Luka, Jaylen Brown and rookies headline October 5
Luka Doncic scored 21, Jaylen Brown had 22 in his 76ers debut, and two new NBA players posted 19-point nights.
- Jaylen Brown: 22 points in his first game with the 76ers
- Luka Doncic: 21 points for the Lakers
- Kel'el Ware: 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks
2 min read How this story was written
Los Angeles Lakers 127, Sacramento Kings 103
Luka Doncic put up 21 points as the Lakers opened with a 127-103 result over Sacramento. Keel Impact, our plus-minus rating per 100 possessions, had Doncic at 4.8 last season, close to the +5 All-Star standard. Our outlook puts the Lakers at 40 wins and eighth in the West.
Cameron Carr added 19 points in his first NBA preseason with the Lakers. As a player new to the NBA, he has no prior NBA Impact rating. Sacramento got 23 points and nine rebounds from Nique Clifford, whose Impact was -0.1 last season, while fellow NBA newcomer Darius Acuff Jr. scored 19 points with four assists. Our outlook has the Kings at 27 wins and 15th in the West.
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Philadelphia 76ers 120, New York Knicks 97
New Philadelphia arrival Jaylen Brown scored 22 points in the 76ers' 120-97 result against the Knicks. Brown carried a 1.0 Impact in 2025-26 with the Boston Celtics. Caleb Love, also new to Philadelphia, supplied 15 points and six assists after posting a -2.3 Impact with Portland last season.
The Knicks received 12 points and six rebounds from OG Anunoby, who rated at 4.1 Impact last season, plus 12 points and three assists from Jalen Brunson. Our outlook places New York at 45 wins and sixth in the East; Philadelphia is at 41 wins and 10th.
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Minnesota Timberwolves 116, Milwaukee Bucks 97
Kel'el Ware's new start in Milwaukee included 14 points and 12 rebounds in the Bucks' 116-97 loss to Minnesota. Ware had a 0.4 Impact in 2025-26 with Miami. Ryan Rollins added 15 points for Milwaukee after a 1.8 Impact season.
Anthony Edwards scored 14 points for Minnesota, following a 2.6 Impact campaign, while Joan Beringer recorded 12 points and seven rebounds. Our outlook has the Timberwolves at 45 wins and fifth in the West, with Milwaukee at 33 wins and 11th in the East.
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Detroit Pistons 109, Phoenix Suns 107
Detroit's 109-107 result over Phoenix featured 14 points from Ronald Holland II, whose Impact was -0.2 last season. New Piston John Collins had 10 points; his 2025-26 Impact was -0.6 with the LA Clippers.
Devin Booker posted 13 points, three rebounds and three assists for Phoenix after a 3.3 Impact season. Detroit is our projected East leader at 55 wins, while the Suns are projected for 43 wins and sixth in the West.
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Memphis Grizzlies 132, Atlanta Hawks 123
Corey Kispert scored 19 points for Atlanta in Memphis' 132-123 result. His -1.9 Impact last season makes the production worth tracking. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 14 points after rating at 2.8 Impact.
GG Jackson scored 14 points for Memphis and Jaylen Wells had 12. Their 2025-26 Impacts were -0.2 and -1.6, respectively. Our outlook has Atlanta at 44 wins and seventh in the East, while Memphis is at 33 wins and 13th in the West.
These games do not count, and preseason results say little. The regular season starts Tuesday, October 20.
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Also in this story
Luka Doncic
Anthony Edwards
Devin Booker
More on the Atlanta Hawks
More on Jaylen Brown
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