Amen met The Alien way up in the atmosphere

Houston, We Have Liftoff: Amen Thompson’s game-winning block lifts Rockets over Spurs

For Boston: Jayson Tatum comes through in the clutch to beat Knicks

Roundup: Hawks make franchise history, Cameron Boozer stars, Lakers take Battle of L.A.

Philly Special: Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers look to keep hot start rolling on NBA TV

Feeling Young Again: Trae Young and the Wizards are enjoying a fresh opportunity together

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Today’s slate features eight games, including an NBA TV doubleheader featuring the red-hot 76ers hosting the Bucks (7:30 ET) and the Warriors and Suns running back last season’s SoFi Play-In Tournament matchup (10 ET).

The Golden State Valkyries look to even the 2026 WNBA Finals against Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream at 1 ET as Game 4 tips off from State Farm Arena. (NBC / Peacock / USA).

1. AMEN ASCENDS IN AUSTIN

It’s hard to block Victor Wembanyama at the rim.

For Amen Thompson, it’s as easy as rising up.

Rockets 114, Spurs 110: Alperen Sengun (29 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) paced the scoring, while Thompson (20 pts,10 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl) provided the defensive backbone to help Houston get past Victor Wembanyama (25 pts, 13 reb) and San Antonio in this battle on the campus of the University of Texas. | Recap | 4 takeaways

The game hung in the balance in the final minutes, with Dylan Harper (20 pts) delivering a poster jam to cut the lead to two with 46 seconds remaining.

After Amen missed a midrange jumper, the Spurs had a chance in the waning seconds. But Thompson denied Wembanyama, providing an electrifying highlight to cap a physical, hard-earned win.

“Twin is just a freak athlete. It’s insane how he got up so quick to block the shot of a 7-foot-5 guy, being 6-foot-7,” said Kevin Durant (20 pts on 10 FGA). “Man, what a game-saving block.”

“There’s not many people on the planet making that block,” said Fred VanVleet. “That’s why he’s the special player that he is.”

2. TATUM TAKES IT HOME

Celtics 107, Knicks 103: Jayson Tatum (36 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl) scored seven straight points in the final 1:24 to help Boston stave off New York, showcasing his shotmaking to defend home court. | Recap

“Just playing with a sense of joy and gratitude. Obviously, being injured, I feel like the game was taken from me,” Tatum said afterward. “I have a new appreciation [for it].”

• Skyscraping Stats: Karl-Anthony Towns (22 pts, 10 reb), OG Anunoby (20 pts, 10 reb) and Josh Hart (10 pts, 12 reb) all put up double-doubles for the Knicks
• George In Green: Paul George (15 pts, 7 reb) used a customarily smooth drive to score his first basket in front of his new home fans, adding a buzzer-beater to end the first half

“JT was special. He was special from start to finish,” said George. “He did it effortlessly.”

“I’ve seen JT do that,” said Mitchell Robinson. “To be on the same side as it, and witness that being on his team, it was mind-blowing.”

Robinson arrived in good spirits for his first game against his former team after signing with the Celtics in the offseason.

• “We love Mitch on this side,” Towns said of his former center compatriot. “We always save him a seat at our practices.”
• Big Country: Check out Mitch Rob’s dominant sequence from the fourth quarter

3. ROUNDUP: HAWKS SOAR TO VICTORY

Hawks 128, Hornets 81: Atlanta earned a 47-point win — the largest in franchise history. Dyson Daniels (11 pts, 7 stl), also known as “The Great Barrier Thief,” had a prototypical game. | Recap

• Flying High: The Hawks’ previous greatest margin of victory was 46, set against the Kings on Nov. 15, 2017

Bulls 132, Bucks 125: Caleb Wilson scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, leading seven Bulls in double figures to a comeback win over the Bucks. | Recap

• Floor General: Tre Jones (8 ast, team-high +24) helped key a 16-0 second-quarter run by Chicago, which was capped by a 3-pointer from Buddy Hield (13 pts on 5-for-6 FG)
• Heroic Effort: Tyler Herro (34 pts, 5 3PM) was the top scorer for Milwaukee, including this four-point play

