San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama wasn’t willing to take a backseat to anyone on Tuesday night, including new in-state rival Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks.

The Spurs overwhelmed the Mavericks in a 125-92 victory on the road to open the season on Wednesday night.

It was Wembanyama’s first regular-season game since he had his 2024-25 season cut short due to deep vein thrombosis.

Wembanyama produced an incredible double-double in the outing with 40 points and 15 rebounds.

Flagg, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, has a lot of hype behind him, but he struggled to find his way in the first half. He was held scoreless before halftime before scoring his first career points in the third quarter.

The rookie managed to pick things up down the stretch and finished with a double-double performance.

Here’s how the biggest game in Texas played out on Wednesday night.

Spurs vs. Mavericks highlights

Final: Spurs 125, Mavericks 92

Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle push the Spurs past the Mavericks for a road win to start the season.

Castle added 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes of play. Devin Vassell added 13 points. Anthony Davis led the Mavericks with 22 points in the loss.

Victor Wembanyama scores 40 points

Wembanyama produced a double-double with 40 points and 15 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. He shot 15-of-21 from the field.

3Q: Spurs 93, Mavericks 72

Victor Wembanyama scored 10 points in the quarter to continue pushing San Antonio past the in-state rival Mavericks.

Wembanyama has produced a double-double performance with 10 of 11 rebounds coming on defense. Stephon Castle added 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Spurs through three quarters.

The Mavericks have struggled to keep up with the Spurs, being outscored 33-21 in the quarter.

Cooper Flagg scores first points

Cooper Flagg had a slow start in the first half of his regular-season debut. After going scoreless through the first two quarters, he scored his first points early in the third quarter.

He’s now 1-of-3 from the field.

Halftime: Spurs 60, Mavericks 51

The Spurs finish the second quarter on a 15-3 scoring run.

Victor Wembanyama had 21 points and seven of his eight rebounds on defense in the first half for the Spurs. Stephon Castle added 13 points, four assists and four rebounds.

Anthony Davis scored a team-high 12 points in the first half for the Mavericks, with 10 coming in the first quarter. He also had 10 rebounds for a double-double.

P.J. Washington added 10 points after shooting 4-for-5 from the field.

1Q: Mavericks 29, Spurs 28

Anthony Davis had 10 points and five rebounds for the Mavericks in the first quarter. Cooper Flagg did not score in the first quarter after shooting 0-for-2 from the field.

Victor Wembanyama scored 11 points in the opening quarter, shooting 4-for-5 from the field. He also went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Spurs lead Mavericks early

The Spurs put together a 10-0 scoring run to lead the Mavericks 14-8 with 7:29 left in the first quarter.

How to watch Spurs at Mavericks

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 22
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT
Where: American Airlines Center in Dallas
TV: ESPN
Stream: Fubo

Stream Cooper Flagg’s NBA debut with Fubo

Dallas Mavericks starting lineup vs. Spurs

Rookie Cooper Flagg will start for the Mavericks tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.

Flagg is the youngest player in the NBA at 18 years, 10 months and a day old.

Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II will join the No. 1 overall pick in the starting lineup tonight.

San Antonio Spurs starting lineup vs. Mavericks

Forward Victor Wembanyama will headline the Spurs’ starting lineup.

Guard Stephon Castle, forward Harrison Barnes, forward Julian Champagnie and guard Devin Vassell will join Wembanyama in the lineup.

Spurs at Mavericks odds

*All odds via BetMGM

Spread: Mavericks (-2.5)
Moneyline: Mavericks (-145); Spurs (+118)
Over/Under: 226.5

You can add Bill Self to the list of prominent, old-school college basketball coaches who have an issue with the direction college basketball is going with its updated eligibility guidelines from the NCAA.

Speaking at Big 12 basketball media days in Kansas City on Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Kansas basketball coach offered his thoughts on the NCAA allowing NBA G League players to be in the transfer portal and apply for eligibility in college basketball.

‘Who knows, we may be recruiting one when it is all said and done. I got to know the rule because I didn’t know it was just limited to the G-League. I thought a guy could be cut in the NBA and be eligible for college,’ Self said. ‘My personal opinion is, I have no idea what we’re doing.’

Self’s comments comes less than two days after Pat Kelsey and Louisville, which hosts Kansas for an exhibition at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville on Friday, landed the commitment of three-year G-League guard London Johnson. The former four-star recruit is the second player from the G-League, which serves as the NBA’s developmental league, to make the move to the college ranks. The other was Thierry Darlan, who committed to Santa Clara, as noted by USA TODAY.

