By Asif Malik

TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State is making a change at quarterback.

The Sun Devils are expected to start senior Mikey Keene on Saturday against Kansas State, according to sources — a move that ends Cutter Boley’s run as the starter after six games and turns the offense over to the most experienced quarterback in the room.

First reported by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.

Boley, the transfer-portal prize who won the job a week before the opener, was benched at halftime of last Saturday’s 53-25 loss at Texas Tech after throwing two interceptions, one of them returned for a touchdown, with the Sun Devils down 43-10. Keene replaced him and steadied the offense, completing 25 of 34 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. 

Head coach Kenny Dillingham declined to name a starter at his Monday press conference, saying only that he had confidence in both quarterbacks and did not want to hand a conference opponent information he was not required to give. The word came Wednesday instead through the report, with Keene getting the nod.

Keene is a local product, a Chandler High School alum in his sixth and final college season, with stops at UCF, Fresno State and Michigan before coming home. He has thrown for 8,533 yards in his career, with 67 touchdown passes across 41 appearances.

Saturday will not be his first start at Mountain America Stadium — only his first one for the home team. Keene led Fresno State to a 29-0 win at Arizona State in 2023, Dillingham’s first season in Tempe, throwing for 281 yards and two touchdowns that night.

Arizona State (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) hosts Kansas State (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. MST. The game airs on ESPN2.

First reported by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.

Article provided by News Tracker

© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us

HAPPY 4 YEARS

By Asif Malik

The Phoenix Suns open their season Wednesday night in Portland, in the building of the team that beat them in the Play-In last spring — and the Trail Blazers they find there are not the young, patient group of the last few years. Damian Lillard is back in a Portland uniform, Ja Morant has arrived from Memphis, and a first-time head coach, Micah Nori, is running a roster suddenly built to win now. For Phoenix, it is the first game of the Devin Booker and Jalen Green backcourt, and the first test of a season that starts with more questions than any Suns season in years.

The history is fresh. In April, Portland came into Phoenix for the Play-In and won 114-110 behind Deni Avdija, who put up 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds to lift the Blazers to the No. 7 seed and their first playoff appearance in five years. Avdija is coming off his first All-Star season, Toumani Camara started all 82 games last season, and Donovan Clingan averaged a double-double in the middle. That young core is still here. It just has company now.

Lillard’s is the return that fills the building. He tore his Achilles with Milwaukee in April 2025 and missed all of last season, and Wednesday night is his first regular-season game in 17 months — back in the city where he spent 11 seasons becoming the face of the franchise. Next to him, Morant makes his Portland debut after the June trade that sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis. Morant played only 20 games last season because of an elbow injury, and the Blazers are betting the two-time All-Star’s best years are still in front of him. Portland went 2-1 in the preseason, and Nori spent it sorting out a backcourt that also includes Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday.

Phoenix’s questions start where Portland is strongest — in the middle. Mark Williams is out after shoulder surgery and may not play until March, which leaves the center minutes to Oso Ighodaro, fresh off a three-year, $29 million extension, and to rookie Khaman Maluach, who gets the start against Clingan. Around them, Booker opens his 12th season, all of them with the Suns. Green, the offseason’s big swing, gives Booker a backcourt partner who can create his own shot, and Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges give Phoenix two hard-nosed wings to throw at Avdija and Morant. Head coach Jordan Ott has his 10-man rotation set; the soft spot in it is the one Portland is built to attack.

The game within the game is the paint. If Maluach and Ighodaro can hold their own against Clingan and Portland’s size, Phoenix’s guards can carry the night. If Portland controls the boards and the rim, the Moda Center crowd gets the opener it came for — Lillard home, Morant loose, and a Suns team reminded early of how much work this season is going to be.

Suns at Trail Blazers — the details

Matchup: Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers (season opener for both teams). 

When: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7:00 p.m. Arizona time, Moda Center, Portland.

Television: Arizona’s Family Sports (Kevin Ray, Eddie Johnson) and NBA TV nationally; in Portland, the Rip City Television Network on KUNP (Travis Demers, Lamar Hurd, with Brooke Olzendam courtside), streaming on BlazerVision.

Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Jon Bloom, Tim Kempton); in Portland, Rip City Radio 620 AM.

Suns starters: Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges, Khaman Maluach.

Trail Blazers starters (projected): Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan.

Key injuries: Suns — C Mark Williams (shoulder surgery) out. Trail Blazers — G Shaedon Sharpe (torn meniscus) out.

Written by the staff of Old Town News Scottsdale

© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us

HAPPY 4 YEARS

By Asif Malik

    A year ago, the Portland Trail Blazers’ season broke open on its first day, when head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in an FBI gambling probe. Portland still made the playoffs for the first time in five years. The new season opens Wednesday night at the Moda Center against the Phoenix Suns — the team Portland beat on the road in the Play-In last spring — with a returning face in the backcourt, a new star next to him and a first-time head coach on the bench, and with just as many questions as a year ago.

