Coast 2 Coast Tuesday

Live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers, in their first season without LeBron James since 2018-19, are led by Dončić, standout shooting guard Austin Reaves, and newly-acquired big man Walker Kessler. Dončić's six All-NBA First Team selections by age 27 puts him in rare company, with only four other players in NBA history having achieved that (James and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Tim Duncan, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Pettit). The Trail Blazers, led by Avdija, traded for two-time NBA All-Star point guard Ja Morant in the offseason, with the latter aiming to return to his All-Star form in Portland.

In the first game against his former team that he spent the first decade of his NBA career with, Jaylen Brown and the 76ers (8-1) host Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics (6-2) from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa.

Brown, who was drafted by the Celtics in 2016, spent the first decade of his career in Boston and earned five All-Star selections and two All-NBA selections. His tenure in Boston culminated in helping to lead the franchise to its 18th championship in franchise history in 2024, where he was named Finals MVP. This will be Brown's first game against his former team since being traded to Philadelphia this offseason, and his first career matchup against former teammate and six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum, with whom he shared the court for nine seasons.

Philadelphia leads the Eastern Conference and has won five consecutive games, including recent victories over the defending NBA champion Knicks and Pistons. Two-time NBA All-Star Tyrese Maxey ranks sixth in the NBA in scoring (28.0 points per game), while four-time NBA MVP LeBron James continues to seamlessly integrate in his first season as a 76er. The Celtics sit in third in the Eastern Conference standings, with Tatum being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (Oct. 26-Nov. 1) and joining Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird and John Havlicek as the only Boston players to average 28+ points and 7+ assists through the first six games of a season.

NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (6-2) visit nine-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers (6-1) from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 

The Thunder are coming off two consecutive wins over the Cavaliers, in which Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 43 and 42 points in the two contests. The four-time NBA All-Star, in the wake of losing Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace to injury, has ramped up his offensive production, ranking second in the league in scoring (30.1 PPG). Lillard, in his first season back after an Achilles injury, leads a revitalized Portland team that's tied for first in the Western Conference. Along with 2026 NBA All-Star Deni Avdija, the Trail Blazers have already notched victories over the Lakers and Nuggets this season.