He is one of three high-profile Power Four college basketball coaches in the last 24 hours to comment on Louisville landing Johnson from the G-League and the direction the sport is shifting to, with the others being Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson.

Self, the two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year, went on to tell reporters that he isn’t well-versed with the rule, but it could be consequential for teams down the road.

‘We are going to call NBA teams, G-League teams to find out who (might) potentially be available and that is who we are going to recruit now compared to high school kids or portal kids. And what is the actual rule? Does it have to fit within a five-year window? Can he go to college first? I don’t really understand it well enough to comment too much, other than why wouldn’t everybody declare for the draft if it doesn’t work out and (you can) go back to college?

‘If it is the way that I think it is, which it may not be because I don’t understand it well enough yet, it is going to open up some unintended consequences that we’re going to have to deal with for sure.’

Self is set to open up his 23rd season at Kansas, which was picked to finish No. 6 in the Big 12 preseason poll, against Green Bay on Monday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. ET inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

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Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers open the season Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz, but a cloud still hangs over LA’s head regarding an ongoing NBA investigation.

Leonard and team owner Steve Ballmer are at the forefront of the investigation into whether the team allegedly helped facilitate a $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal for Leonard with a now-bankrupt sustainability company called Aspiration.

Aspiration, a green bank, was founded by Joe Sanberg and Andrei Cherny. Ballmer was an investor in the company.

The Clippers and Aspiration struck a $300 million sponsorship deal in 2021 that was vetted and approved by the league, according to ESPN.

 It was some time after that sponsorship deal that the company reached a deal with Leonard.

The company declared bankruptcy in March.

What are the latest developments?

He had previously agreed to plead guilty to his role in a scheme that defrauded investors out of $248 million.

Kawhi Leonard addresses investigation

Leonard denied any wrongdoing during the team’s media day on Sept. 29, when he made his first public comments since the league opened the investigation.

“There’s no wrongdoing there,” Leonard said. “We’re just going to keep going as any other season. My name might pop up, but it is what it is. I’ve been through times like this before.”

The two-time NBA Finals MVP compared the investigation to more adversity in his career, including last year when his house and community caught fire during the L.A. wildfires.

Ballmer has not spoken publicly since Sept. 4, when he addressed the reports and allegations when they first surfaced.

Has the investigation impacted the team?

The Clippers players remain united and focused on the season ahead.

The team has been seen on social media participating in several team-bonding activities.

Leonard, James Harden and several members of the Clippers were seen in a post on social media painting walls and furniture that will be placed in homes across Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.

The team also got together for the Los Angeles Rams’ game against the San Francisco 49ers on ‘Thursday Night Football’ earlier this month.

Will Clippers lose NBA All-Star Game?

The Clippers are still expected to host the All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome in February 2026.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated that there’s ‘no contemplation’ of moving the game while the investigation is taking place, according to the Associated Press.

USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes contributed to this story

There are folks in these jobs who will take chances, some who will take considerable risk – and then there’s Buster Posey.

Posey, the San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations, just established himself as the biggest gunslinger in the business with a massive gamble hiring Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello.

Yes, Vitello, the same guy who has never played a day professionally, never managed a day professionally, is now in charge of taking the San Francisco Giants to the promised land.

Vitello, 47, becomes the first person to ever jump straight from the college ranks to become a Major League manager, signing a five-year contract.

It has all of the makings of an unmitigated disaster, but Posey didn’t budge.

Posey had a chance to bring back future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy.

He could have tried to convince future Hall of Famer Dusty Baker to come for one last ride.

He could have reached out and tried to hire Skip Schumaker, who was the top choice of virtually everyone, including the Baltimore Orioles who wined and dined him before he was hired by the Texas Rangers.

Instead, he’s going with one of the most successful collegiate coaches in recent years, betting that his team mixed full of veteran All-Stars and young kids – with plenty of egos – will actually pay attention to him and give him respect.

Good luck!

Posey, of course, took a leap of faith in his personal life by leaving the relaxing confines of home in Georgia to move to San Francisco, become part owner of the Giants, and then the president of baseball operations.

He went out and dumped $182 million on free agent shortstop Willy Adames.