What the Blazers did last season should not be forgotten quickly. Tiago Splitter, an assistant pressed into the job after the first game, went 42-39 the rest of the way. Portland finished 42-40, rode Deni Avdija’s breakout — a first All-Star season, capped by 41 points in the 114-110 Play-In win at Phoenix — and took the No. 7 seed before losing to San Antonio in five games in the first round. Toumani Camara started all 82 games, and Donovan Clingan averaged a double-double in his second season. Then Portland let Splitter go — he is in Chicago now — and handed the team to Micah Nori, a longtime assistant in Minnesota on a one-year deal, the club’s third head coach in two seasons.

Damian Lillard is the face of the reset. Lillard missed all of last season recovering from the Achilles he tore with Milwaukee in April 2025, and his return to Portland is the emotional center of the season. He played his first game in 17 months in the preseason opener on Oct. 7 and scored 15 points in 19 minutes in a 123-118 win over Golden State. He starts, at 36, in the building where he became the franchise’s defining player.

Next to him is the gamble. Portland acquired Ja Morant from Memphis on June 29 in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray — first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. Morant played only 20 games last season because of an elbow sprain and averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists when he did play, and his seven years in Memphis mixed two All-Star selections with suspensions and long absences. General manager Joe Cronin told reporters at media day the decision came down to “straight belief in Ja,” adding, “We’re very confident that Ja has a lot of good years ahead of him.” Morant, for his part, has said the role does not matter: “I think winning is the most important thing for me. If I’m starting or if I’m not, it’s the same thing.” Lillard told The Athletic’s Jason Quick that he sees “a lot of joy” in Morant so far.

The depth behind them is real, if unsettled. Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday give Nori two more starting-caliber guards off the bench, and the frontcourt runs from Avdija and Camara through Jeremy Sochan, Vít Krejci and Sidy Cissoko, with Robert Williams III and Yang Hansen behind Clingan. Shaedon Sharpe, part of the picture whenever he is back, is out with a torn meniscus. Portland went 2-1 in the preseason, and Nori used the games to tinker with a starting five that Lillard himself described only as far as Morant, Avdija and himself.

Above the roster, the franchise is still in motion. Tom Dundon bought majority control of the team in March for a reported $4.25 billion, and the changes since have run from the front office to the broadcast booth, where longtime voice Kevin Calabro is gone and Travis Demers has moved over from radio. Billups, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, remains on leave from the league. It is a lot of movement for a team that finally won again, and the outside projections are skeptical — USA TODAY pegs Portland at 34-48.

The Blazers’ answer is the talent itself: a backcourt of Lillard and Morant, an All-Star forward in Avdija, a defense built around Camara and Clingan, and a bench most teams would envy. Whether Morant stays healthy and fits, and whether Lillard has another run in him, will decide the season in a Western Conference that gives nobody room. It starts Wednesday night against Phoenix.

Written by the staff of Old Town News Scottsdale

© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us

HAPPY 4 YEARS

How to watch and listen

Television: Rip City Television Network — games air locally on KUNP, with select games simulcast on KATU, and stream on BlazerVision. Travis Demers (play-by-play) and Lamar Hurd (analyst) call the games, with Brooke Olzendam reporting courtside. Demers, the team’s radio voice for the last seven seasons, moved to television this season — first reported by Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.

Radio: Rip City Radio 620 AM. The team has said its radio broadcasts will continue this season as their own call, separate from the television broadcast.National television: Portland has 11 national TV games this season, not counting NBA TV — seven on NBC, two on ESPN and two on Prime Video. The opener against Phoenix is also on NBA TV.  The first half of the schedule is here, the second half  you can check on NBA.com

 All times Arizona time.

October

Wed Oct 21 — vs Phoenix Suns, 7:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland (season opener) — NBA TV

Fri Oct 23 — at Sacramento Kings, 7:00 p.m. — Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

Tue Oct 27 — at Los Angeles Lakers, 8:00 p.m. — Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles — Peacock

Thu Oct 29 — vs Memphis Grizzlies, 7:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland — Morant faces his former team

Sat Oct 31 — at Utah Jazz, 12:00 p.m. — Delta Center, Salt Lake City

November

Mon Nov 2 — at Denver Nuggets, 7:00 p.m. — Ball Arena, Denver

Wed Nov 4 — at Phoenix Suns, 7:00 p.m. — Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix — Arizona’s Family Sports

Fri Nov 6 — at Los Angeles Lakers, 8:00 p.m. — Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles — NBA Cup game, Prime Video

