Huffman Sports Wire News Break · ALL · Reporting · Published · Huffman Sports Wire News Desk
NBA: Edwards hangs 45 on Miami, and the returns stole the night
The first full slate of the 2026-27 season delivered 11 finals on Wednesday, and Minnesota made the loudest noise with a 131-106 win at Miami. Anthony Edwards scored 45 points with 10 rebounds and shot 16-for-29 from the field with 9-for-17 shooting from 3-point range, and LaMelo Ball added 21 points with 6 assists in his Timberwolves debut. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points with 6 rebounds on 13-for-19 shooting in his Heat debut, and Miami shot 8-for-33 from 3-point range while Minnesota made 21 3-pointers.
The Los Angeles Lakers opened life after LeBron James with a 127-105 home win over Golden State. Luka Doncic finished with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, Walker Kessler scored 26 points on 12-for-12 shooting in his Lakers debut, and Austin Reaves added 23 points. Stephen Curry led Golden State with 23 points, and the Lakers outscored the Warriors 36-16 in the third quarter to turn a close game into a rout.
Two long injury returns landed on the same night. Tyrese Haliburton paired 23 points with 12 assists in his first official game since tearing his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals, and Pascal Siakam scored 30 points as Indiana won 123-120 at New Orleans. Damian Lillard scored 25 points with 6 3-pointers in his first game in nearly 18 months, and Portland beat Phoenix 124-83 after opening the game with 21 straight points.
The rest of the slate stayed busy. Ty Jerome scored a career-high 45 points as Memphis beat Utah 123-103, and Jerome broke the franchise record for points in a season opener that Ja Morant set with 44 points in 2020. Houston beat Dallas 128-110 behind 30 points from Kevin Durant and 30 points from Jabari Smith Jr., and Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 32 points while Kyrie Irving scored 15 points in his first game since March 3, 2025. Washington beat Milwaukee 128-116 behind 34 points and 12 rebounds from Anthony Davis, Atlanta won 132-125 at Orlando despite 35 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists from Paolo Banchero, Toronto routed Chicago 135-92, Charlotte won 110-103 at Brooklyn, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat Sacramento 121-96. Thursday shrinks to 2 games on ESPN, with Cleveland opening its season at Philadelphia at 7 ET and Denver opening its season at Oklahoma City at 9:30 ET, and Cleveland center Jarrett Allen is listed as questionable with right patellar tendinopathy. Eleven games, 2 major returns and 1 perfect shooting night is a pretty loud way to say the season is actually here.
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MLB: One day left before a first-time champion series starts
There is no game on Thursday, and Friday is the whole story now. The World Series opens Friday, October 23 at 8 ET on FOX at American Family Field in Milwaukee, with Jacob Misiorowski starting Game 1 for the Brewers. Tampa Bay had not announced its Game 1 starter in the preview coverage, and Drew Rasmussen is the expected choice for the Rays after a regular season line of 16-5 with a 2.67 earned run average. Misiorowski finished the regular season at 16-5 with a 1.80 earned run average, and Milwaukee won 2 of the 3 regular season meetings between the clubs.
The matchup guarantees a first-time champion, and the records explain why both clubs believe this is their year. Milwaukee finished 103-59 with the best record in baseball, and Tampa Bay finished 98-64 with the best record in the American League. Milwaukee swept Los Angeles in 4 games in the National League Championship Series, and Tampa Bay beat Cleveland in 6 games in the American League Championship Series. The payroll gap with the rest of the league is part of the charm, with Milwaukee carrying a 154.7 million dollar luxury tax payroll and Tampa Bay carrying a 113.2 million dollar luxury tax payroll.
Two familiar faces add a twist to the opener. Freddy Peralta began the year after a trade from Milwaukee to the New York Mets, landed with Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, and now lines up as a co-ace for the Rays alongside Rasmussen against his old club. Jake Bauers started his major league career with Tampa Bay in 2018 and now holds a steady role with Milwaukee, and pitcher Jake Woodford spent time with both clubs during the 2026 season. Brandon Woodruff remains the big roster question for Milwaukee, and reports on Wednesday said the Brewers are unlikely to add Woodruff to the World Series roster as he works back from a right shoulder injury that has kept him out since July. Game 2 follows Saturday in Milwaukee, and the series shifts to Tampa Bay for Game 3 on Monday, October 26. Two franchises, zero titles and 1 trophy waiting in Milwaukee is exactly the kind of math October loves.