He drove to third baseman Matt Chapman’s home before he could hit free agency again, signing him to a six-year, $151 million contract extension.

And, of course, he traded for Boston Red Sox infielder Rafael Devers, assuming $255 million.

Now just a month after firing veteran manager Bob Melvin, weeks after telling Bochy he was not wanted, he turns to a guy who has zero experience at the professional level.

The Giants originally were expected to hire Nick Hundley, a special assistant with the San Diego Padres, but when he withdrew his name from consideration, Posey pivoted to Vitello and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Certainly, Vitello is taking a risk, too. The dude was earning more than $3 million annually with salary and benefits at Tennessee through 2029.

There’s also a $3 million buyout that must paid to Tennessee. While the Giants still owe $4 million to Melvin for 2026.

Still, Posey is convinced Vitello is the right guy after developing 10 first-round picks in eight seasons at Tennessee, including Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, Los Angeles Angels reliever Ben Joyce and Giants infielder Gavin Kilen. The Giants are filled with former players from Tennessee including outfielder Drew Gilbert, shortstop Maui Ahuna and pitcher Blade Tidwell. He also coached Toronto Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer at Missouri.

Now, he’s going where no man has gone before, straight from college to an MLB dugout as manager. The closest to make this jump was former Arizona State coach Bobby Winkles, who spent one year on the California Angels coaching staff become becoming their manager.

Will it work?

Scherzer believes Vitello he has the right temperament and will instantly infuse energy into the Giants. Gilbert can’t stop gushing over him.

And Posey is betting his job on him.

If it backfires, as several MLB executives and scouts already are predicting, it could end up costing Posey his job.

It’s one thing to take a chance that could damage a team’s chances for the postseason, it’s quite another to bet your job and reputation on it.

There’s a new gunslinging executive in MLB, a moniker last bestowed upon the great, late Kevin Towers, who was GM of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.

His name is Buster Posey.

And this one is a doozy.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This story has been updated to include new information.

The USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball preseason coaches poll is out, as the top title contenders for the 2025-26 season have been identified.  

Of course, the preseason poll is all about projections. It is comprised of who the nation’s coaches believe have a good chance of cutting down the nets at the Final Four in Indianapolis in April. 

For as much stock as we buy into it before the ball is tipped, we must be just as cautious. After all, it was just three years ago when Connecticut was just outside of the Top 25 to start the 2022-23 season. Five months later, the Huskies were national champions. This year it is Purdue at No. 1 to start the season.

OUTLOOKS: Previewing each team in the preseason Top 25 rankings

While we debate who is ranked too high or too low, you can’t forget about those flying under the radar. There are several teams that were left out of the preseason poll that could not only find themselves ranked as play begins, but making deep runs in the tournament. A look at our five biggest snubs from the preseason rankings.

North Carolina State

Will Wade arrives fresh off his stellar run at McNeese State and looking like he can carry the success over to the Wolfpack. He went to the portal and found proven stars, headlined by Darrion Williams (Texas Tech). Williams, the ACC preseason player of the year, has All-America potential as a consistent double-figure scorer. He is joined by Tre Holloman (Michigan State), who can flourish in an elevated roll leading the back court. With the ACC remaining pretty open outside of Duke and Louisville, North Carolina State can very much find itself winning 20 games and returning to the big dance.

Oregon 

Last season was a roller coaster for the Ducks, but it can be much more steady for Dana Altman’s club in a crowded Big Ten. Oregon returns one of the best tandems in the country with Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle, who combined for 27.9 points per game. Shelstad is expected to miss the first couple of weeks due to a broken right hand, but that could offer the opportunity for Oregon to showcase one of the most intriguing offseason additions in Wei Lin. The Chinese guard was ruled eligible and is coming off a season playing professionally in the Chinese Basketball Association, where he averaged 21 points and five assists per game.

San Diego State

No team from the Mountain West cracks the Top 25, and San Diego State may take it personal as a team that has made the tournament for five consecutive seasons. The Aztecs appear primed for another appearance. Magoon Gwath, the conference’s freshman of the year, decided to stay put. Gwath (8.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg) is expected to be a bigger role. San Diego State also boasts one of the best back courts in the Mountain West with Miles Byrd (12.3 ppg) being joined by transfer Latrell Davis (San Jose State). Also added to the group is Reese Dixon-Waters, who missed all of last season with a foot injury and improves San Diego State’s scoring options.