Sat Nov 7 — vs San Antonio Spurs, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Tue Nov 10 — vs Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland — NBC

Wed Nov 11 — vs Oklahoma City Thunder, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Fri Nov 13 — at Sacramento Kings, 8:00 p.m. — Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

Mon Nov 16 — at Minnesota Timberwolves, 6:00 p.m. — Target Center, Minneapolis

Tue Nov 17 — at Minnesota Timberwolves, 6:00 p.m. — Target Center, Minneapolis

Thu Nov 19 — at Milwaukee Bucks, 6:00 p.m. — Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee

Sat Nov 21 — at New York Knicks, 5:30 p.m. — Madison Square Garden, New York

Mon Nov 23 — at Philadelphia 76ers, 5:00 p.m. — Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia

Wed Nov 25 — vs San Antonio Spurs, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland — ESPN

Fri Nov 27 — vs Golden State Warriors, 7:30 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Sun Nov 29 — vs New Orleans Pelicans, 4:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

December

Tue Dec 1 — vs Minnesota Timberwolves, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Thu Dec 3 — vs Utah Jazz, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

NBA Cup knockout rounds are played the following week; Portland’s opponent and date, if it advances, are to be determined.

Sat Dec 12 — vs Atlanta Hawks, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Tue Dec 15 — vs Denver Nuggets, 9:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Thu Dec 17 — at Indiana Pacers, 5:00 p.m. — Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

Sat Dec 19 — at Charlotte Hornets, 4:00 p.m. — Spectrum Center, Charlotte

Mon Dec 21 — at Brooklyn Nets, 5:30 p.m. — Barclays Center, Brooklyn

Wed Dec 23 — at Boston Celtics, 5:30 p.m. — TD Garden, Boston

Sat Dec 26 — at Washington Wizards, 11:00 a.m. — Capital One Arena, Washington

Sun Dec 27 — at Detroit Pistons, 5:00 p.m. — Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

Tue Dec 29 — vs Brooklyn Nets, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

January

Sat Jan 2 — vs Boston Celtics, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Mon Jan 4 — vs New York Knicks, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Wed Jan 6 — at New Orleans Pelicans, 6:00 p.m. — Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

Thu Jan 7 — at Dallas Mavericks, 6:00 p.m. — American Airlines Center, Dallas

Sat Jan 9 — vs Charlotte Hornets, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Tue Jan 12 — vs Orlando Magic, 8:00 p.m. — Moda Center, Portland

Written by the staff of Old Town News Scottsdale

© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us

HAPPY 4 YEARS

Head coach: Micah Nori (first season)

Guards

No. 0 Damian Lillard

No. 1 Ja Morant

No. 00 Scoot Henderson

No. 5 Jrue Holiday

No. 17 Shaedon Sharpe — out (torn meniscus)

No. 2 John Tonje (two-way)

No. 11 Chris Youngblood (two-way)

Forwards

No. 8 Deni Avdija

No. 33 Toumani Camara

No. 91 Sidy Cissoko

No. 27 Vít Krejci

No. 9 Micah Potter

No. 4 Jeremy Sochan

No. 29 Jayson Kent (two-way)

Centers

No. 23 Donovan Clingan

No. 35 Robert Williams III

No. 16 Yang Hansen

No. 10 Branden Carlson

Projected starters: Morant, Lillard, Avdija, Camara, Clingan.

Lillard missed all of last season recovering from a torn Achilles and returned during the preseason.

By Asif Malik

The Kings scored twice in 31 seconds late in the first period to erase a 2-0 deficit, then scored three times in the third to beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 at Capital One Arena.

Washington controlled the early going. Ryan Leonard scored through a screen, and Cole Hutson added a power-play goal late in the first period for a 2-0 lead. The building was loud, and the Kings looked headed for another long night.

Then the period flipped. Adrian Kempe scored with 33 seconds left, and before the Capitals could regroup, Artemi Panarin tied the game with a quick release off a deflection with two seconds left in the period. A 2-0 hole became 2-2 in about half a minute.

The second period passed with no scoring, and the game turned for good in the third. As a Kings power play wound down, defenseman Erik Gustafsson carried the puck through the Washington defense on his own and beat Logan Thompson for his first goal as a King. Kempe added his second of the night, forcing a turnover below the goal line with his forecheck and then finishing a Panarin feed in front. Scott Laughton hit the empty net to close it out.

Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves for Los Angeles. Panarin finished with a goal and two assists to go with Kempe’s two goals.

Seven games in, the Kings finally have a win — and they earned it the hard way, on the road, from two goals down.

