NBA · Week 1 · October 26, 2026
NBA Week 1 Awards 2026: 12 Trophies for Opening Week Chaos
The 2026-27 season tipped off October 20. One week later we have a 45-point opener, a perfect shooting night that only Wilt has matched, two record comebacks, a broken 141-game streak and a defending champion that has not won yet.
Every season starts with a week that makes no sense, and this one went further than most. Half the league’s stars are wearing new jerseys, the rookies look like veterans, and the team that won the title in June is still looking for its first win. So we handed out trophies. They are not real. Every stat behind them is.
The Awards
LaMelo Ball’s first game as a Timberwolf, after Charlotte traded him to Minnesota in June, went fine. He had 21 points and 6 assists. His new backcourt partner had 45, made 9 of 17 threes and grabbed 10 rebounds, the first player in NBA history with 45 points, 10 rebounds and 5 threes in a season opener.
Edwards now joins Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players with more than one 40-point season opener. Then he was asked about LaMelo.
Walker Kessler took twelve shots in his first game as a Laker and made all twelve. NBA.com notes that only one other Laker has ever shot 100% on 12 or more attempts. It was Wilt Chamberlain, in 1969. That is the whole list.
Luka Doncic set it up with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and a 49-foot buzzer-beater at halftime. Golden State made 8 of 36 threes, which is its own kind of award.
SGA opened the season with 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in San Antonio. Two nights later he scored 17 on 6-of-19 shooting against Denver, and the NBA world stopped for a second. That was the end of a streak of 141 straight games with at least 20 points, dating back to November 1, 2024.
The Thunder won that game anyway, 96-84. Gary Payton said they play like his Sonics in the ’90s. A bad night for SGA is still a win for Oklahoma City.
The Knicks raised their first championship banner since 1973 on opening night. Then the Sixers walked into Madison Square Garden and won by six. Tyrese Maxey had 28. LeBron James had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in his first game as a Sixer. Jaylen Brown had 19, 8 and 6 in his.
It was the most-watched opening night in NBA history, 6.41 million viewers on average. A lot of people saw it.
On opening night Detroit trailed Boston 72-50 early in the third, then closed the game on a 23-0 run, the biggest opening-day comeback since play-by-play tracking began in 1997-98. Paul George scored 38 in his Celtics debut and still lost.
Two nights later the Sixers fell behind Cleveland by 29 and won anyway, outscoring the Cavaliers 69-37 in the second half. NBA.com called it the largest comeback since tracking began in 1997-98. Two record comebacks in three days. The first week did not let anyone relax.
Sixteen months after tearing his Achilles in the 2025 Finals, Haliburton played in New Orleans and scored 23 with 12 assists, 13 of the points in the fourth quarter. His and-one with 1:24 left put Indiana ahead for good, 123-120.
Damian Lillard also came back from a torn Achilles the same night and hit six threes for Portland, which led Phoenix 21-0 at one point and won by 41.
Giannis is on the Heat. Tyler Herro is on the Bucks, because they were in the same trade. LaMelo is a Timberwolf, Ja Morant is a Trail Blazer, Anthony Davis is a Wizard, LeBron is a Sixer and Paul George is a Celtic. If you took the summer off from the NBA, the table below is for you.
The No. 4 pick scored 16, then 21, then 30 with 14 rebounds for his first double-double. His 67 points in three games are the second most in Bulls history to start a career. The only Bull with more is Michael Jordan, with 74.
Memphis rookie Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick, had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists as the Grizzlies closed on a 20-2 run to beat Golden State. Only LeBron James and Cooper Flagg did 25, 10 and 5 younger.
Daniels stole the ball five times in Atlanta’s opener and then seven times against Charlotte. That second game finished 128-81, a 47-point win and the largest margin in Hawks history. NBA.com’s nickname for him is the Great Barrier Thief, and it is earned.
Victor Wembanyama went 1 for 13 on opening night and answered with 25 points and 13 rebounds against Houston. It still ended with Amen Thompson blocking him to seal the game. Thompson’s caption: Amen met The Alien.
Wemby got the last laugh the next night, with 23 points, 4 blocks and a +32 in San Antonio’s first win.
Denver trailed New Orleans by 23 in the third quarter. Murray scored 42, Jokic put up 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for the 199th triple-double of his career, and the Nuggets won in overtime. Two nights earlier Denver had scored 84 in a loss to the Thunder, which is less than its lowest total of last season.
Mitchell Robinson, a Knick for years, played against his old team for the first time. Asked about it, Towns delivered the line of the week.
Who Plays Where Now
A cheat sheet for anyone who missed the summer. Every one of these players made his debut for a new team in Week 1.
| Player | New team | First-week debut |
|---|---|---|
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Heat | 35 points, most ever in a Heat debut |
| Tyler Herro | Bucks | 24 points, 9 assists |
| LaMelo Ball | Timberwolves | 21 points, 6 assists |
| Anthony Davis | Wizards | 34 points, 12 rebounds |
| Ja Morant | Trail Blazers | 14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals |
| Walker Kessler | Lakers | 26 points, 9 rebounds, 12-for-12 |
| LeBron James | 76ers | 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists |
| Jaylen Brown | 76ers | 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists |
| Paul George | Celtics | 38 points, 7 of 12 from three |
| Kawhi Leonard | Raptors | 23 points and a standing ovation |
| Julius Randle | Nets | 33 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists |
| Naz Reid | Hornets | 20 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists |
Meanwhile, at the Garden
Here is the bad news. The champions are 0-3, with three losses by a combined 19 points: the Sixers on ring night, then Jayson Tatum with 36 in Boston, then Orlando at the Garden on Sunday. Against the Magic the Knicks led 86-76 with 9:20 left and lost by nine. They shot 9 of 38 from three. Jalen Brunson scored 28, Towns had 22 and 14, OG Anunoby had 22.
They are the first defending champion to start 0-3 since the 2011-12 Mavericks, and only the third ever. Brunson took the blame himself: “Everything falls on my shoulders.”
Here is the good news. The 1990-91 Bulls started 0-3 and won the title. It is October. The unbeaten Pistons visit Tuesday, which is either the worst possible matchup or the perfect one, depending on how you watch basketball.
If you want to wear this week’s winners, an SGA shirt is a strong vote for a streak that will start again soon, and an Anthony Edwards graphic tee celebrates the 45. Planet Euphoria’s NBA player tee lineup has both, drawn by hand and numbered, along with Luka, Wemby, Haliburton, Brunson and most of the names on this page.
Planet Euphoria’s hand-drawn NBA player tees: hand-printed in Schenectady, New York, individually numbered and capped at 500 per design. $40, sizes S to 5XL, black or off-white, free shipping.
SGA
Anthony Edwards
Luka DoncicNBA Week 1: Your Questions, Answered
Who scored the most points in Week 1 of the 2026-27 NBA season?
Why did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 20-point streak end?
Have the Knicks won a game yet this season?
Where can I buy an SGA shirt?
Who are the best rookies so far in 2026-27?
An entertainment piece. The awards are ours. Scores, stat lines, records and quotes were checked October 26, 2026 against NBA.com’s Starting 5 recaps for October 21 to 25, ESPN, Heavy, Land of Basketball and Wikipedia. Records attributed to play-by-play tracking cover the seasons since 1997-98. No player, team or league is affiliated with or endorses this article.