Iowa

Ben McCollum brings his tradition of winning to Iowa City in hopes of revitalizing the Hawkeyes. He doesn’t come from Drake by himself. He brings five of his former players into the fold. Three of them were major contributors, including reigning Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Bennett Stirtz, one of the top transfers. Also joining is reigning Horizon League player of the year Alvaro Folgueiras (Robert Morris). The offense should be solid but the key will be if McCollum can replicate the defensive success he had last season that helped Drake reach the second round of the tournament.

Southern California

Eric Musselman is putting a ton of effort in making men’s basketball significant at USC, and his second year should see big gains. While he lost leading scorer Desmond Claude, Musselman made a major splash in the portal in luring Chad Baker-Mazara to Los Angeles after Auburn reached the Final Four. Also arriving is Rodney Rice (Maryland), who has a chance to break out in an elevated role after showing glimpses last season. One setback is an injury to five-star freshman Alijah Arenas. He is expected to miss the season with a knee injury.

The Toronto Tempo have moved one step closer to tipping off their inaugural season by selecting a head coach.

The Tempo are expected to name two-time WNBA champion Sandy Brondello the team’s first head coach in franchise history, according to reports by IX Basketball and ESPN on Wednesday, nearly one month after Brondello and the New York Liberty parted ways in late September.

Toronto is set to begin play next season as the 14th franchise in the WNBA, alongside the Portland Fire, the league’s 15th franchise. The Tempo will play home games at the Coca Cola Coliseum in Toronto.

Brondello was named the Liberty’s head coach in 2022 and led New York to a 107-53 overall record in four seasons at the helm. The Liberty finished with a 32-8 record under Brondello in 2023 and 2024, when the Liberty won the franchise’s first WNBA title over the Minnesota Lynx in a decisive Game 5 that went to overtime.

The Liberty, however, fell upon hard times last season after the team’s Big 3 of Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu each missed time throughout the season due to injury. The Liberty finished the regular season with a 27-17 record and were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury despite taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Both Stewart and Ionescu vouched for Brondello following the team’s early playoff exit. Stewart said ‘(Brondello) has our back and we have hers’ and applauded the ‘way she continued to deal with the cards she was dealt,’ while Ionescu said untimely injuries are ‘something out of our control.’ It wasn’t enough to save Brondello’s job as Liberty management ultimately decided to go in a new direction and opted not to renew her contract.

‘Sandy finishes her tenure in New York as the winningest coach in franchise history, and she took us to never-before-seen heights as the first head coach to lead the Liberty to a championship. We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter,’ Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said in a statement on Sept. 23.

Prior to her stint in New York, Brondello served as the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury from 2014-2021. She led the Mercury to the franchise’s third WNBA championship in 2014. She also spent one season as the head coach of the San Antonio Silver Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces) in 2010 after serving as an assistant since 2005.

Her coaching experience extends past the WNBA. Brondello has served as the head coach of the Australian women’s national team since 2017 and led the Opals to a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Tempo are the latest expansion team to hire a head coach. The Portland Fire hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Alex Sarama as head coach. Three head coaching vacancies remain in the WNBA: the Seattle Storm, Dallas Wings and New York Liberty.

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LOS ANGELES — The sight was the last thing Los Angeles Lakers fans wanted to see.

Luka Dončić – late into his 43-point, 12-rebound, nine-assist masterclass in L.A.’s season opening loss against the Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 21 – grimaced in apparent discomfort and grabbed at the inside of his leg, near his groin.

After the game, Dončić downplayed the matter, saying he felt a tweak in his hip.

‘It’s probably nothing,’ Dončić told reporters after the game. ‘Just felt it a little bit because my hip went that way. Felt it a little bit, but it’s probably nothing.’

The ‘probably’ might still cause Lakers coaches and fans to pause, but Dončić did not appear to be overly concerned. Still, it will bear monitoring, especially this early in the season.

Los Angeles cannot afford to lose Dončić. The Lakers are without LeBron James (sciatica) for at least the next week, and Dončić showed Tuesday that the team will depend on his production.

He was an efficient 17 of 27 from the field, including 13 of 14 inside the paint. Each time the Lakers mounted runs to try to close the gap, it was Dončić’s scoring that led the charge. As the Warriors opened the third quarter on a devastating 23-9 run, it was Dončić who had scored all nine of L.A.’s points.

He played a game-high 41 minutes, which was four-and-a-half more than the next closest player, Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves.