Written by the staff of Old Town News Scottsdale

© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us

HAPPY 4 YEARS

• 

  1.O. Bjorkstrand

  NYRRW

  G: 2, A: 0

• 

  2.S. Durzi

  NYRD

  G: 1, A: 0

• 

  3.D. Garand

  NYRG

  SV: 29, SV%: 0.935

	1	2	3	T
Anaheim 4-4-0	0	0	2	2
New York 7-3-1	1	3	1	5

• Madison Square GardenNew York, NY

Ducks

Rangers

SKATERS	G	A	+/-	SOG	FW/FL	PIM	TOI	HITS
L. Carlsson C	0	0	-1	2	5/6	0	15:09	0
J. Caulfield RW	0	0	1	1	0/0	0	13:25	4
C. Gauthier LW	0	0	-2	5	0/1	0	16:12	1
M. Granlund C	0	0	-2	2	7/5	0	16:08	0
A. Greer LW	1	0	1	4	0/0	0	13:53	4
T. Hinds D	0	0	-1	2	0/0	0	20:16	2
N. Jensen D	1	0	0	1	0/0	2	18:12	1
A. Killorn LW	0	1	0	1	0/1	0	18:44	3
N. Klepov RW	0	0	-1	0	0/0	4	12:55	0
J. LaCombe D	0	0	-2	1	0/0	0	20:45	0
T. Luneau D	0	0	0	1	0/0	0	20:47	0
J. Malott LW	0	0	-1	0	0/0	2	09:47	3
R. McQueen C	0	0	-1	2	4/11	0	16:25	3
P. Mintyukov D	0	1	0	0	0/0	0	19:17	0
B. Sennecke RW	0	0	-2	4	0/0	0	15:37	2
F. Vatrano RW	0	1	1	2	0/0	0	14:36	2
N. Warren D	0	0	-1	0	0/0	0	15:28	1
T. Washe C	0	0	1	3	10/7	0	15:38	3
Total	2	3	-10	31	26/31	8	–	29

SKATERS	G	A	+/-	SOG	FW/FL	PIM	TOI	HITS
O. Bjorkstrand RW	2	0	1	3	0/0	0	12:08	0
W. Cuylle LW	0	0	-1	3	0/0	0	17:04	6
P. Dorofeyev RW	0	1	0	5	0/0	0	17:57	0
J. Dowling C	0	0	2	0	2/7	0	08:56	0
S. Durzi D	1	0	3	1	0/0	0	17:21	0
A. Fox D	0	1	-1	0	0/0	0	21:48	0
V. Gavrikov D	0	0	-1	1	0/0	0	21:16	1
T. Kartye LW	0	1	1	2	1/1	0	14:00	1
N. Laba C	0	0	-1	1	14/4	0	15:08	2
A. Lafreniere LW	0	2	1	3	0/0	0	17:00	0
J. Miller C	1	0	0	2	7/5	0	19:09	0
G. Perreault RW	1	0	1	4	0/0	0	15:40	0
M. Pettersson D	0	0	3	0	0/0	0	19:02	1
T. Raddysh RW	0	1	2	1	0/0	0	10:01	1
B. Schneider D	0	1	0	2	0/0	0	19:01	1
A. Smits D	0	0	0	0	0/0	4	15:58	1
E. Tolvanen RW	0	0	-1	1	0/0	2	13:49	1
M. Zibanejad C	0	1	1	1	7/9	0	18:42	0
Total	5	8	10	30	31/26	6	–	15

GOALIES	SA	GA	SV	SV%	TOI
V. Husso	30	5	25	0.833	60:00

GOALIES	SA	GA	SV	SV%	TOI
D. Garand	31	2	29	0.935	60:00

BELMONT, N.Y. — The Anaheim Ducks gave up three goals in the first period Tuesday night, and spent the rest of the evening chasing a game they never quite caught.

The New York Islanders scored three times in a span of just over five minutes in the first period and held on for a 3-2 win at UBS Arena, handing the Ducks their second loss in two nights in New York.

It started quietly enough, then came fast. Ondrej Palat opened the scoring, Victor Eklund doubled it three minutes later, and after Frank Vatrano cut the lead in half for Anaheim, Simon Holmstrom scored on a power play to make it 3-1 before the first period ended. Holmstrom’s goal stood up as the game-winner.

After that, the game shut down. Neither team scored in the second period, and the Islanders spent the third protecting the lead with bodies and blocked lanes. The Ducks finally broke through late, when Alex Killorn scored with 2:40 left to make it a one-goal game, but the Islanders closed the door from there.

Leo Carlsson set up both Anaheim goals, and Lukas Dostal took the loss in net.  The Islanders won their second straight and improved to 5-3-1. Anaheim (4-5-0) lost at the Rangers on Monday and at the Islanders on Tuesday, a rough two nights on Long Island and in the city before the trip moves on.

