Huffman Sports Wire News Break · ALL · Reporting · Published · Huffman Sports Wire News Desk
NBA: Eleven games tip tonight, and Golden State already has a trade question
The first full slate of the 2026-27 season tips tonight with 11 games scheduled between 7 ET and 10:30 ET, and every game on the slate is a home opener. The national doubleheader on ESPN opens with Minnesota at Miami at 7:30 ET and closes with Golden State at the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 ET. Indiana visits New Orleans at 8 ET, where Tyrese Haliburton is set for his first regular season game since tearing his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
Golden State arrives in Los Angeles with the strangest story of the night. Reports on Wednesday said the Warriors have begun exploring trade routes for Kristaps Porzingis, who is out indefinitely with recurring symptoms from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and has not returned to the team facility since a meeting with the club on October 14. No trade has been completed, and no retirement decision has been announced. Stephen Curry is listed as probable with right ankle soreness, and Brandin Podziemski has been ruled out with lower back soreness, joining Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Porzingis on the sideline for Golden State. Lakers center Walker Kessler is available after a finger injury.
The opening night fallout is still landing as well. Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 116-104 on Tuesday in a game that turned physical in the second quarter, when De'Aaron Fox was called for a flagrant foul after throwing Chet Holmgren to the floor. Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams each received a technical foul in the scuffle that followed. Thursday brings a much smaller slate, with Cleveland opening its season at Philadelphia at 7 ET on ESPN and Denver opening its season at Oklahoma City at 9:30 ET on ESPN. Opening week is 3 days old, and the league already needs a bigger training room and a smaller fight card.
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MLB: The Angels start over again while Milwaukee and Tampa Bay wait for Friday
The Los Angeles Angels announced on Wednesday that the club has declined the option in manager Kurt Suzuki's contract and will search for a new manager and coaching staff for the 2027 season. Suzuki has been offered a chance to stay with the organization as a special assistant, and the club did not announce whether he has accepted that offer. Los Angeles finished 62-100 in 2026, the first 100-loss season in franchise history, and finished last in the American League West. The Angels have closed the year with 11 consecutive losing seasons and 12 straight seasons without a playoff berth, and the replacement will be the seventh manager, including interim managers, to lead the club in 9 seasons since the club parted with Mike Scioscia after the 2018 season. The vacancy is the third current managerial opening in the American League West, alongside Seattle and Houston.
The World Series opens Friday, October 23 at 8 ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee on FOX, with Jacob Misiorowski starting Game 1 for the Brewers. Tampa Bay had not announced its Game 1 starter as of Wednesday evening, and Drew Rasmussen remains the projected choice after posting a 1.29 earned run average across 3 postseason starts this fall. Rasmussen threw 8 innings of 1-hit ball with 10 strikeouts in a 1-0 win over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Misiorowski has a 3.24 earned run average in 2 postseason starts, with 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings.
Junior Caminero gives Tampa Bay a middle-of-the-order threat who never takes a day off. Caminero is the only Rays player to appear in all 171 games for the club this season including the postseason, and he hit 42 home runs during the regular season. He hit a two-run home run in the American League Championship Series clincher against Cleveland on Monday, and his trot around the bases took 38.7 seconds. Milwaukee has 2 days to plan for a hitter who treats a home run trot like a victory parade with a permit.
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NFL: Final injury reports thin out Thursday night, and New York makes its quarterback call
Thursday night football is now set on paper, and both depth charts took a hit on Wednesday. New England visits Chicago on Thursday at 8:15 ET with both teams at 4-2, and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel ruled out guards Alijah Vera-Tucker with a hamstring injury and Ben Brown with a knee injury, plus cornerbacks Carlton Davis III with a neck injury, Karon Prunty with a hamstring injury and Channing Canada with a hamstring injury. Davis will miss his third straight game. Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse will replace Vera-Tucker and Brown on the New England offensive line, and Rouse will make his first career start. Chicago ruled out running back Kyle Monangai for a third straight game with thumb and toe injuries and ruled out linebacker Jack Sanborn with a concussion. Linebacker T.J. Edwards is doubtful with a hamstring injury, defensive back Tyrique Stevenson is questionable with a hip injury, and right guard Jonah Jackson is off the injury report and set to play after practicing in full on Wednesday. Monangai has rushed for 324 yards with 3 touchdowns this season.