Raptors 112, Wizards 102: Scottie Barnes (28 pts, 14 reb, 5 ast) stuffed the stat sheet to give the Raptors a road win over the Wizards. | Recap

• Keep Shooting: The Raptors took 101 shots to 79 for the Wizards, taking advantage of a 19-6 edge on the offensive glass

Timberwolves 115, Magic 93: Anthony Edwards (15 pts) and LaMelo Ball (12 pts, 5 ast, 2 stl) keep building chemistry as Minnesota ran away from Wendell Carter Jr. (20 pts on 8-for-9 FG) and Orlando. | Recap

Mavericks 121, Pacers 105: Kyrie Irving scored a team-high 24 points — his first 20+ point game since March 1, 2025 — to lead Dallas over Tyrese Haliburton (18 pts, 7 ast) and Indiana. | Recap

Pistons 128, Heat 111: Detroit opened the game on a 17-2 run and never stopped, leading wire-to-wire against Giannis Antetokounmpo (36 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) and Miami. | Recap

Jazz 120, Pelicans 119: Jaren Jackson Jr. (24 pts, 10 reb) sparked the win, overcoming the Pelicans, who have played two nail-biters to start the season. | Recap

Grizzlies 111, Warriors 108: Cameron Boozer (25 pts, 13 reb, 6 ast) had the best game of his young career, as Memphis used a 20-2 closing run to get past Stephen Curry (23 pts), Yaxel Lendeborg (18 pts, 13 reb, 6 ast) and the Warriors. | Recap

• Youth Is Served: Boozer (19 yr, 97d) became the third-youngest player in NBA history to total 25+ pts, 10+ reb and 5+ ast in a game, trailing only Cooper Flagg and LeBron James

Lakers 125, Clippers 117: Luka Dončić (23 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) walked in hot as the Lakers won this battle of Los Angeles.

• A Rui Rendezvous: Rui Hachimura knows the Crypto.com Arena like the back of his hand

Trail Blazers 128, Kings 120: Darius Acuff Jr. (33 pts) and Domantas Sabonis (27 pts, 19 reb, 10 ast) had the eye-popping stats, but Deni Avdija (26 pts) and six other Blazers scored in double figures to take the win | Recap

• Audacious Acuff: The No. 7 pick put up the most points by a teenager in Kings franchise history

4. MAXEY AND THE SIXERS LOOK TO KEEP ROLLING

The Sixers have been on a crazy ride so far this season.

They opened by beating the defending champion Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Ring Night, then delivered the franchise’s largest comeback in the play-by-play era — and the largest of LeBron James’ career — in their home opener.

One constant? Leading scorer Tyrese Maxey, averaging 30 ppg on 50% FG, who leads Philly against the Bucks (NBA TV, 7:30 ET)

The Athletic’s Tony Jones takes a look at Maxey as he enters his seventh season, speaking with his college coach John Calipari and Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey about the star point guard.

“He can be like Kyrie Irving was to LeBron,” Gansey said. “He’s one of the best young point guards in the league, and he’s only going to get better.” |

In the nightcap, the Suns host the Warriors in the second half of this NBA TV doubleheader (10 ET).

They faced off in last year’s SoFi Play-In Tournament, with Phoenix dispatching Golden State behind Jalen Green (36 pts, 8 3PM), who out-dueled Stephen Curry (17 pts).

“He’s been something of a mentor [to me], playing against him is always great,” Green said of Steph afterwards. “He’s one of the greatest shooters — greatest players of all time.”

It’s student versus master again Saturday night.

5. TRAE YOUNG FINDS A NEW SPARK IN WASHINGTON

After four All-Star appearances in his first seven seasons, Trae Young played just 15 games in 2025-26 — a dramatic step back for the elite playmaker coming off a league-leading 11.6 ast.

Now, with the new-look Wizards, Young has a spring in his step, as detailed by NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt.

“For me, this is a breath of fresh air and I think the whole city is feeling another breath of fresh air with the guys that we’ve got – not just me, but everybody else we brought in,” said Young. “This is just a new time and we’ve got to take advantage of it.” |

Young and Anthony Davis combined for 54 points in their season-opening win over Milwaukee.

What will they do against Caleb Wilson and the Bulls (8 ET, League Pass)?