Browsing: Offense

Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t fully know what his role will be in new head coach Mike Brown’s offense even if he believes he eventually will.

“Honestly, I don’t know—but we’re figuring it out,” he told reporters Monday.

That’s surely not exactly what Knicks fans want to hear since the regular season starts Wednesday with a highly anticipated matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland and New York may be the best two teams in the Eastern Conference, so the head-to-head matchups could go a long way toward determining seeding and eventual home-court advantage.

The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals under head coach Tom Thibodeau last season but decided to fire him. They hired Brown as his replacement with the hope they can take the next step.

Brown led the 2006-07 Cavaliers to the NBA Finals with LeBron James on the roster, although they fell short against the San Antonio Spurs.

He has a track record of success, although there will be plenty of pressure in New York given how impressive the team was under Thibodeau just last season. The fanbase will not be pleased if he doesn’t quickly establish a culture of winning, especially in an Eastern Conference that is so wide open.

Towns is a major part of what the Knicks do on the offensive end, so figuring out what his role is and maximizing his chances of success will be key if the team is going to live up to elevated expectations.Â

That means the big man and head coach better figure out what that role is sooner rather than later.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is dreaming big after his team’s 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders in CeeDee Lamb’s return to the field.

Prescott went 21-of-30 for 264 yards and three touchdowns as Lamb hauled in five passes for 110 yards and one score. George Pickens also had 82 receiving yards.

When it comes to the offense at least, Prescott doesn’t believe the unit is going to let up anytime soon.

“Those guys aren’t by any means complacent or great and settled with what they’ve done,” he told reporters. “They want the ball. They have high expectations. We have high expectations for each other… Who knows what we can accomplish? The sky is the limit.”

Dallas is averaging more yards (390.6) than any other team and ranks third in points (31.7). Prescott is on pace to set career highs in passer rating (107.6) and QBR (79.2), per Pro Football Reference.

The three-time Pro Bowler reflected on how this might be the most fun he has had in a Cowboys offense.

“Not a knock to any other group that I’ve been a part of, but the chemistry, the camaraderie, the trash talking, the emotions and passions of this unit, it’s there as much as I’ve ever seen it,” he said. “Sure, we’ve got some youth that’s probably a big part of it, but we’ve got guys who just work their tails off every day.”

In terms of the bigger picture, though, the Cowboys will probably go as far as their defense can take them. Allowing more yards (401.6) than any other team tends to put a ceiling on a contender’s playoff hopes.

Dallas’ 3-3-1 record also speaks for itself. Brian Schottenheimer’s squad has yet to string together back-to-back wins in 2025.

If the Cowboys can strike a better balance between their electric offense and porous defense, then the sky might really be the limit.

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A second early bye week might not have been enough time for Bill Belichick to solve the problems with UNC’s offense.

The Tar Heels returned from the break only to fall behind 14-10 in Saturday’s first half against Cal.

North Carolina was outgained 163-152 through two quarters as college football fans questioned why the program’s head coach ability to recover from the early deficit.

North Carolina’s opening drive ended in lost fumble from Shanard Clower. It took Cal just four plays to run the ball in for a touchdown the other way.

UNC tied the game on an 18-yard touchdown run from Benjamin Hall later in the quarter, although Belichick’s defense was unable to stop Jacob De Jesus from putting the Golden Bears back in front with a one-handed touchdown reception.

The Tar Heels held the Golden Bears without a point in the second quarter, but had to settle for just a 41-yard field goal of their own.

Belichick’s team went into the break still trailing four total punts in the final three minutes of the half.

North Carolina is off to a 2-3 start to the season, most recently having dropped consecutive blowouts to UCF and Clemson.

Belichick’s debut season as a college coach has been further marred by off-field drama surrounding his and general manager Michael Lombardi’s management of the program.

The UNC head coach will look to get positive media attention back on the field by leading his team to a comeback victory in the second half of Saturday night’s ACC matchup.

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After dropping the first two games of the ALCS to the Seattle Mariners, the Toronto Blue Jays have regained some momentum with a dominant 13-4 win in Game 3 on Wednesday.

