NBA Notes: Blazers, Deni Avdija, Pelicans, Jeremiah Fears, Hawks

October 30, 2026

Trail Blazers

Micah Nori can live with the Trail Blazers missing good shots. Forgetting to rebound because those shots aren’t falling? That’s another discussion.

Portland went 12-of-49 from three in Thursday’s 124-103 loss to Memphis, its first defeat after a 3-0 start.

“We were six for 32 on catch-and-shoots of the 49,” Nori said, via Elias Esquivel of Trail Blazers On SI⁠. “Those catch-and-shoots are good looks.”

The concern was what followed the misses.

“The disconcerting part was the fact that we let the fact that we weren’t making shots (lead into) some lapses on the rebounding and not boxing out,” he said.

Basically, a cold shooting night doesn’t excuse giving the opponent extra chances. Damian Lillard went 1-of-9 from deep, while Deni Avdija supplied 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

On the bright side for Portland, Avdija already looks every bit as good as he was last season. This time, though, there appears to be more help around him.

Pelicans

Jeremiah Fears had more responsibility with Dejounte Murray unavailable. He made pretty good use of it.

Fears finished with 22 points, a career-high 13 assists and eight rebounds in Thursday’s win over Sacramento, adding four blocks and two steals. As David Grubb of Pelicans On SI writes⁠, he balanced creating for teammates with staying aggressive himself.

Herb Jones also returned to the starting lineup and contributed 16 points. New Orleans outscored Sacramento by 27 during his minutes.

The Pelicans still committed 21 turnovers. Beating the winless Kings doesn’t erase the problems behind their own 0-4 start, but Fears running the offense and Jones helping settle the defense gave them something useful to build on.

Hawks

Onyeka Okongwu continues to make life difficult for the Cavaliers.

He delivered 29 points and 12 rebounds Thursday, making four of six threes in Atlanta’s 114-111 win. His late layup also restored a three-point lead after Cleveland pulled within one.

As Jackson Caudell of Hawks On SI notes⁠, it was a substantial response after Okongwu struggled against Miami the previous night.

Aaron Wiggins added 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists off the bench. Caudell argued that Wiggins deserved to close over CJ McCollum, particularly with Atlanta’s offense stalling late.

The Hawks nearly surrendered a 10-point lead in the final four minutes. They survived, but closing it out required considerably more work than it should have.