New York made its quarterback decision on Wednesday. Giants coach John Harbaugh announced that J.J. McCarthy will start on Sunday at Houston, with Jameis Winston moving to the backup role. The start will be the first for McCarthy since the Giants acquired him from Minnesota on September 28 for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft. McCarthy replaced Winston in the fourth quarter of the 34-27 loss to New Orleans on Sunday and completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards while leading 3 scoring drives. Winston had started the previous 4 games for New York in place of Jaxson Dart, who suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier this season.
Tennessee spent Wednesday explaining a release that stunned the league on Tuesday. Reporting on Wednesday detailed how defensive tackle Jordan Elliott went to his car to retrieve a gun after a practice dispute with offensive tackle JC Latham on October 15, and Titans coach Robert Saleh corroborated those reports during his Wednesday press conference. Defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers de-escalated the situation, and no report was filed with the Metro Nashville Police Department. Elliott was ruled out of the October 18 game against Indianapolis for personal reasons, and Tennessee released him on October 20. Elliott had 11 tackles in 5 games with 1 start this season after signing a 2-year, 8 million dollar deal in March. A practice fight ending a contract is a reminder that some depth chart moves have nothing to do with football.
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NCAAF: Maryland makes the first coaching change of the season
Maryland announced on Wednesday that the school and head coach Mike Locksley have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim has been named interim head coach, and Maryland said a comprehensive national search for the next head coach will begin immediately. The move makes Maryland the first Power conference program to make a head coaching change this season. Locksley finished with a 39-54 overall record at Maryland, a total that includes his stint as interim coach in 2015, and he served as the full-time head coach from 2019 through this fall. His tenure included 3 straight winning seasons from 2021 through 2023 with a bowl win in each of those seasons, followed by a 4-8 finish in 2024 and another in 2025.
The change follows a slide that erased that progress. Maryland has opened this season at 2-5 overall with an 0-4 record in Big Ten play, and the Terrapins have lost 5 straight games. The fifth loss was a 37-30 home defeat against Rutgers on Saturday, October 17, after Maryland led by 10 points at halftime. Maryland is on its bye week, and Illinois visits on October 31 for the first game under the interim staff.
Week 8 continues tonight with New Mexico State at Sam Houston at 8 ET on ESPN2. New Mexico State is 2-4 overall and 1-1 in Conference USA play, and Sam Houston is 1-5 overall and 0-2 in conference play. Thursday adds 3 more games, with Liberty at Kennesaw State at 7 ET, James Madison at Appalachian State at 7 ET and East Carolina at Memphis at 7:30 ET. The coaching carousel started in College Park, and the midweek schedule is doing its best to distract everyone from the search rumors already warming up.
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CBB: Kansas gets a ranked test tonight, and Sunday stacks the exhibition slate
Kansas gets a real test tonight at Allen Fieldhouse, where the Jayhawks host 11th-ranked Louisville in an exhibition with tipoff at 7 ET on ESPNU. Kansas won its first exhibition 80-62 over Pittsburg State on October 16. The matchup brings junior forward Flory Bidunga back to Lawrence in a Louisville uniform after Bidunga started his career at Kansas and transferred following the 2025-26 season. Kansas has also added Purdue transfer Trey Kaufman-Renn to its roster, and whether the fifth-year forward plays in this game had not been confirmed in the preview coverage.