The Blue Jays collected 18 hits and blasted five home runs in the win, which was far too much for a Seattle offense that had eight hits and three homers.

The Mariners struck first with a two-run homer from Julio Rodríguez in the bottom of the first, but from there it was all Toronto. They scored five runs in the third, with Andrés Giménez hitting a solo home run, and George Springer added another homer in the fourth.

Toronto then went up 8-2 fifth and added four more runs in the sixth to make it a 12-2 run lead. The Mariners showed some signs of life in the eighth with back-to-back home runs, but Addison Barger added some insurance for the Jays in the top of the ninth with a solo shot.

It was an offensive display all around for Toronto, but star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led the way, going 4-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored.

Blue Jays fans were thrilled with the offensive showing in Game 3.

The Blue Jays still have plenty of work to do after the win. They still trail 2-1 in the series and will be on the road for the next two games.

But after the way their offense came to life on Wednesday, it’s hard to imagine the Jays won’t have plenty of confidence heading into Game 4 on Thursday.

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We’re just three games into the preseason, but it’s been a transformative stretch for the Knicks as they build up the foundations of their restructured offense under new head coach Mike Brown.

A primary reason for hiring him was to diversify and maximize an offense that finished top five last season, but steadily declined into the playoffs and stagnated too often by admission of the players running it.

We won’t see the final results until months from now, and even early returns should be taken with a grain of salt, given the undertaking of installing a new read-and-react system in a low-stakes preseason environment. Still, we can start to spot the big differences and how that might inform what this team looks like, fully formed.

Here are three major ways this Knicks offense is different from prior iterations.

Three-point emphasis

Brown wants 40 three-pointers per game out of these Knicks, a mark well above their previous 34.1 average and one met by only four other teams during the 2024-25 season. New York is currently on pace this preseason, averaging 44 behind a revamped shot diet.

A big focus for them this training camp has been getting two feet in the paint to collapse the defense and create catch-and-shoot opportunities for shooters. The Knicks have been doing more of this thanks to increased ball and player movement, pace, and cutting down on mid-range shots.

All of their top scorers have aligned early shot diets with these principles. Out of the 32 shots Jalen Brunson has taken this preseason, only two have come from the mid-range — ditto for Karl-Anthony Towns (1 of 19), OG Anunoby (1 of 15) and even Mikal Bridges(1 for 26).

The Knicks will probably want to get a little more out of the paint and free throw line, but this is probably just a preseason thing. We’ll see how stringent these changes remain, how the personnel adjusts, and how much it boosts the offense once we’re well into the regular season.

Oct 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown reacts as he talks with center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. / John Jones-Imagn Images

Freelance fundamentals

One thing that looks to be consistent with last year’s approach is a reliance on freelanced offense, or trusting the talent on the court to make the right reads without relying on too many canned plays. However, where the 2025 Knicks could stagnate in their approach — often simplifying to a pet pindown or weave to get Brunson the ball in pick-and-roll or isolation — this year promises increased motion and sharing to generate looks.

Brown mentioned running no set plays in the Knicks’ most recent win, in an effort to familiarize them with the new system. Two major tenants of the approach are spacing principles and emphasis on movement.

New York is trying to be more diligent with spacing the floor by keeping players spread and in motion behind the arc, while also being smarter about how they cut into the paint. There were times last season when guys would be bunched up in the same corner, or cutting into each other on a drive. Hyperfocusing on the right positioning with no plays running should help deter those mistakes.

The other piece is increased player movement, including a ton of quick-hit dribble hand-offs, give-and-gos, and weak-side cuts and flares to keep the opportunities flowing with no set being run. There also seems to be an informal dribble or isolation limit, as the ball is moving much freer than in years past.

Quicker pace

This change has been a little tougher to gauge on the eye test and by the numbers. Partially from preseason obfuscation, partially because this might be the biggest new adjustment for New York’s top players, and partially because it’s not as simple. Increased pace means more fast breaks and quicker shots.

Some of the changes have been more subtle — like Brown preaching for guys to spread out to the corners as quick as possible semi-transition, which we’re seeing the beginnings of. But the results may not look like what some expect right away.