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NFL: Thursday night brings a 4-2 fight to Soldier Field
Week 7 opens Thursday night with New England at Chicago at 8:15 ET on Prime Video from Soldier Field, and both teams arrive at 4-2. New England has won 3 straight games, and Chicago comes home after a win at Atlanta in the return of quarterback Caleb Williams from a hamstring injury that cost him 3 games. Drake Maye leads New England into the matchup, and the game pairs the first and third picks from the 2024 draft class in a rematch of a Super Bowl pairing from a different era.
The injury report will shape the trenches before the quarterbacks shape anything else. New England ruled out guards Alijah Vera-Tucker with a hamstring injury and Ben Brown with a knee injury, and cornerback Carlton Davis III will miss another game with a neck injury. Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse are set to replace Vera-Tucker and Brown on the New England line, and Chicago has leaned on a blitz-heavy defense that can test a reshuffled front on a short week. Chicago ruled out running back Kyle Monangai for a third straight game and linebacker Jack Sanborn with a concussion, linebacker T.J. Edwards is doubtful with a hamstring injury, and right guard Jonah Jackson is off the injury report and set to play after a full practice on Wednesday.
The Sunday slate got its quarterback headline a day early. The New York Giants announced on Wednesday that J.J. McCarthy will start Sunday at Houston at 1 ET, with Jameis Winston moving to the backup role. The start is the first for McCarthy since New York acquired him from Minnesota on September 28 for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft, and McCarthy earned the chance by completing 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards while leading 3 scoring drives in the fourth quarter of a 34-27 loss to New Orleans on Sunday. New York sits at 3-2-1 and alone in first place in the NFC East, and Winston had started the previous 4 games after Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury. A backup quarterback, a patchwork line and a first-place team changing starters in October is either bold or bonkers, and Sunday in Houston gets to grade it.
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NCAAF: New Mexico State survives Huntsville, and Thursday adds 3 more
New Mexico State closed the Wednesday slate with a 30-24 win at Sam Houston, and the Aggies needed every part of a wild second half to get their first road win of the season. Sam Houston took a 17-14 lead on the first play of the second half on an 81-yard touchdown pass from Landyn Locke to Tim Burns Jr., and New Mexico State answered with 16 straight points to build a 30-17 lead. James Jones carried 27 times for 178 yards and 1 touchdown for the Aggies, Adam Damante completed 19 of 29 passes for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns, and A.J. Williams III caught 2 touchdown passes. New Mexico State improved to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in Conference USA play, and Sam Houston fell to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
Thursday keeps Week 8 moving with 3 games in the evening window. Liberty visits Kennesaw State at 7 ET, James Madison visits Appalachian State at 7 ET, and East Carolina visits Memphis at 7:30 ET. Friday adds 5 more games before a loaded Saturday that opens with top-ranked Miami hosting Pittsburgh at 12 ET and sixth-ranked Indiana visiting Michigan at 12 ET.
The coaching change from Wednesday still hangs over the week. Maryland and head coach Mike Locksley mutually agreed to part ways on Wednesday, with Aazaar Abdul-Rahim named interim head coach for a team that sits at 2-5 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play on its bye week. Midweek wins in Huntsville do not move the playoff picture much, and the Aggies will happily take one anyway.
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CBB: Louisville walks into Allen Fieldhouse and walks out with a win
Eleventh-ranked Louisville beat seventeenth-ranked Kansas 89-83 in an exhibition on Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse, and the game played nothing like a rehearsal. Kansas led 37-36 at halftime after opening the game with a 10-3 run, and Louisville took control with its shooting after the break as the Cardinals finished at 48 percent from the field and 47 percent from 3-point range. Jackson Shelstad led Louisville with 23 points, and freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr. added 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks off the bench.
