Browsing: undefeated

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  Jamal CollierNov 1, 2025, 12:34 AM ET

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  Jamal Collier is an NBA reporter at ESPN. Collier covers the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and the Midwest region of the NBA, including stories such as Minnesota’s iconic jersey swap between Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson. He has been at ESPN since Sept. 2021 and previously covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune. You can reach out to Jamal on Twitter @JamalCollier or via email Jamal.Collier@espn.com.

CHICAGO — The Bulls are the lone undefeated team remaining in the Eastern Conference, improving to 5-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season with a 135-125 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

It’s only the third time in franchise history the Bulls have started a season this fast, but not since the days of Michael Jordan has Chicago found itself undefeated at this point of a season. And although the Bulls were riding high after Friday’s victory, they also had a conversation in the locker room after the game that it was still early.

“We feel good as a group of where we’re at right now, but there’s a long way to go,” Bulls guard Josh Giddey said. “Every night there’s different guys making plays and stepping up. We’ve got a bunch of guys — six, seven guys averaging double figures. That kind of speaks volumes to how deep we are as a team and the impact we’re getting across the board.”

Giddey led the way with a career-high 32 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists in what was his best scoring game since joining the Bulls last season. He scored 21 points in the first half as the Bulls opened a 72-53 advantage and Giddey knocked down four 3-pointers, which matched his career best for any half.

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Through the five games, Giddey is averaging 22 points, 8 assists and 8.8 rebounds on 48% shooting (45% from 3-point range).

“It’s a place where I’m wanted,” Giddey said. “I love having confidence from my teammates and the coaches to trust me to go out there and make plays. That’s kind of what we need as a player. When you have the belief from everybody around you, it propels you in the right direction. So, I’m feeling good, we’re feeling good as a team.”

In addition to Giddey, the Bulls had six players finish in double figures. Their offense has thrived on playing fast and moving the ball, and Friday they collected 31 assists on 45 field goals.

“We all love each other, we all love playing with each other,” Giddey said. “And when you enjoy the people you get to go to work with every day, it makes it a lot more fun and enjoyable.”

Four of Chicago’s wins this season have come against projected playoff teams in the East, including New York, Orlando, Atlanta and Detroit. And the Bulls schedule will continue to test them: Their next game Sunday is also against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden before they return home Tuesday night to face the Sixers, who lost for the first time this season Friday.

“The mentality that they believe, which I think is very, very powerful, I think when there’s belief it’s really, really powerful,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who earned his 200th victory Friday as the team’s coach. “There’s good connection. They’ve got good relationships. They all can talk to each other. I think there’s a lot of positive things that they have that really go into winning.

“Listen, it’s very early. It’s five games and I’m happy with the start that we’ve got, just like, yeah, it’s five games. We get a lot more ways to go and we can’t lose sight.”

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Asuka has finally addressed Goldbergâ€s recent comments criticizing her historic WWE undefeated streak, and sheâ€s doing it with the same elegance and depth that made her iconic in the first place.

Goldberg recently suggested WWE mirrored his legendary 173–0 WCW streak by building a similar run for “some girlâ€â€”a dismissive reference to Asuka. He claimed the company did it intentionally to overshadow his legacy, saying, “They already did. Some girl at WWE. They did it on purpose. I have nothing against the girl, by any means, but yeah.â€

While Goldbergâ€s remarks sparked backlash for their tone, Asuka chose not to clap back with anger. Instead, she responded with calm clarity and deeper perspective in a message shared on social media.

“Goldbergâ€s comments about me are all over the news right now,†she wrote. “But honestly, Iâ€m not bothered by it at all. What he said came from his own perspective, and thatâ€s fine. So thereâ€s really no need to make such a big deal out of it. Listen to my philosophy.â€

She made it clear that her career isnâ€t about chasing numbers or bragging rights—itâ€s about building something timeless.

