TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2026 — The preseason is where the scores aren’t supposed to matter — until somebody hangs 45 in the first quarter. Tuesday’s four-game NBA slate opened in Charlotte with Brooklyn’s rebuilt roster making a 34-point opening statement, and closed at Chase Center with the Warriors turning a back-to-back-weary Lakers team into an opening-quarter highlight reel. In between: a 24-point comeback in Tulsa and a Denver bounce-back in the mountains. None of it counts in the standings. All of it counts as a first look.
Warriors 124, Lakers 98: 45 in the first quarter
The nightcap was over almost before it started. The Warriors hung 45 points on the Lakers in the first quarter at Chase Center — 45-31 after twelve minutes — stretched the lead to 81-53 by halftime, and cruised to a 124-98 win that was never closer than the final margin suggests.
Stephen Curry needed all of 14 minutes and 19 seconds to make his point: 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting (3-of-6 from three), 5 assists, and a plus-26 that led the team. Brandin Podziemski matched him with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Yaxel Lendeborg went for 17 points and 9 rebounds, and Draymond Green quarterbacked the offense with 8 assists in under 15 minutes. Steve Kerr started every healthy veteran he had.
The Lakers, on the other hand, treated it as a rest night — understandably, on the second night of a back-to-back after Monday’s 127-103 rout of Sacramento. Luka Doncic sat a night after scoring 21 in his first game in more than six months. Austin Reaves (ankle) and Walker Kessler (finger) were day-to-day scratches, and Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Collin Sexton and Arthur Kaluma sat as well. That left JJ Redick to start Bronny James, Quentin Grimes, Adou Thiero, Jake LaRavia and Sandro Mamukelashvili — a group that ran into a buzzsaw.
Some context for the lopsidedness: it was Golden State’s third game in four nights, after opening the preseason Sunday against the Clippers in Hawaii. The Warriors play again Wednesday night in Portland — the first night of their own back-to-back. The Lakers get a breather before hosting the Kings again Thursday at Crypto.com Arena.
Nuggets 117, Jazz 106: the rematch goes the other way
Two nights after Utah beat Denver 109-97 in Boulder, the Nuggets returned the favor at the Delta Center, 117-106. The Jazz led 31-24 after the first quarter; Denver answered with a 41-28 second quarter and never trailed again, stretching it with a 30-22 third.
The standout of the night belonged to the home team anyway. Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 overall pick, answered a quiet preseason debut in Boulder with 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting in 29:37 — exactly the kind of bounce-back the preseason exists for. Ace Bailey added 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block, and Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in 7 in under 16 minutes. Utah held out Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Filipowski, Jusuf Nurkic and Brice Sensabaugh entirely.
Denver banks the split and moves on to host the Bulls on Sunday, October 11. The Jazz keep getting long looks at a young core that is going to be fun before it is good.
Nets 124, Hornets 90: Brooklyn’s opening statement
The afternoon game was the night’s biggest margin and maybe its clearest message. The Nets opened their preseason with a 124-90 dismantling of the Hornets at the Spectrum Center, turning a working lead into a 36-21 third-quarter laugher. Michael Porter Jr. picked up where he left off last season with 16 points and 5 rebounds; Julius Randle added 13 points and 3 assists in his Nets debut; and with No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. sidelined by an ankle injury, rookie Egor Demin slid into the starting point guard spot and flashed real passing vision — even as four fouls in 18 minutes showed the expected rough edges.
Charlotte was down six players — Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Coby White (calf) among them — and committed 25 turnovers that Brooklyn converted into 31 points. The bright spots: Liam McNeeley came off the bench for a team-high 14 points (4-of-6 from deep), and trade acquisitions Naz Reid and Grayson Allen debuted with 13 apiece, Allen perfect on all three of his threes. Our full takeaways from Tuesday’s first three finals have the complete picture.
Pelicans 116, Thunder 110: 24 points, gone
The best theater of the night was in Tulsa. Oklahoma City sat six rotation players — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso, all resting on the first night of a back-to-back — and the kids nearly stole one anyway. Behind a starting five of Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, Bennett Stirtz, Kenrich Williams and 7-foot-3 rookie Aday Mara, the Thunder shot 8-of-10 from three in the first quarter and took a 67-52 lead into halftime. Then the bench emptied, the Pelicans ripped the second half 64-43, and a 24-point lead was gone by the final buzzer: 116-110.
Bennett Stirtz led OKC with 15 points and 6 assists in 30 minutes before exiting late in the fourth after a spill. Mara went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field for 12 points with 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks in 18 minutes — including a transition finger-roll where the 7-foot-3 rookie ran the floor without putting the ball down. McCain added 12 points and 5 assists, and six Thunder players reached double figures on 53 percent shooting with 29 assists on 40 baskets. For New Orleans, Bennedict Mathurin led the way with 13 points and 5 assists off the bench; Zion Williamson was quiet (11 points, 4 rebounds), and Bryce McGowens’ jumper tied it at 107 before Karlo Matkovic put the Pelicans ahead for good with five minutes to play.
The Thunder’s stars are all expected back Wednesday night when Milwaukee visits at 7 p.m. CT. The pipeline, as Tuesday showed, is very much alive behind them.
What to watch Wednesday
Three threads carry into Wednesday. In Oklahoma City, the full-strength Thunder host the Bucks at 7 p.m. CT — the first look at the real rotation after a summer that traded away Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe. In Memphis, the Grizzlies host the Magic at 8 p.m. ET at FedEx Forum. And the Warriors play the second half of their back-to-back in Portland against the Trail Blazers.
The story hanging over all of it: the 76ers are awaiting imaging results on Ariel Hukporti’s right Achilles after Monday night’s non-contact fall — Tuesday’s notebook has the full injury board.
For Monday’s finals — Ebuka Okorie’s game-winner, Jaylen Brown’s Sixers debut, and the post-Giannis era opening in Milwaukee — see last night’s wrap.