Written by the staff of Old Town News Scottsdale

© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us

HAPPY 4 YEARS

• 

  1.S. Holmstrom

  NYIRW

  G: 1, A: 0

• 

  2.O. Palat

  NYILW

  G: 1, A: 0

• 

  3.V. Eklund

  NYIRW

  G: 1, A: 0

	1	2	3	T
Anaheim 4-5-0	1	0	1	2
New York 5-3-1	3	0	0	3

• UBS ArenaElmont, New York

Ducks

Islanders

SKATERS	G	A	+/-	SOG	FW/FL	PIM	TOI	HITS
L. Carlsson C	0	2	1	2	4/6	0	20:44	0
S. Colangelo RW	0	0	-1	1	0/0	0	10:43	1
C. Gauthier LW	0	0	0	2	1/0	0	17:28	1
M. Granlund C	0	0	0	1	11/10	0	20:35	0
A. Greer LW	0	1	1	0	0/0	5	12:09	2
D. Helleson D	0	0	1	0	0/0	0	19:25	3
T. Hinds D	0	0	-1	2	0/0	0	22:43	1
A. Killorn LW	1	0	0	1	0/1	0	15:45	0
J. LaCombe D	0	1	1	0	0/0	2	27:55	0
T. Luneau D	0	0	0	2	0/0	0	20:09	0
J. Malott LW	0	0	0	1	0/0	0	11:41	0
R. McQueen C	0	0	-1	0	0/6	2	10:31	2
P. Mintyukov D	0	0	0	0	0/0	0	10:26	0
N. Nesterenko C	0	0	-1	1	0/0	0	10:35	1
B. Sennecke RW	0	0	1	3	0/0	4	24:44	1
F. Vatrano RW	1	0	1	1	0/1	0	10:12	1
N. Warren D	0	0	-1	0	0/0	0	15:36	4
T. Washe C	0	0	0	0	5/7	0	14:35	5
Total	2	4	1	17	21/31	13	–	22

SKATERS	G	A	+/-	SOG	FW/FL	PIM	TOI	HITS
M. Chaffee RW	0	0	-1	1	0/0	5	09:13	1
C. Cizikas C	0	0	0	0	3/2	0	11:11	0
T. DeAngelo D	0	0	0	0	0/0	0	14:36	2
A. Duclair LW	0	1	1	1	1/0	0	13:47	0
V. Eklund RW	1	0	0	4	0/0	0	12:55	2
E. Heineman LW	0	1	0	0	0/0	0	14:28	2
S. Holmstrom RW	1	0	-1	3	0/0	0	20:11	1
B. Horvat C	0	1	-1	3	11/6	0	21:35	1
M. Kessel D	0	1	1	1	0/0	0	13:57	0
K. MacLean C	0	0	0	1	1/0	0	09:56	5
J. Pageau C	0	1	1	1	11/10	0	17:16	3
O. Palat LW	1	0	1	1	0/0	2	14:47	1
K. Palmieri C	0	0	0	3	0/0	0	19:14	0
A. Pelech D	0	0	0	2	0/0	0	20:51	0
R. Pulock D	0	0	0	0	0/0	0	19:40	1
M. Schaefer D	0	1	-1	1	0/0	0	26:20	0
B. Schenn C	0	0	0	2	4/3	0	16:03	0
L. Stanley D	0	0	0	1	0/0	0	20:00	0
Total	3	6	0	25	31/21	9	–	19

GOALIES	SA	GA	SV	SV%	TOI
L. Dostal	25	3	22	0.880	57:19

GOALIES	SA	GA	SV	SV%	TOI
I. Sorokin	17	2	15	0.882	60:00

By  Asif Malik

LAS VEGAS — For one period, the Vegas Golden Knights traded punches with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then the second period started, and the game got away from them in a hurry.

Tampa Bay scored three times in the second period and cruised to a 6-2 win at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night, snapping the Golden Knights’ three-game winning streak in the final game of their homestand. The night belonged to Nikita Kucherov, whose goal and two assists gave him 1,137 points in his career — tying Steven Stamkos for the most in Lightning history.

The first period was a trade-off. Brandon Hagel opened the scoring on a power play, redirecting a point shot past Carter Hart. Ivan Barbashev answered with his first goal of the season, burying a Mitch Marner rebound in front. John Carlson put Tampa Bay back in front 48 seconds later, catching Vegas in a line change and scoring on his own rebound. Mark Stone tied it again late in the period, short-handed — Braeden Bowman picked off a Vasilevskiy pass up the boards and found Stone all alone in the left circle for his team-leading eighth goal of the season.

Then the second period hit.  Anthony Cirelli scored twice in a span of 3:25 — first a one-timer in front off a Kucherov feed from below the goal line, then a wrist shot after a Jack Eichel turnover landed right on his stick. The second goal was the 150th of Cirelli’s career. Victor Hedman finished the period from the left boards through a screen, and a 2-2 game had become 5-2.