The Knicks won’t be turning into seven seconds or less anytime soon and probably at all, but they’re trying to get more leak-outs in transition, make space for trailers, and even get into their halfcourt stuff much quicker, which may bring the biggest impact.

A big issue with last season’s offense was just taking six seconds to cross halfcourt and another eight to finally begin the action. It happened often.

Again, drawing any concrete conclusions from these early games is a fruitless exercise, but they’ve given us a real look into the core tenants Brown has been preaching for this new-look offense all training camp. It may take some time to fully realize, but we can see the building blocks starting to emerge.

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Philadelphia Eagles star offensive tackle Lane Johnson is looking for more variety from the team’s offense moving forward.

“It seems a lot harder than it needs to be,” Johnson said Thursday, via Dylan Svoboda of the New York Post. “Maybe moving forward, just have a little bit more variety, hitting the perimeter some … [We] need to be able to keep defenses guessing.”

The Eagles were held scoreless in the second half of a 34-17 loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night.

Philadelphia secured a Super Bowl title last season due to an imposing rushing attack spearheaded by reigning Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley.

Barkley hasn’t looked the same in 2025, as he’s averaging a mere 3.4 yards per carry. It’s worth noting that he’s only recording 2.1 yards before contact per rush attempt this season after averaging 3.8 yards before contact in 2024 (via Pro Football Reference).

Philadelphia’s inability to consistently rely on its rushing attack has hurt the rest of its offense.

The Eagles are averaging a mere 274.5 yards per game to open their 2025 campaign, which ranks No. 29 among all NFL teams.

After beginning the year with a 4-0 record, Philadelphia has lost each of its past two contests.

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CHICAGO — Thereâ€s been a pattern through the first four games of this National League Division Series: If the Brewers donâ€t strike fast, they might not strike at all.

On Thursday night, it was the latter. The Cubs shut down one of the best offenses in the National League to force a winner-take-all Game 5. The Brewers would end up losing, 6-0, at Wrigley Field.

The quick offense model worked early in this series, as the Brewers rattled off a franchise-record six first-inning runs in Game 1 and then three more in the second to win, 9-3. In Game 2, Andrew Vaughn launched a game-tying three-run home run in the first inning, and the Brewers†offense had done all its damage by the fourth. Even in Game 3, the Crew took a 1-0 lead in the first before petering out in a 4-3 loss.

The clubs have combined for 21 first-inning runs, already a record for a postseason series with another game to go.

On Thursday, the bats just never got going, regardless of the inning.

They had opportunities. Leadoff hitter Christian Yelich worked a walk to open the game but was stranded. He had a shot with two runners in scoring position and one out in the fifth but struck out before Jackson Chourio popped out to end the threat.

In total, the Brewers had 12 at-bats with a runner on base Thursday. They went 0-for-12. The offense was successful in 2025 not because of the long ball, but because the Brewers found ways to string hits together one through nine. Theyâ€re going to need to find a way to get that mojo back.

“I think we had at-bats where balls were put in play, they were put in play hard and right to guys,†second baseman Brice Turang said. “Just couldnâ€t find that hole. Guys hitting balls hard and just missing them. All that stuffâ€s part of the game.

“Things [change] quick, and these guys know it. So we move on from this game and worry about the next game. Try to win that game, you know? Canâ€t really think about this game anymore. Itâ€s over. Nothing we can do about it, and weâ€ve got to move onto the next one.â€

This offense is built on everyone doing their part. So itâ€s probably not fair to put too much onus on one individual in a four-game sample size, but getting Turang going would definitely help jump-start this Brewers offense.

Turang went 0-for-4 with a strikeout out of the cleanup spot Thursday and has been quiet most of the series, batting .125 and hitless in his last 12 at-bats. He might have been the most valuable Brewer in the regular season, tying Freddy Peralta for the team high in bWAR (5.5) and finishing with a .794 OPS, just one point behind Yelich for the team high among players who spent the whole season with the Brewers.

Turang is a big part of the Brewers†success, why the Brewers got to the playoffs and why the deciding Game 5 on Saturday is going to be at American Family Field rather than on the road. When he talked about the teamâ€s offensive performance, his answer centered around just flushing what took place at the Friendly Confines. Is he subscribing to that same approach for his game?