“Itâ€s not about what I accomplish. Itâ€s about what I try to create. Philosophy and vision, thatâ€s where the real value is. I donâ€t find meaning in anything without beauty.â€

Asuka went on to say that records and titles are just markers along the way. What truly matters to her is leaving an artistic impact that redefines wrestling itself.

“Iâ€ve achieved every record, every title, but those are just milestones. What really matters is opening a new era. Creating the moment that separates Before Asuka and After Asuka. Having the power to change an era. Thatâ€s where true value and beauty exist. I donâ€t chase records or championships. Theyâ€re the ones that come to me. Thereâ€s not enough art in this world.â€

Rather than trade insults, Asuka elevated the conversation. Her response serves as a reminder that greatness isnâ€t measured only by stats or streaks—itâ€s about presence, influence, and the legacy you leave behind.

Was Goldberg out of line, or do you think his comment was misunderstood? Should more wrestlers approach criticism the way Asuka just did? Share your thoughts below.

October 25, 2025 12:14 pm

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The Knicks extended their preseason record to 3-0, beating the Timberwolves in their first game at MSG this season, 100-95, in overtime. Mikal Bridges led the way with 15 points on 3-for-7 shooting from three, followed by 11 points from Jalen Brunson.

New York was without Josh Hart,but Karl-Anthony Towns picked up the slack with a double-double in 26 minutes while Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson each added 10 off the bench. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 17 points while former Knick Julius Randlenotched 16.

Here are the takeaways…

-Despite being a man down, the Knicks set a competitive tone using the same starters from the last contest, going on a 7-2 run off of strong team defense. The Timberwolves quickly met their intensity, responding with a 7-0 run of their own.

Towns was active early with two aggressive drives leading to scores, including an acrobatic lefty and one, as he had five points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the opening period. On the other end, it was Minnesota’s stars Randle and Edwards leading the way with nine and eight, respectively, as their Wolves led 21-20 after one, capitalizing on the Knicks’ shooting just 2 of 14 from three.

-The first half likely looked close to what we’ll see from the Knicks’ final rotation, as we saw them play nine guys and decent starter minutes. However, there was still experimentation going on with a different starting and closing unit, plus the three-guard bench had Landry Shamet featured over Malcolm Brogdon.  Dillingham was a big spark off the bench for Minny with seven quick points in the second period, but New York kept their deficit within single digits. Even a late first-half spark from Brunson to give him a team-leading 11 points at the half failed to bridge the gap, though, as Minny led 44-38 at halftime behind 14 points from Edwards.

-Head coach Mike Brownopened the second half with Guerschon Yabusele in as the “fifth” starter, then subbed him for Shamet, after opening with Robinson and trying out McBride to finish the first. Fans have been watching this storyline closely throughout the preseason, but expect to continue seeing variations of the looks around the core four well into the regular season.

Nothing he threw out made meaningful headway against the Timberwolves while the Knicks bricked away from three, as they started 4-for-30 from deep on this night. The silver lining was that they created tons of good looks that simply didn’t go down, and their defense fared well.

Late in the third, things shifted as Bridges hit a couple and OG Anunoby drilled one facing up in Rudy Gobert’s eye. The Knicks took advantage of some offensive rebounding without Robinson on the floor, then doubled down with a super small lineup of Yabusele at the five.

But Minnesota closed the third strong, featuring an inside hook and buzzer-beating corner three from the 2024 Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid, going into the final frame up 71-63.

-The fourth quarter began with a bench unit of Brogdon, McBride, Clarkson, Pacome Dadiet, and Ariel Hukportithat kicked off a massive 19-9 run to give the Knicks an 82-80 lead, their first since the opening period. McBride was the big offensive boost, hitting a flurry of jumpers, while the rest each chipped in to the effort.

Midway through the period, the Knicks went deeper into their bench as the Timberwolves also cleared the pine to close the game. Down two with 10 seconds left, Minny’s Johnny Juzang drove for a running right hook to tie the game.