Kucherov capped his night early in the third, poking the puck away at the blue line and roofing a breakaway past Hart. Andrei Vasilevskiy did the rest at the other end, finishing with 32 saves as Tampa Bay won its third straight and seventh in eight games.

Vegas (8-3-0) now heads out on the road, starting Thursday in St. Louis.

Written by the staff of Old Town News Scottsdale

© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us

HAPPY 4 YEARS

• 

  1.A. Vasilevskiy

  TBG

  SV: 32, SV%: 0.941

• 

  2.N. Kucherov

  TBRW

  G: 1, A: 2

• 

  3.A. Cirelli

  TBC

  G: 2, A: 0

	1	2	3	T
Tampa Bay 7-2-0	2	3	1	6
Vegas 8-3-0	2	0	0	2

• T-Mobile ArenaLas Vegas, NV

Lightning

Golden Knights

SKATERS	G	A	+/-	SOG	FW/FL	PIM	TOI	HITS
J. Carlson D	1	0	3	4	0/0	0	17:46	0
E. Cernak D	0	0	0	0	0/0	0	20:30	3
A. Cirelli C	2	0	1	2	8/5	0	10:30	0
C. D’Astous D	0	1	-2	0	0/0	2	12:52	0
C. Geekie C	0	0	-1	1	3/4	2	14:33	3
Z. Girgensons C	0	0	0	2	10/6	0	17:21	1
G. Goncalves C	0	0	0	0	1/0	0	15:27	0
J. Guentzel C	0	0	3	0	3/5	0	18:16	0
B. Hagel LW	1	0	2	3	0/0	0	18:55	0
V. Hedman D	1	0	2	2	0/0	0	16:52	0
P. Holmberg RW	0	0	-2	1	1/0	2	13:40	1
N. Kucherov RW	1	2	3	2	0/0	0	18:19	0
E. Martinsen Lilleberg D	0	0	1	0	0/0	2	15:03	2
R. McDonagh D	0	0	0	0	0/0	0	17:42	0
I. Mikheyev RW	0	0	0	2	0/0	0	17:37	0
J. Moser D	0	0	3	1	0/0	0	17:05	0
B. Point C	0	0	2	1	7/5	0	16:39	0
J. Viel LW	0	0	0	0	0/0	0	12:56	3
Total	6	3	15	21	33/25	8	–	13

SKATERS	G	A	+/-	SOG	FW/FL	PIM	TOI	HITS
R. Andersson D	0	0	-2	1	0/0	0	19:25	0
I. Barbashev LW	1	0	0	2	0/0	0	16:07	2
B. Bowman RW	0	1	0	2	0/1	0	12:05	0
D. Coghlan D	0	0	-1	2	0/0	2	15:43	0
T. Connelly LW	0	0	0	1	0/2	0	16:17	0
N. Dowd C	0	0	-1	0	5/4	0	12:13	3
J. Eichel C	0	0	0	0	4/11	0	19:33	0
M. Gatcomb C	0	0	-1	1	0/0	0	12:46	5
N. Hanifin D	0	0	0	1	0/0	0	19:16	0
T. Hertl C	0	0	0	5	5/5	0	17:13	2
B. Howden C	0	0	-3	1	0/0	0	14:50	6
W. Karlsson C	0	0	-3	3	10/10	0	16:00	0
J. Lauzon D	0	0	-1	2	0/0	0	17:52	5
R. Lavoie C	0	0	0	1	1/0	0	11:57	1
M. Marner RW	0	1	-2	5	0/0	2	17:27	0
B. McNabb D	0	0	-1	2	0/0	2	17:46	0
M. Stone RW	1	0	0	2	0/0	0	18:29	0
S. Theodore D	0	0	-1	3	0/0	0	20:36	0
Total	2	2	-16	34	25/33	6	–	24

GOALIES	SA	GA	SV	SV%	TOI
A. Vasilevskiy	34	2	32	0.941	59:57

GOALIES	SA	GA	SV	SV%	TOI
C. Hart	21	6	15	0.714	59:4

By Asif Malik

SAN ANTONIO — Last spring, the San Antonio Spurs ended the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. Tuesday night, the Thunder came back to San Antonio and played like they had been waiting all summer for this one.

Oklahoma City’s 116-104 win was built in one half. The Thunder made 10 of their 14 3-pointers before halftime, outscored the Spurs 31-16 in the second quarter, and led 65-44 at the break. The lead reached 26 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s MVP, scored 32 points and controlled every stretch that mattered.

The first half had an edge, too. De’Aaron Fox threw Chet Holmgren to the floor fighting for position, both benches came together, and the officials handed out a flagrant foul to Fox and four technical fouls. The flare-up only fired up the visitors — Oklahoma City answered with a 9-0 run and never let the building settle down.