“Yeah,†Turang answered. “I could sit here all night and be like, ‘Oh, I did this wrong; I did this wrong.†At the end of the day, itâ€s not going to help you. You learn and you move on, and you go out and compete and you do the best you can every day. Thatâ€s how this game works.

“Sometimes baseballâ€s baseball. Youâ€re just missing balls, or youâ€re right on it and the hits arenâ€t going your way. Itâ€s part of the game. You keep grinding, you keep moving forward. Iâ€m excited for these next couple days, for sure.â€

The series isnâ€t over yet, even if the Brewers hoped when they left Milwaukee on Monday that they would be returning for the NL Championship Series. Theyâ€re going to need to get the offense back on track after scoring just three runs in two games in Chicago. Getting production out of Turang would help immensely.

“I’d bet on him, knowing what I know about him in the last two years,†Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before the game. “… In the playoff scenario, you can’t keep these good players down long. I think Brice will respond.â€

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The Mariners took a 2-1 lead in the American League Division Series over the Detroit Tigers with a 8-4 win on the road Tuesday, energizing Seattle and MLB fans with an impressive offensive showing.

Cal Raleigh capped off his stellar Game 3 performance with a two-run, 391-foot homer in the top of the ninth, sealing the Mariners’ victory. Raleigh finished 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI, finishing with a .462 batting average.

J.P. Crawford added two RBI, going a perfect 2-for-2 with a home run and a .333 batting average. Eugenio Suárez chipped in with a homer and an RBI, while Randy Arozarena added another RBI.

Raleigh and the Mariners’ offense electrified MLB fans as Seattle took Game 3 on the road against the Tigers.

Mariners ace Logan Gilbert set the tone with a dominant performance, posting a 1.50 ERA over six innings while allowing four hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts.

Caleb Ferguson stepped in to close the game in the bottom of the ninth with the Mariners holding an 8-1 lead but struggled, allowing three earned runs on 19 pitches as fans looked on in disbelief. Andrés Muñoz then entered to secure the final outs and seal the win for Seattle.

Detroit starter Jack Flaherty, meanwhile, struggled to find a rhythm against Seattle’s lineup, lasting 3 1/3 innings and giving up four hits, three earned runs and a home run with six strikeouts. Reliever Brant Hurter surrendered a solo homer to Crawford, and closer Brenan Hanifee gave up a two-run shot to Raleigh.

The winner of the ALDS between the No. 2 Mariners and No. 6 Tigers will advance to face the winner of the series between the No. 4 New York Yankees and No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.

Seattle will play Game 4 in Detroit on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 3:08 p.m. ET.

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SAN FRANCISCO – The first game of any NBA teamâ€s preseason schedule can bring heavy legs from an intense week of training camp, and rust still needing to be scraped off. The Warriors†oldest player didnâ€t appear to have any issues in either category.

Al Horford, 39 years old, was sharp and spry in the Warriors†111-103 win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at Chase Center. And he fit like a glove on his new team after spending the last four years with the Boston Celtics.Â

Coach Steve Kerr was effusive in his praise of Horford after the win, and those same sentiments remained after reviewing the film.Â

“Al just never seems to make a mistake,†Kerr said Tuesday after practice. “He just brings everything you want. Thereâ€s size and athleticism, and shooting ability and passing. He makes the game really easy for everybody.â€

Entering his 19th year as a pro, Horford isnâ€t as easy on himself as his new coach and teammates have been. But even he could acknowledge what everybody saw. The transition from the Celtics†system to the way the Warriors operate was as smooth as anybody could have hoped.Â

“In my eyes, Iâ€m very hard on myself. It was good. I know thereâ€s definitely ways that I can continue to be better,†Horford said Tuesday. “But they make it so easy for guys to come in here and fit in with the group and what weâ€re trying to do. Draymond [Green], Steph [Curry] and obviously coach putting us in positions to kind of go out there and play and feel the game out.Â

“It has been an easy transition. For me, Iâ€m obviously still getting comfortable and familiar with everything. But I am encouraged after that first game, some of the things that I saw, and some of the things that I know that we will all continue to get better at.â€

