NBA Recap | October 29, 2026
Onyeka Okongwu scored a season-high 29 with 12 rebounds and Atlanta came back from 15 down to beat Cleveland 114-111, ending a three-game slide on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams. New Orleans has its first win: Jeremiah Fears had 22 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 13 assists, Zion Williamson went 10-of-12, and the Pelicans beat Sacramento 132-120, so the Kings are 0-5. And in the night's meeting of unbeaten teams, Memphis pulled away from Portland in the second half and won 124-103 behind Cameron Boozer's first career triple-double, so the Grizzlies are 5-0 and the Blazers have their first loss. Here's how it went down, every card graded, and where the record stands.
Okongwu Scores 29, Alexander-Walker Seals It at the Line, and Atlanta Ends Its Slide
Cleveland Cavaliers 111, Atlanta Hawks 114
Cleveland led by 15 in the first quarter, the fourth straight game Atlanta had trailed by at least that many, and the Cavaliers took a 28-16 lead into the second. The Hawks won the second quarter 30-16 to lead 46-44 at the half, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker's three with 9:14 left in the third pushed it to 61-50. James Harden scored nine in the third to get Cleveland within 83-82, but Atlanta finished the period strong, scoring 43 in the quarter, and went into the fourth up 89-82.
Cleveland won the fourth 29-25 and kept it close to the end. Alexander-Walker's two free throws with 15.3 seconds left put Atlanta back up three, and Donovan Mitchell got two looks at a tying three on the final possession and missed both.
Okongwu finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds on 11-of-17, with 4-of-6 from three, and Alexander-Walker scored 20. Atlanta made about 40 percent of its threes. Harden led Cleveland with 24 points and five rebounds, Mitchell scored 22, Sam Merrill made four of eight threes for 16, and Jarrett Allen had 14. The Cavaliers shot 38-of-87, made 13 of 42 threes, and went 22-of-29 at the line. Cleveland is 3-2, its three-game winning streak over; Atlanta is 3-3.
THE CARD, GRADED · CLE @ ATL
Side ATL +1.5 (Strong) · preview number CLE -1.5 · Atlanta won outright by 3, 4.5 points past the number · cleared
Total Under 239.5 (Toss-up) · preview number 239.5 · the teams combined for 225, 14.5 under the number · cleared
Our number had Atlanta by about four at home, while the market had flipped three points toward Cleveland through the Hawks' three-game slide. Atlanta trailed by 15 early and won by three, and the lean cleared. The under was our 235.9 against 239.5, inside our threshold, and 13-of-42 from three for Cleveland left it 14.5 clear.
Fears Hands Out 13 Assists, Zion Goes 10-of-12, and New Orleans Gets Its First Win
Sacramento Kings 120, New Orleans Pelicans 132
Sacramento led 30-24 after one quarter behind Darius Acuff Jr., and New Orleans, on the second night of a back-to-back, answered with 39 points in the second to lead 63-61 at the half. The Pelicans scored 39 more in the third and took a 102-88 lead into the fourth. The Kings won the fourth 32-30, and the final was 132-120.
Jeremiah Fears had 22 points on 9-of-16, eight rebounds and a career-high 13 assists. Zion Williamson scored 22 on 10-of-12, every make in the paint, and Trey Murphy III added 18. New Orleans shot 50-of-84 and went 22-of-32 at the line. For Sacramento, Acuff scored 34 on 13-of-26 with 5-of-5 at the line, and Domantas Sabonis had 15 rebounds. The Kings shot 46-of-88 and made 12 of 37 threes. New Orleans is 1-4; Sacramento is 0-5.
THE CARD, GRADED · SAC @ NOP
Side SAC +5.5 (Toss-up) · preview number NOP -5.5 · Sacramento lost by 12, 6.5 points short of the number · missed
Total Under 238.5 (Lean) · preview number 238.5 · the teams combined for 252, 13.5 over the number · missed
Our number had New Orleans by about four, inside the book's 5.5, and two 39-point Pelicans quarters in the middle of the game settled it by 12. The under was our 233.5 against 238.5, the widest total gap on the card, and two teams that shot 52 and 60 percent from the floor carried it 13.5 past.