Jared McCain was the Thunder’s spark off the bench, scoring 20 points and matching his career high with six 3-pointers. Holmgren added 14 points and Jalen Williams 12.

San Antonio’s night was the opposite. Victor Wembanyama, brilliant on defense with 13 rebounds and six blocked shots, went 1-of-13 from the field. His only basket was a lob dunk late in the third quarter. The Spurs started three guards — Fox, Stephon Castle and the rookie Dylan Harper — and the new look never found its footing early.

Castle led the Spurs with 24 points and seven rebounds. Harper, in his first start, added 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Fox had 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Spurs cut the lead to seven twice after halftime, the last time on a Castle 3-pointer with 4:18 left, but Oklahoma City answered every run.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson did not dress it up afterward. “However many guards we played, they all struggled tonight,” Johnson said.   “It was a pretty well-rounded poor effort by all of us.”  

It is one game, and these two teams figure to see plenty of each other. But the first word of the season belongs to the Thunder.

Written by the staff of Old Town News Scottsdale

© Old Town News Scottsdale — oldtownnews.us

HAPPY 4 YEARS

S. Gilgeous-Alexander SG 2

32 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST

V. Wembanyama C 1

12 PTS, 13 REB, 3 AST

Thunder

STARTERS	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3PT	FT	PF	MIN	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	FPTS
S. Gilgeous-Alexander	32	6	4	13/27	3/7	3/4	2	36	3	3	2	+6	50
C. Holmgren	14	7	2	3/8	0/1	8/8	0	30	0	4	1	-1	28
J. Williams	12	7	2	5/16	1/2	1/2	4	29	1	1	0	-5	25
C. Wallace	6	3	2	3/8	0/4	0/0	3	19	1	0	1	-5	13
I. Hartenstein	4	3	3	2/4	0/0	0/0	5	17	1	1	2	+6	13

BENCH	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3PT	FT	PF	MIN	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	FPTS
J. McCain	20	2	2	7/9	6/8	0/0	1	22	1	0	2	+20	25
A. Caruso	9	6	1	3/4	2/2	1/2	1	24	1	0	0	+16	18
A. Mara	7	2	1	3/4	0/0	1/2	1	11	0	1	1	+9	11
J. Williams	5	4	1	1/6	1/5	2/2	1	16	0	0	1	-4	10
A. Mitchell	4	5	6	2/8	0/1	0/0	3	22	0	0	1	+12	20
K. Williams	3	2	0	1/1	1/1	0/0	1	7	0	0	0	+6	5
B. Barnhizer	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
B. Stirtz	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
J. Dix	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total	116	47	24	43/95	14/31	16/20	22	235	8	10	11	+60	–

1 2 3 4 T Thunder 1-0 34 31 28 23 116 Spurs 0-1 28 16 36 24 104

Frost Bank Center San Antonio, TX

Spurs

STARTERS	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3PT	FT	PF	MIN	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	FPTS
S. Castle	24	7	1	9/21	5/12	1/1	4	28	0	0	3	-2	30
D. Harper	18	7	5	7/17	0/2	4/4	5	31	0	0	2	-6	33
D. Fox	14	7	7	6/9	0/2	2/3	1	31	1	0	2	+1	34
V. Wembanyama	12	13	3	1/13	0/4	10/12	3	34	1	6	4	-2	34
D. Vassell	7	3	1	2/8	1/4	2/2	4	30	0	0	0	+8	12

BENCH	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3PT	FT	PF	MIN	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	FPTS
K. Johnson	10	4	1	4/8	1/2	1/1	2	19	2	0	2	-12	16
J. Champagnie	8	3	1	3/8	2/6	0/0	3	30	2	3	0	-24	18
L. Kornet	4	1	0	2/2	0/0	0/0	0	12	0	1	0	-10	6
H. Barnes	3	0	0	1/1	1/1	0/0	1	9	0	1	0	-7	4
D. Jones	2	0	0	0/1	0/0	2/2	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
J. Gillespie	2	0	0	1/2	0/1	0/0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
M. Brown	0	0	1	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
T. Reed Jr.	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
C. Bryant	0	0	1	0/3	0/3	0/0	1	6	0	0	0	-6	2
B. Biyombo	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
K. Olynyk	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
M. Plumlee	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
J. McLaughlin	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total	104	45	21	36/93	10/37	22/25	25	234	6	11	13	-60	–

By Asif Malik

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks got their rings Tuesday night. The Philadelphia 76ers got the game.

Before the opener at Madison Square Garden, Walt Frazier — a champion with the 1970 and 1973 Knicks — handed the current team the rings for last spring’s title, and the banner went up on the wall. Then the 76ers, the team New York swept out of the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring, walked out with a 106-100 win and the first real statement of the new season.