‘Overall, 41 minutes,’ Dončić  said. ‘I like that.’

Dončić was late to appear to his postgame news conference because he was receiving treatment. He did not sport any notable limp and the Lakers now have the benefit of a few days’ rest before their second game of the season.

Los Angeles will host the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have made consecutive trips to the Western Conference finals, on Friday, Oct. 24.

A significant change is coming to college athletics.

The Division II and Division III Management Councils announced on Wednesday, Oct. 22 that they have voted to approve the change in the NCAA’s sports betting policy for student athletes and athletics department staff members that will allow both parties to make bets on professional sports.

The change was adopted by the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee back on Wednesday, Oct. 8 but needed approval from Divisions II and III. The rule change will take effect on Saturday, Nov. 1.

It’s a monumental change from the NCAA, as sports gambling has become more engraved in everyday life. The change in the policy is just for professional sports — like the NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL and WNBA — and not on college sports, which remains prohibited by the NCAA.

Current NCAA sports betting policy on college sports prohibits student-athletes and athletics department staff members from making bets or sharing information with bettors on college sports.

Both Division II and Division III councils emphasized in their news release that their vote to approve the rule change ‘is not an endorsement of sports betting, particularly for student-athletes,’ and that there should be a continuous emphasis on ‘the importance of schools using harm reduction strategies and resources provided by the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and the Sport Science Institute.’

The change also comes at a time when NCAA investigations into sports betting violations from different member schools around the country continue by the governing body’s enforcement staffs. It is the second notable change adopted by the NCAA in a matter of weeks, with the other being the approval of the recommendation to make the college football transfer window a 15-day window in January.

‘This change allows the NCAA, the conferences, and the member schools to focus on protecting the integrity of college games while, at the same time, encouraging healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities on professional sports.’

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It’s been a rough start to the Aaron Glenn tenure in New York.

The Jets are the lone winless team in the NFL entering Week 8. In Week 6, the team posted the worst performance by passing yards in franchise history with negative-10 net yards against the Denver Broncos. In Week 7, the team benched quarterback Justin Fields for Tyrod Taylor mid-game in a 13-6 loss to Carolina.

Jets owner Woody Johnson spoke about the offense’s struggles earlier this week and put some blame on Fields’ performance so far.

‘It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we’ve got,’ Johnson said. ‘He’s got the ability, but something is not jibing.’

But Fields isn’t disappointed about where the team is at through the first seven weeks of the season.

‘I’m at peace, brother,’ Fields said to reporters today. ‘When you’re really in tune with God, nothing can actually like… I’m not even going to speak to what I was about to say as an example, but literally everything around me can ‘be negative’ in terms of the world, but I promise you, there’s nothing in this world, there’s nothing that can faze me and that’s just due to my relationship with the Lord. It’s not on me.’

Fields explained that if he makes mistakes, he’s ‘sick to [his] stomach’ about it but takes a long view of the situation.

‘Everything happens for a reason,’ he said. ‘I’ve been through trials, I’ve been through tribulations… I’m not stressed whatsoever.

At the end of the day, I have my family, I’m healthy, I’m blessed. I get to play a sport for a great amount of money… it’s easy to get down and feel some type of way but look at the grand scheme of things. Somebody would love to be in this position right now, a lot of people would.’

Fields also address Johnson’s comments. He said he didn’t see them but knows he needs to play better and that the Jets owner is entitled to his opinion.

‘Of course, everybody knows I need to play better,’ he said. ‘We need to play better as a team. No matter how the offense does as a unit, I’m going to get the blame and I understand that. That’s just what comes with the job… There’s going to be times where you have to be the only one who believes in yourself. That’s his opinion.’

New York has the worst passing offense in the NFL by yards and the 27th-ranked scoring offense as a whole. Fields has the fewest passing yards (845) of any quarterback who has started at least six games this season.

‘I know y’all want me to say stuff here and there but it’s just like, that’s what it is,’ Fields said. ‘I know y’all are going to keep asking to get me to say something but like, I’m truly at peace… I’m cool.’

The Jets have opened the season with seven consecutive losses for the third time in franchise history. In 1996, the team went 0-8 before finally breaking through for a win over the Cardinals in Week 9. In 2020, the team went 0-13 before winning two straight in December.

New York heads on the road to face Cincinnati this week before the bye in Week 9.