston a 21-point cushion; an 8–0 start to the third ended Oklahoma City’s comeback threat.
4DK OUTLOOK — Houston moves to 6–1 and rebounds emphatically. The 4–2 Thunder face an extended stretch without Holmgren and mounting pressure on their remaining healthy rotation.