The expectation upon Horfordâ€s signing was that heâ€d be the Warriors†new starting center. Kerr instead stuck with the same group that was so successful in the second half last season and brought Horford off the bench to begin the preseason. Without scoring a point, Horford quickly showcased the kind of impact he can have on the Warriors once he first entered the game.Â

Horford played just under nine minutes in the first quarter after sitting for the first three minutes, and was a plus-four as the Warriors held a one-point lead. In that first run of his, Horford already grabbed two rebounds, dished two assists, blocked two shots and had a steal. The most notable was how he quickly found Curry for two points.Â

About a minute and a half after taking his warmup gear off, Horford ran the floor alongside Curry and wound up in the left corner. Curry gave Horford the ball but found it back in his hands a split second later as he cut behind Dalton Knecht and finished a nifty layup that also sent him to the free-throw line.

Curry after the game said he already feels an “unspoken chemistry†sharing the floor with Horford.Â

“Itâ€s a level of awareness that Iâ€ve never really had to think about before like that,†Horford said of Curryâ€s constant movement.

Plenty of players, even the best of the best like Kevin Durant, have needed extra time to get used to understanding Curryâ€s uniqueness. Horford is looking at it in the simplest ways he can.

“When Iâ€m on the floor with him, the whole mindset is trying to make the game easier for him. For me, that is either getting him the ball or setting a good screen or doing anything that I can to make sure that our offense just kind of moves and flows,†Horford said.

“Heâ€s such a smart player that itâ€s easy to play off of him. And sometimes heâ€ll kind of tell you what to do. When he passed me that ball, you know heâ€s going to cut, so I guess thatâ€s the unspoken stuff right there.â€

The variety of combinations Kerr can use with Horford is another bonus at his disposal. Horford, 6-foot-9, will play both frontcourt positions. Heâ€s seen more as a center but will see time at power forward, too.

That wrinkle was seen in the second quarter when Horford slid down to the 4 and 7-footer Quinten Post was the 5 next to him. They played the final five minutes of the second quarter together, and the Warriors outscored the Lakers 16-7.

“He obviously brings that versatility, both offensively and defensively,†Post said. “I like playing with him. Weâ€ve been having a lot of talk, trying to pick his brain. … Heâ€s just a guy that you can plug into any system, any defensive scheme.â€

Stats didnâ€t need to jump off the page to understand what a seamless addition Horford is, though the numbers spoke for themselves. Horford was a plus-13 in 14 minutes off the bench with three points, four rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and one assist.

Like so many others before him, Horford also sure was happy to go from being Curryâ€s opponent to immediately relishing in the riches of being his teammate.

“He just does such a good job of terrifying everybody in the league every time he moves, so thatâ€s something Iâ€m going to take advantage of,†Horford said.

Games donâ€t even count yet and the rest of the league already is on notice for a new duo that can make any arena a house of horrors.

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The No. 1 seed in the National League sure looked like it Saturday, with the Milwaukee Brewers crushing the Chicago Cubs 9-3 behind a red-hot first and second inning.

Although Cubs first baseman Michael Busch led off the game with a solo homer, it didnâ€t take long for the Brewers to build an insurmountable lead. They raced to a 6-1 score after the first inning, thanks to five RBI doubles and singles, and expanded that lead to 9-1 in the second.

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Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner added solo home runs of their own in the sixth and eighth innings, but it was far too little, too late for the Cubs to undo the damage of Milwaukee’s opening two frames. It didn’t help Chicago that Brewers starter Freddy Peralta had a stellar game in his own right, with nine strikeouts and just four hits allowed in 5 2/3 innings.

Milwaukee finished the game with a whopping 13 hits and eight RBI. Three of those hits and RBI came off the bat of left fielder Jackson Chourio, who was pulled from the game after the second inning due to hamstring tightness.

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“Itâ€s the same hamstring and so weâ€re worried about it,†manager Pat Murphy told the TBS broadcast during the game.

Churio’s forecast was a little rosier, telling reporters postgame through an interpreter, “Physically, I feel good.”

Game 2 for Chicago and Milwaukee begins at 9:08 p.m. ET Monday.

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