Kansas had the high scorer in the building and still came up short. Tre White led all players with 25 points, Melvin Council Jr. added 20 points, and freshman Tyran Stokes scored 15 points with a game-high 9 rebounds. Flory Bidunga finished with 5 points and 3 rebounds for Louisville in his return to Allen Fieldhouse after starting his career at Kansas, and the loss snapped a 58-game home winning streak for Kansas in exhibition games. Louisville closes its exhibition slate against Mercyhurst on October 28 before opening the regular season on November 2 against Chattanooga.
The heavyweight exhibitions keep coming this weekend. 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. A first exhibition loss at home since 1993 is a strange line on a Kansas resume, and Louisville just handed the Jayhawks exactly that souvenir.
That is the Morning Edition. Five sports, zero filler. See you at halftime.
Sources: - [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/nba-roundup-wolves-anthony-edwards-puts-up-45-beat-giannis-heat--flm-2026-10-22/) - [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/no-lebron-no-problem-lakers-blow-out-warriors-open-season-2026-10-22/) - [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/tyrese-haliburton-scores-23-return-pacers-edge-pelicans--flm-2026-10-22/) - [Commercial Appeal](https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2026/10/21/memphis-grizzlies-jazz-live-score-highlights-cam-boozer-jaren-jackson-jr--live/92357263007/) - [WhyNBA](https://whynba.com/nba-thursday-october-22-2026-preview-cavaliers-76ers-nuggets-thunder-tip-times-cairo/) - [Yardbarker](https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/rays_vs_brewers_world_series_2026_full_schedule_game_times_preview/s1_17702_44456795) - [SportsLine](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/rays-vs-brewers-odds-line-prediction-2026-mlb-world-series-game-1-picks-for-friday-oct-23-from-proven-model/) - [MLB Trade Rumors](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/10/the-opener-peralta-brewers-bauers-rays-g1-starter.html) - [Front Office Sports](https://frontofficesports.com/article/world-series-matchup-highlights-financial-savvy-of-brewers-rays/) - [RotoWire](https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/headlines/brandon-woodruff-injury-unlikely-to-be-on-world-series-roster-1027966) - [USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2026/10/22/thursday-night-football-game-tonight-nfl-schedule-week-7/92348310007/) - [Patriots Wire](https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/patriots/2026/10/22/patriots-game-today-tv-channel-live-stream/92368735007/) - [Athlon Sports](https://athlonsports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/bears-blitz-defense-patriots-offensive-line-drake-maye) - [USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/giants/2026/10/21/jj-mccarthy-new-york-giants-starting-quarterback/92341079007/) - [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/patriots-be-without-both-starting-guards-vs-bears--flm-2026-10-21/) - [NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/kyle-monangai-ruled-out-jonah-jackson-set-to-play-vs-patriots) - [Las Cruces Sun News](https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/sports/college/nmsu/2026/10/21/wr-aj-williams-iii-has-big-effort-in-leading-nm-state-football-to-win/92361505007/) - [BVM Sports](https://bvmsports.com/2026/10/22/nm-state-outlasts-sam-houston-30-24-for-first-road-win/) - [NCAA](https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/college-football-tv-schedule-game-times-preview?-) - [University of Maryland Athletics](https://umterps.com/news/2026/10/21/football-maryland-athletics-michael-locksley-mutually-agree-to-part-ways) - [University of Kansas Athletics](https://kuathletics.com/news/2026/10/21/mens-basketball-no-17-kansas-falls-to-no-11-louisville-83-89) - [University of Louisville Athletics](https://gocards.com:443/news/2026/10/21/mens-basketball-cards-claim-exhibition-win-at-kansas) - [Topeka Capital-Journal](https://www.cjonline.com/story/sports/college/hawk-zone/2026/10/21/kansas-basketball-vs-louisville-exhibition-live-score-updates-flory-bidunga-tyran-stokes-game-time--live/92323767007/) - [SportsNewsReport](https://sportsnewsreport.com/stories/louisville-tops-kansas-89-83-in-exhibition-season-opener-mvixypcq-ayu4) - [CBB Review](https://cbbreview.com/2026/09/30/2026-college-basketball-exhibition-games-tracker/)
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