Dusty Garza 🏀 NBA Writer/Analyst | @TheDunkDigest & @1200WOAI | Former @FOX29, @News4SA | contributor @NBATV & @SiriusXMNBA | Emmy Awarded TV & Film Producer
Los Angeles, CA
Joined July 2018
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Rookie big man Tarris Reed had 3 boards and 2 points in the very brief 7 minutes he saw against Dallas the other night, but it was enough to get his teammates and coach fired up:
"All I saw, I kept seeing the whole bench stand up, the guys on the court getting fired up," said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. "Tarris wasn't out there shooting step-back between-the-legs threes. He was just playing his ass off and playing hard and being physical and trying to do the right stuff. It's contagious when you play the right way."
Mitch Johnson is getting a lot of undeserved heat, these two suggestions are the only two I'm adding 'cause I actually believe he'll get everything else under control:
1️⃣ Taris Reed is exactly the type of ultra competitive, defensive big this squad needs right now. I love Luke but don't make me roll out all the bad tape. Just please find some minutes for Reed Jr, somewhere. Your team's +/- stats will thank you. I promise.
2️⃣ Carter Bryant needs more development floor time. I'll have more hard data for ya on this later, but trust me when I say that sitting him is not helping him or your team at all.
Spurs forward Tobias Harris (left calf strain) has officially been ruled OUT for Tuesday’s matchup vs. the Kings, per the team.
Harris continues his ramp-up after missing preseason and the first three games. His next chance to debut comes Wednesday on the second night of the B2B in Utah. #PorVida
Now DUAL injuries hit OKC’s depth. Both of those injuries happened against the Clippers yesterday.
The fresh injury for OKC tonight against Phoenix was Alex Caruso, who had to leave late in the second quarter after rolling his right ankle.
Another injury, but hopefully not bad. PMRI tomorrow as Jaren Jackson Jr. (right knee) did not return after an opposing player landed on his leg in the 1st half..
"I think Sam is gonna have a lot of pressure on him to figure out a way to add some talent to this team."
@MarcJSpears believes it’s time for Sam Presti to dip into his war chest of picks and trade for win-now talent.
SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
Everyone assumes OKC can just do this to replace Jalen Williams.
@TheDunkDigest examined this and came up with different math: a $14M DPE offers zero cap relief. With OKC just $6.9M below the second apron, spending that exception triggers a full roster freeze.
dunkdigest.com/why-the-secon…
The Thunder can apply for a disabled player exception worth ~$14M to sign a player or trade for someone with one year left on their contract, per @WindhorstESPN
SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
Kelly Olynyk says he left the NBA to give the younger generation a chance to shine.
“I played 13 years in the NBA; it was time to step aside and make room for the younger generation,”
(Via La Repubblica / h/t @hoopshype )
J-Dub’s absence immediately reshapes the West. Spurs just went from chasing OKC to betting favorites overnight.
San Antonio is not the slight favorite to win the 2026-27 championship on Polymarket in the immediate aftermath of the Jalen Williams injury. Spurs are 1-2; Thunder are 3-0 but without a key two-way position again. This is just speculative market reaction, but do you agree with it?
Having an endless mountain of future picks makes you great on paper. Surviving a season-wrecking blow to your second star is another story.
I dug into why the Thunder are about to face their toughest real-world test yet: Why the Second Apron Traps The Thunder After Jalen Williams’ Injury
Draft picks can buy you talent, but they cannot buy you exemption from the CBA ledger. Until the full medical prognosis on J-Dub arrives, Oklahoma City’s biggest obstacle to staying afloat in the West isn’t finding a willing trade partner- it’s navigating the financial straitjacket of the second apron.dunkdigest.com/?p=10861
Rivalries aside, you never want to see this. Heart goes out to Jalen Williams and the Thunder after that terrifying scene in OKC tonight.
Spurs Fam, keep J-Dub in your prayers for a full and speedy recovery. The game is always better when the best young talent is healthy and out there competing.
A brutal Sunday night for the league. On top of Jalen Williams, Magic guard Jalen Suggs went down with a scary non-contact right knee injury late in the 4th against the Knicks and had to be helped off the floor.
Victor Wembanyama is officially getting the 60 Minutes treatment.
CBS confirmed that Jon Wertheim’s in-depth profile on the Spurs phenom airs next coming Sunday, November 1, 2026, on CBS at 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT (immediately following late-afternoon NFL coverage). 📺👽🏀
A devastating scene in Oklahoma City tonight. Thunder star Jalen Williams had to be stretchered off late in the 4th quarter against the Clippers after suffering a severe lower left leg injury on an awkward landing.
SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
After the game tonight, I asked Victor Wembanyama if it’s frustrating to be unable to pick up where they left off last season, especially when some other teams have.
He started by started his response by declining to characterize it as frustrating.
Full answer below:
Spurs fans were getting a little nervous last night as we saw 25 lead changes through three quarters, and then the Spurs flipped the switch against the skeleton crew Mavs.
A 35–11 avalanche across the 3rd and 4th quarters put Dallas away for good. Dallas mustered just 17 fourth-quarter points as the Spurs rolled to win their first game of the season after three tries.
Dallas actually shot a higher percentage from the field (51.1% vs. 47.5%) and from three (39.3% vs. 35.7%), yet lost by 16 points:
Final score: 122-106.
Let's not overlook what Dylan Harper did in Dallas: 22 PTS, 5 REB, and a +18 in 28 minutes.
Through 3 games, he’s averaging 20.0 PPG on 48% FG. Stepping into the starting unit with Tobias Harris sidelined, his rim-read scoring has given San Antonio elite half-court balance next to Fox and Wemby.
Victor Wembanyama's final stat from line from Dallas looks clean on paper (23 PTS, 7 REB, 4 BLK in 29 MIN on 50% FG), but his +32 plus/minus is actually staggering.
In the 29 minutes Wemby played, San Antonio won those minutes by 32 points.
In the 19 minutes he sat, backup center Luke Kornet was a -18 in 14 minutes (0 points, 0/2 FG). The non-Wemby interior minutes were nearly disastrous, but his dominance when on the floor made it irrelevant.