The weekend slate spreads the heavyweight exhibitions across the country. Arkansas faces Gonzaga on Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25 brings Duke at Kansas, Michigan State at Marquette, and Houston against Michigan in Grand Rapids. Michigan State opens its regular season on November 2 against Quinnipiac, and Connecticut opens the same day against Gardner-Webb. Exhibitions are supposed to be rehearsals, and half the top of the poll just scheduled rehearsals against each other.
That is the Evening Edition. Five sports, zero filler. See you tomorrow.
Sources: - [WhyNBA](https://whynba.com/nba-wednesday-october-21-2026-preview-injuries-tip-times-cairo/) - [NBC Sports Bay Area](https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/report-kristaps-porzingis-trade-illness/1972876/) - [Hoops Rumors](https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2026/10/warriors-exploring-trade-avenues-for-kristaps-porzingis.html) - [Warriors Wire](https://warriorswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/warriors/2026/10/20/warriors-injury-report-brandin-podziemski-ruled-out-of-season-opener/92357016007/) - [ClutchPoints](https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/is-stephen-curry-playing-tonight-warriors-vs-lakers-injury-report-to-open-season) - [OKC Thunder Wire](https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/thunder/2026/10/21/couple-of-okc-thunder-players-react-to-deaaron-fox-flagrant-foul-on-chet-holmgren/92362192007/) - [WhyNBA](https://whynba.com/nba-thursday-october-22-2026-preview-cavaliers-76ers-nuggets-thunder-tip-times-cairo/) - [Associated Press via NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/angels-fire-manager-kurt-suzuki-after-losing-100-games-in-his-only-season) - [Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/mlb/angels/onsi/angels-kurt-suzuki-manager-john-mozeliak-kroenke) - [Yardbarker](https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/five_potential_difference_makers_in_the_2026_world_series/s1_13132_44455413) - [NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/how-to-watch-rays-vs-brewers-game-1-of-2026-mlb-world-series-tv-channel-streaming-info-schedule-preview) - [MLB Trade Rumors](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/10/the-opener-peralta-brewers-bauers-rays-g1-starter.html) - [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/patriots-be-without-both-starting-guards-vs-bears--flm-2026-10-21/) - [Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi/patriots-make-injury-announcements-ahead-of-thursday-night-including-losses-at-ol-cb) - [NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/kyle-monangai-ruled-out-jonah-jackson-set-to-play-vs-patriots) - [USA TODAY](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/giants/2026/10/21/jj-mccarthy-new-york-giants-starting-quarterback/92341079007/) - [USA TODAY](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2026/10/21/jordan-elliott-jc-latham-gun-titans-release/92359911007/) - [University of Maryland Athletics](https://umterps.com/news/2026/10/21/football-maryland-athletics-michael-locksley-mutually-agree-to-part-ways) - [USA TODAY](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2026/10/21/maryland-fires-mike-locksley-contract-buyout/91959683007/) - [Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/news/mike-locksley-fired-maryland-makes-major-coaching-change-after-eight-seasons) - [Las Cruces Sun News](https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/sports/college/2026/10/20/nm-state-football-visits-sam-houston-in-nationally-televised-game/92327622007/) - [CableTV](https://www.cabletv.com/sports/college-football-schedule-this-week) - [Topeka Capital-Journal](https://www.cjonline.com/story/sports/college/hawk-zone/2026/10/21/how-to-watch-kansas-basketball-exhibition-game-vs-louisville-flory-bidunga-trey-kaufman-renn-2026/92097022007/) - [CBB Review](https://cbbreview.com/2026/09/30/2026-college-basketball-exhibition-games-tracker/) - [Busting Brackets](https://bustingbrackets.com/10-october-exhibitions-that-could-tell-us-the-most-about-the-2026-27-college-basketball-season-basketball) - [Spartans Wire](https://spartanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/spartans/mens-basketball/2026/10/20/michigan-state-basketball-falls-in-exhibition-to-uconn/92355295007/) - [Roundtable](https://roundtable.io/sports/ncaa/uconn/news/uconn-mens-basketball-3-takeaways-from-exhibition-win-vs-michigan-state)
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