{"id":930485,"date":"2026-10-16T17:20:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T17:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/930485\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T17:20:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T17:20:22","slug":"starting-5-knicks-seal-the-deal-in-madison-square-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/930485\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5: Knicks seal the deal in Madison Square Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amen went aerial Thursday night, as the Rockets made a statement ahead of the start of the regular season.<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0<\/p>\n

Inside The GM Survey: What team architects are saying about \u201926-27 and beyond<\/p>\n

A New York Night:\u00a0Tyler Kolek\u2019s clutch 3-pointer leads Knicks over Raptors<\/p>\n

Yeah, Boyeee: A look inside the friendship between Flavor Flav and the Lakers\u2019 Sandro Mamukelashvili<\/p>\n

Blazers On The Ball: Breaking down the new-look Portland backcourt, featuring Damian Lillard and Ja Morant<\/p>\n

Fantasy Finds: Six potential breakout players to target in your fantasy drafts<\/p>\n

BUT FIRST \u2026 \u23f0<\/p>\n

\"Tonight's<\/p>\n

The preseason concludes\u00a0with a 12-game slate, including Celtics-76ers on NBA TV (7 ET<\/a>) and Nuggets-Lakers on ESPN (10:30 ET<\/a>).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s An NBA ID Member Day<\/a>! Today marks the second and final NBA ID Member Day of the preseason, giving members free access to tonight\u2019s games on League Pass. Don\u2019t have an NBA ID? Sign up for free now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Up Next, Amex Tip-Off: The regular season is just four days away, beginning Tuesday with an NBC\/Peacock tripleheader.<\/p>\n

Celtics at Pistons (3 ET)
\n76ers at Knicks (7 ET)
\nThunder at Spurs (9:30 ET)<\/p>\n

1. INSIDE THE 2026-27 GM SURVEY: THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS
\n\"Dylan<\/p>\n

Alex Slitz\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The results are in. Now, what do they tell us?<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the NBA released the 2026-27 GM Survey<\/a>, revealing how the league\u2019s 30 general managers view the upcoming season, its biggest stars and the league\u2019s overall landscape.<\/p>\n

Across 48 questions, a few key themes emerged. Let\u2019s take a closer look at three of them.<\/p>\n

Wemby, Spurs Bright Outlook: The future looks promising in San Antonio, but according to the league\u2019s GMs, the Spurs are ready for the now.<\/p>\n

With Victor Wembanyama leading the way, San Antonio earned widespread recognition across the survey, from championship expectations to long-term potential.<\/p>\n

The Future Is Now: The Spurs received the most votes to win the 2026-27 NBA title (50%) and were overwhelmingly selected as the team with the most promising young core (87%)
\nWemby\u2019s World: Wembanyama received the most votes in eight different categories, including most likely to win Kia NBA MVP (77%), best defensive player (97%) and the player GMs would most want to start a franchise with (93%)
\nBreakouts & Boosts: Spurs guard Dylan Harper received the most votes (27%) for the player most likely to have a breakout season, while Tobias Harris was voted the most underrated player acquisition (20%)<\/p>\n

\"Shai<\/p>\n

NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Star Staying Power: Despite a summer of major roster movement and the emergence of young stars, GMs haven\u2019t changed their minds about the NBA\u2019s best players at each position. All five positional leaders retained their top spots from last year\u2019s survey.<\/p>\n

Best Point Guard: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (second straight year)
\nBest Shooting Guard: Anthony Edwards (third straight year)
\nBest Small Forward: Luka Don\u010di\u0107 (second straight year)
\nBest Power Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo (eighth straight year)
\nBest Center: Nikola Joki\u0107 (eighth straight year)<\/p>\n

Speaking Of Staying Power: Steph Curry was once again voted the NBA\u2019s best pure shooter, a category he\u2019s won every time it\u2019s been asked since 2013-14.<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Jesse D. Garrabrant\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Anyone\u2019s Game: The NBA has crowned eight different champions in the past eight seasons, a streak that would extend to nine if the Spurs win the title, as half the league\u2019s GMs predict. But San Antonio is far from a runaway favorite, with OKC (43%) close behind and the Knicks and Sixers also receiving title votes.And both conferences feature a wide pool of contenders.<\/p>\n

East Depth & Intrigue: Five different teams received votes to win the conference, while eight squads earned votes to finish in the top three
\nWest Powers & Challengers: The Spurs (53%) and Thunder (47%) nearly split the first-place votes, while the Wolves, Nuggets, Rockets, Lakers and Blazers also received top-four consideration
\nPredictions, Not Promises: Last year, 80% of GMs picked OKC to win the title, while the Knicks received fewer than 7% of votes. How have past predictions held up? Explore the complete history of the annual GM Survey<\/a><\/p>\n

2. ROUNDUP: KNICKS DEFEND MSG WITH CLUTCH BOUNCE<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Knicks 122, Raptors 120: Tyler Kolek marked the home bounce after hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer for the Knicks with under a minute remaining, capping a celebratory night at Madison Square Garden. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Down To The Wire: The Raptors had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but Pac\u00f4me Dadiet stopped Jaden Bradley on the drive, preserving the win
\nKing of New York: Jalen Brunson (20 pts) looked to the rafters after being asked what it would be like for the Knicks to raise a banner Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden, saying \u201cit\u2019s going to be a great night.<\/a>\u201d
\nToronto Twosome: Scottie Barnes (23 pts<\/a>) and RJ Barrett (21 pts, 8 reb) led the way for the Raptors<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Rockets 116, Thunder 89: Six Rockets scored in double-figures, led by Alperen Sengun (14 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk<\/a>) and Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107 (15 pts, 5 3PM), as Houston controlled the contest to claim a win over Oklahoma City. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Thunderous: Jalen Williams (18 pts) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (17 pts) were the top scorers for OKC<\/p>\n