Tyrese Maxey was the best player on the floor. He scored a game-high 28 points, and he landed the night’s biggest shot — a 3-pointer at the third-quarter horn that finished an 11-0 run and gave Philadelphia the lead for good. The 76ers had trailed since late in the first quarter. They never trailed again.

The two famous new faces fit right in. Jaylen Brown, acquired from Boston in July, had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his Philadelphia debut. LeBron James, opening his 24th season with his fourth team, had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and he closed the game himself — grabbing the rebound after Jalen Brunson’s late miss and making both free throws with the Garden crowd on its feet.

James was asked afterward if he enjoys beating a team on its ring night. “Yeah, I do,” he said. “It’s pretty special.” He liked the defense even more. “I think we played exceptionally well, especially defensively,” James said. “Didn’t shoot the ball well, but we have capable shooters.”

New York’s shots would not fall. The Knicks shot 37.2 percent from the field, and Brunson’s 21 points came on 6-of-19 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds but spent the first half in foul trouble and played only 24 minutes. Andre Drummond, signed away from Philadelphia over the summer, gave the Knicks 12 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.

Knicks coach Mike Brown put the night in one line. “All throughout the game it looked like we were running in mud,” Brown said. The numbers backed him up — Philadelphia piled up 24 fast-break points, most of them after halftime, running past a starting group that could not get back.

Joel Embiid added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, and Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored in double figures off the bench. Josh Hart had 14 points and OG Anunoby 10 for New York.

The banner is up for good. So is the first loss underneath it.

Written by the staff of Old Town News Scottsdale

T. Maxey PG 0

28 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST

A. Drummond C 0

12 PTS, 14 REB, 4 AST

76ers

STARTERS	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3PT	FT	PF	MIN	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	FPTS
T. Maxey	28	4	5	9/19	2/9	8/9	3	39	3	3	2	+11	46
J. Brown	19	8	6	7/14	2/4	3/4	1	34	1	1	2	+17	39
L. James	14	9	7	5/13	0/3	4/6	4	33	1	1	1	-2	38
J. Embiid	13	11	6	4/15	2/7	3/4	3	33	2	3	4	+13	37
V. Edgecombe	9	4	1	4/10	0/3	1/2	4	34	1	0	1	0	15

BENCH

PTS

REB

AST

FG

3PT

FT

PF

MIN

STL

BLK

TO

+/-

FPTS

A. Simons

13

2

0

5/10

3/8

0/0

2

25

0

0

0

-5

15

K. Caldwell-Pope

10

4

1

3/8

2/6

2/2

3

26

0

1

0

+3

17

A. Bona

0

3

1

0/0

0/0

0/0

2

9

0

1

0

-1

6

J. Walker

0

0

1

0/0

0/0

0/0

1

2

0

0

0

-6

2

J. Edwards

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

R. Rupert

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

L. Philon

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

C. Love

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total

106

45

28

37/89

11/40

21/27

23

235

8

10

10

+30

–

1 2 3 4 T 76ers 1-0 23 31 29 23 106 Knicks 0-1 25 33 18 24 100

Madison Square Garden New York, NY

Knicks

STARTERS	PTS	REB	AST	FG	3PT	FT	PF	MIN	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	FPTS
J. Brunson	21	5	3	6/19	1/3	8/8	1	34	0	0	2	-11	30
K. Towns	19	12	1	6/9	3/4	4/7	4	23	1	2	4	0	32
J. Hart	14	7	3	5/10	2/5	2/3	3	30	1	1	2	+1	27
O. Anunoby	10	5	0	3/12	1/9	3/3	5	31	1	1	2	-20	15
M. Bridges	4	3	1	2/8	0/2	0/0	1	33	0	1	0	-15	10

BENCH

PTS

REB

AST

FG

3PT

FT

PF

MIN

STL

BLK

TO

+/-

FPTS

A. Drummond

12

14

4

5/13

0/0

2/4

3

24

1

2

0

-6

37

J. Alvarado

8

3

3

3/7

2/3

0/0

2

16

2

0

1

+6

18

L. Shamet

5

2

4

2/7

1/4

0/2

1

24

0

0

2

+11

13

J. Clarkson

4

1

1

2/4

0/0

0/0

2

8

0

0

0

+8

7

M. McBride

3

1

1

1/5

1/3

0/0

0

13

0

1

1

-4

6

T. Kolek

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

J. Akins

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

T. Nickel

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

P. Dadiet

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

M. Diawara

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

K. McCullar Jr.

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

J. Wiseman

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total

100

53

21

35/94

11/33

19/27

22

236

6

8

14

-30

–