The Knicks declined to call timeout, running it up to Garrison Mathews, who got a clean look from the top of the break but couldn’t pull off the game-winner.

-New York ran with Kolek, Mathews, Dadiet, Tosan Evbuomwan and Hukporti for the extra minutes. Their defense sparked an 8-0 run with some solid teamwork and execution on the other end and coasted from there.

Highlights

Jalen! pic.twitter.com/DepcXJTJkF

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 10, 2025

Brunson from the floor, Mikal with the lob, Yabusele with the slam! pic.twitter.com/KL9j3djnyB

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 10, 2025

What’s next

The Knicks continue their preseason slate with a home game against the Wizards on Monday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

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Despite being the last two undefeated teams remaining in the NFL and loaded with talent on the offensive side of the ball, the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles aren’t thrilling people across the league with their play.

Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the sentiment from coaches and players around the NFL about the two 4-0 clubs is that their style is “efficient” and “boring.”

The Eagles being described that way isn’t really a surprise since their own players are seemingly venting their frustrations about the offense, even as they have won 10 straight games and 20 of their last 21 dating back to Week 6 last season.

A description of the Bills using the word “boring” is odd for a team that has scored at least 30 points in all four games this season, boasts the reigning NFL MVP in Josh Allen who is playing arguably even better now than he did in 2024.

Allen has 964 passing yards, 159 rushing yards and has accounted for 10 touchdowns in four games. You could argue the Bills’ performances in their three wins since the thrilling 41-40 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 have left a lot to be desired.

The past two weeks, in particular, have felt a little bit like they were going through the motions in beating the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints in games that were closer than most fans and analysts expected them to be.

These feelings could also be a product of two teams that have been incredibly successful for several years at this point, so no one is going to pay that close attention unless things fall apart or until the playoffs begin.

For all of the concerns that have been raised about the Eagles, they still rank seventh in points per game and have scored 64 points over the past two games. They also provided arguably the highlight of the year thus far with Jordan Davis’ touchdown on a blocked field goal to seal the victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

If every team in the NFL were as “boring” and “efficient” as the Bills and Eagles, maybe there would be fewer bad teams than currently exist.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The world No. 2 is undefeated and has happily embraced the role of antagonist this week at Bethpage Black. The world No. 1 is winless once again and searching for answers at the Ryder Cup.

That, in turn, sums up the plight for both teams with Rory McIlroy (3-0-1) leading the Europeans to a commanding, and historically insurmountable, 11 ½-to-4 ½ lead while Scottie Scheffler (0-4-0) has struggled with his ball-striking, his putting and has been completely shutout.

Scheffler had four birdies paired with Bryson DeChambeau in Saturday’s afternoon fourball match, but they were outclassed by Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, 3 and 2, and Scheffler is now winless in his last eight Ryder Cup matches dating to 2023 in Rome.

“Bryson and I did some good stuff out there. We were into a tough matchup today. Those guys played great. They made a ton of putts and really tip of a cap to them. They played better than we did,†Scheffler said. “Bryson did a great job battling all day. Did a really good job keeping us in the match, but overall just didn’t do enough, and they played great.â€

Scheffler and Russell Henley dropped Friday’s opening foursomes match, 5 and 3, to Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, and he then lost his afternoon fourball match with J.J. Spaun, 3 and 2, to Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka. It was a similar story Saturday morning in foursomes play with a 1-up loss paired with Henley against Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland.

Scheffler became the fourth American to lose four matches in a single Ryder Cup on home soil along with Steve Stricker (2012), Raymond Floyd (’83) and Fuzzy Zoeller (’79). No U.S. player has ever lost five matches in a single Ryder Cup.

This week’s matches have offered divergent paths for the world Nos. 1 and 2 but the luck of the draw has them on a strangely fitting collision course with Scheffler and McIlroy set to face each other in Sunday’s fourth singles match, which is scheduled to begin at 12:35 p.m. ET.

In a result that feels in sync with what is going on in the NBA, it’s the young generation of…