3. NATIONAL TV: UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP BOOSTS LAKERS
\n\"[<\/p>\n

Adam Pantozzi\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Lakers retooled around Don\u010di\u0107 this offseason, surrounding him with a host of talent, including skilled forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, who will provide some of the playmaking and slashing capacity of the departed LeBron James.Mamukelashvili brings another factor to the table: his friendship with Public Enemy\u2019s Flavor Flav, as explained by The Athletic\u2019s Dan Woike.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just lost my mind,\u201d Flavor Flav told The Athletic. \u201cI just lost my mind when I was watching, when I seen that dunk. And I punched myself in the face because I didn\u2019t film it.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause when Mamukelashvili succeeds, Flav wants to make sure to capture it. The two have built a close friendship since a chance meeting in Las Vegas in 2022, when they ended up at the same table during a dinner and connected\u2026 | Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

Mamu and the Lakers face Joki\u0107, who\u2019s still wowed by his viral behind-the-back dime<\/a> from earlier in the preseason, and the Nuggets in our ESPN nightcap (10:30 ET).<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Brian Fluharty\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Sixers and Celtics open the national television slate (7 ET, NBA TV), with both squads showing dividends from their massive offseason trade.<\/p>\n

4. ON LEAGUE PASS: JA, DAME LEAD REVAMPED BLAZERS
\n\"[<\/p>\n

Rocky Widner\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Damian Lillard and Ja Morant are both former All-Star lead guards. At the beginning of the offseason, few would have foreseen them becoming teammates.But along with All-Star Deni Avdija, Dame and Ja are ushering in a new era in Rip City, hoping to build on last year\u2019s appearance in the Playoffs while navigating the demands of having so many skilled creators.Morant flashed his brilliance this preseason; Avdija has two 20+ point games; Lillard is averaging 14.5 ppg and shooting 37.5% on 8.0 3PA.Check out how they work together:\"[<\/p>\n

Off a pick-and-roll, Lillard finds Avdija on the cut, opening space for the strong 6-foot-9 forward to slash his way to the rim.<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Avdija runs the show at the top of the arc, waiting for Lillard to pop open off the flare screen for either a 3-pointer or drive.<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Morant flashes his trademark athleticism to save the loose ball, flipping it to Dame for an acrobatic finish.<\/p>\n

With this level of talent, Lillard is ready for the challenge, including defending Portland\u2019s undefeated preseason record tonight against Golden State (10 ET, League Pass).\u201cFor both of those guys, if they are attacking the rim, attacking the paint, and they\u2019re kicking the ball out to me for the 3-pointer, I think they should feel great about that,\u201d Lillard said. \u201cSo, for all of us, if we are just doing the right thing, playing the right way, it\u2019ll be a lot of opportunity where that presents itself.\u201d | Read More<\/a>Nine other contests highlight the night on League Pass, including Edwards and LaMelo Ball leading the Timberwolves into Chicago to take on the youthful Bulls. (8 ET)<\/p>\n

Heat at Magic (7 ET)
\nRaptors at Pistons (7 ET)
\nBucks at Pacers (7 ET)
\nHawks at Mavericks (8 ET)
\nHornets at Grizzlies (8 ET)
\nWizards at Pelicans (8 ET)
\nKings at Spurs (8 ET)
\nJazz at Suns (10 ET)<\/p>\n

5. FANTASY FINDS: POTENTIAL BREAKOUT CANDIDATES
\n\"Dylan<\/p>\n

NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Winning a fantasy basketball championship isn\u2019t just about nailing your first-round pick. It often comes down to anticipating which players further down the draft board could emerge as breakout stars.<\/p>\n

With 2026-27 approaching, Yahoo Sports fantasy basketball insider Dan Titus assembled his All-Breakout Team, identifying six players who could take their games to another level.<\/p>\n

Today, we spotlight three of Titus\u2019 picks and share a glimpse of his analysis for each, starting with the player NBA GMs voted most likely to break out in 2026-27.<\/p>\n

Dylan Harper (Spurs): \u201cHarper is talented enough that I\u2019m willing to live with the crowded backcourt. The question isn\u2019t whether he\u2019ll start, it\u2019s whether his minutes will rise after an impressive rookie year and Playoff run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon Miller (Hornets): \u201cLaMelo Ball\u2019s departure opens the door for Miller to become Charlotte\u2019s primary scorer, and that\u2019s the breakout I\u2019m betting on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matas Buzelis (Bulls): \u201cBuzelis is climbing draft boards, and it\u2019s easy to understand why. He could legitimately challenge Norman Powell as Chicago\u2019s leading scorer while also bringing the rebounds, 3s and stocks that make his fantasy profile so appealing.\u201d | Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

Want to share\u00a0Starting\u00a05\u00a0with a friend?\u00a0Send them this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shape the Starting 5.\u00a0\u00a0Email us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t have the NBA App? Download it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amen went aerial Thursday night, as the Rockets made a statement ahead of the start of the regular…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":930486,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-930485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=930485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/930486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=930485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=930485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=930485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}