Boozer's First Triple-Double, a 33-20 Fourth, and Memphis Stays Unbeaten
Memphis Grizzlies 124, Portland Trail Blazers 103
For a half, the two unbeaten teams could not be separated: it was 25-25 after one quarter and 58-58 at the break. Cameron Boozer led Memphis with 13 in the first half and Quinten Post added 10 off the bench, while Deni Avdija had 13 for Portland and Ja Morant, facing the team that traded him in June, had 12. Memphis won the third quarter 33-25 for a 91-83 lead and the fourth 33-20. Morant left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return; no further diagnosis has been announced.
Boozer finished with 18 points on 6-of-10, 4-of-5 from three, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, his first career triple-double in his fifth game. Cedric Coward scored 17 with three steals, Zach Edey had 13 on 6-of-8, and Ty Jerome, averaging nearly 30 coming in, scored 10 on 3-of-12. Memphis shot 47-of-102, made 18 of 42 threes and went 12-of-12 at the line. Avdija led Portland with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Morant scored 14, and Damian Lillard had nine on 3-of-13. The Blazers made 12 of 49 threes and 17 of 26 free throws. Memphis is 5-0; Portland is 3-1.
THE CARD, GRADED · MEM @ POR
Side MEM +7.5 (Lean) · preview number POR -7.5 · Memphis won outright by 21, 28.5 points past the number · cleared
Total Under 233.5 (Toss-up) · preview number 233.5 · the teams combined for 227, 6.5 under the number · cleared
Our number had Portland by under four at home against a book at 7.5, and Memphis won by 21 for its fifth cover in five games. The under was our 231.2 against 233.5, inside our threshold, and Portland's 12-of-49 from three kept it 6.5 under.
Atlanta Stops Its Slide, New Orleans Finally Wins, and Memphis Stays Perfect.
Atlanta came back from 15 down on the second night of a back-to-back, New Orleans scored 78 in the middle two quarters for its first win, and Memphis pulled away from Portland after halftime in the night's only meeting of unbeaten teams. Memphis is 5-0, Portland is 3-1 after its first loss, Atlanta is 3-3, Cleveland 3-2, New Orleans 1-4, and Sacramento is the West's last winless team at 0-5.
Star of the Night: Cameron Boozer, F, Memphis Grizzlies
18 PTS | 11 REB | 12 AST | 6-of-10 FG | 4-of-5 3PT | 2-of-2 FT
Onyeka Okongwu's season-high 29 and 12 in Atlanta's comeback and Darius Acuff Jr.'s 34 in a loss made cases of their own, but Boozer's first career triple-double, in his fifth NBA game, came in a 21-point road win over an unbeaten Portland team, so he is the clearer story.
Dud of the Night: Damian Lillard, G, Portland Trail Blazers
9 PTS | 3-of-13 FG | 1-of-9 3PT | 2-of-4 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 30 MIN | -11
Ty Jerome's 3-of-12 came in a Memphis win, and Donovan Mitchell missed two looks at a tie in Atlanta but scored 22. Lillard went 1-of-9 from three in 30 minutes as Portland lost its first game of the season by 21, so he is the clearer dud.
THE RECORD · NBA REGULAR SEASON
Side 36-35-0 · 51% of 71 · Total 32-28-0 · 53% of 60 · through October 29
This slate: side 2-1, total 2-1 (6 leans).
Every card is graded against the number shown in its box. The full ledger, by tier and by month, is on The Record.
What's next
Friday's slate is next. We'll have the preview, the card, and both leans before tip-off.
Tome Collective is an informational publication. The Card and The Record describe how our number compared with the market; they are not advice.
