One step. Two step. Too easy.

In his latest extraterrestrial takeover, the Alien made another visit to the history books. And the Spurs kept winning.

West Streaks: Spurs (W9), Warriors (W8) & Lakers (W6) extend heaters behind star power

Roundup: Flagg drops 43; Rockets overcome Nuggets duo; Pistons, Grizz & Hornets rebound

Celtics at Sixers: The East’s top two teams renew a historic rivalry with a new look

Thunder at Blazers: How OKC has overcome injuries to climb the West standings

Fantasy Finds: Potential waiver-wire targets worth adding in Week 4

BUT FIRST … ⏰

NBC & Peacock’s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday headlines tonight’s six-game slate, as the 76ers host the rival Celtics (8 ET, NBC), before the Thunder visit the Blazers (8 PT, NBC).

1. WEST STREAKS: WEMBY DOMINATES, DUBS & LAKERS STAY SIZZLING

31 straight wins. That’s the combined streak of the West’s top five teams.

It’s a historic stretch: Never before in the conference era (since 1970-71) have the West’s top five teams all been on win streaks of 4+ games.

And on Monday, the three hottest squads kept rolling – while Wemby kept defying logic.

Spurs 122, Suns 96: Since blocks were first tracked in 1973-74, there have only been 10 games of 40+ pts, 10+ reb and 8+ blk.

Victor Wembanyama has accounted for two of them in the last week, following up Wednesday’s outburst with 40 points, 11 boards and 9 blocks last night – in just 25 minutes – as San Antonio extended its NBA-best win streak to nine games. | Recap

• Big Company: Aside from Wemby, only two other players have multiple 40/10/8 games since 1973-74: David Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• But Wemby’s Are Different: Of the 10 recorded 40/10/8 games, Wemby’s two required the fewest minutes, including Monday’s 25:21 – the only one in under 30 minutes
• Because Wemby Is Different: At just 22, Wemby already has five career 40-balls in under 30 minutes, tying Steph Curry for the most all-time

Speaking of which … how about eight straight for the Dubs?

Warriors 138, Pelicans 87: Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg kept cooking (23 pts, 8-10 FG, 4-4 3PM, 7 reb), while Steph Curry and Brandin Podziemski each scored 25 as Golden State raced past the shorthanded Pelicans for its eighth win in a row. | Recap

• Coach Jimmy: Sidelined but still scheming, Jimmy Butler rocked his coaching fit and drew up a simple gameplan: “Pass to Steph.”
• Owning The Arc: It worked, as the Warriors drilled 21 treys on 44 tries (47.7%) to NOLA’s 8-for-28 (28.6%), outscoring the Pels 63-24 from deep
• No Doubt: It resulted in the largest win this season (+51) and Golden State’s fourth-largest victory in franchise history
• Cherry On Top: The last time the Warriors won eight straight? February 2022, the same season they last won it all

As the Spurs & Warriors kept surging, the Lakers kept pace atop the West.

Lakers 124, Hawks 114: Luka Dončić’s streak of consecutive 40-pieces ended at four games, but Los Angeles’ win streak did not, as Dončić stuffed the stat sheet (32 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast, 5 stl) to lead the Lakers to their sixth straight W, improving to an NBA-best 10-2. | Recap

• More Magic: It’s Luka’s fourth career game with 30+ pts, 5+ reb, 10+ ast and 5+ stl, tied for the 2nd-most in the NBA since steals were first tracked in 1973-74
• Blazing Standard: How absurd has Dončić’s start been? His 32 points extended his streak of 30-pieces to eight games, yet lowered his season average to 39.3 ppg
• The West’s Top Five Streaks: Lakers (W6), Spurs (W9), Thunder (W4), Warriors (W8) and Wolves (W4) = 31 straight wins

2. ROUNDUP: FLAGG TAKES OVER & BOUNCE-BACK WINS

And the heat kept coming.

Mavericks 125, Pacers 122: Continuing his sophomore surge, Cooper Flagg erupted for a season-high 43 points, 10 boards and 6 dimes, while Kyrie Irving scored 35 (7 3s).

And Flagg saved his best for last, dropping 16 in the 4th, capped by a dagger middie with 26 ticks left to lift Dallas over Pascal Siakam (29 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast) and Indy. | Recap

• Closing Splash: Flagg’s dagger came 36 seconds after another lead-extending jumper, both from 18 feet, to cap a 30-point 2nd half
• Coop 🤝 KD: He’s just the second teenager to record 40+ pts, 10+ reb and 5+ ast in an NBA game, joining Kevin Durant (April 2008)
• Young Buckets: With the performance, Flagg (1,732) also passed Carmelo Anthony for the 3rd-most points scored by a teenager in league history
• The only two ahead of him? Kobe Bryant (1,759) and LeBron James (2,362)

As the Mavs won their third straight, the Rockets righted the ship.

Rockets 110, Nuggets 100: Jamal Murray (38 pts, 14-23 FG) and Nikola Jokić (25 pts, 16 reb, 9 ast) were in their bag, but no other Nugget reached double figures, while Kevin Durant (23 pts, 12 reb, 8 ast) led a well-rounded Houston attack to halt a two-game slide. | Recap

• Strength In Numbers: Alperen Sengun (20 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) was one of five Rockets in double figures, with eight Houston players scoring 8+ points
• On The Other End: Houston held Denver to 27.6% from 3, as the Nuggets hit just eight triples – tied for a season low

Pistons 122, Wizards 111: Anthony Davis went off for 44 points and 13 boards on 16-for-21 shooting, but the Pistons countered with three 20+ point scorers, while Cade Cunningham tallied 17 points and 7 assists to help Detroit bounce back from Sunday’s loss to the Lakers. | Recap

• Triple 20s: John Collins led the way (24 pts, 10 reb), while Duncan Robinson (4 3s) and Danniss Jenkins (8 ast) scored 22 apiece
• AJ Airborne: No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa added 21 points, 8 boards and 2 monster posters for the Wiz

Grizzlies 118, Raptors 102: After three straight losses following a 6-0 start, the Grizz got back on track behind Ty Jerome (27 pts, 5 3s) and rookie Cam Boozer (22 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast) as Memphis pulled away from Toronto. | Recap

• Road Warriors: For the first time in franchise history, the Grizzlies are 5-0 on the road

Hornets 124, Cavaliers 112: Looking to end a six-game slide, Charlotte let it rain, hitting 23 3s at a 50% clip to outpace the Cavs. Two new Hornets led the way, as Grayson Allen (27 pts, 6 ast, 6 3s) and Naz Reid (25 pts, 13 reb, 4 3s) combined for 52 points and 10 treys. | Recap

3. COAST 2 COAST TUESDAY: SIXERS HOST RIVAL CELTICS (8 ET, NBC)

Boston. Philadelphia. Green & White vs. Red & Blue. Beantown vs. the City of Brotherly Love.

Celtics vs. Sixers.

Few rivalries in NBA history run as deep as this. Boston and Philly have met 475 times in the regular season, the 3rd-most of any two teams.

But when they meet for the 476th time tonight on NBC (8 ET), it’ll be a matchup the rivalry has rarely seen over the past four decades.

The History: With Larry Bird and Julius Erving at the forefront, Boston & Philly met 29 times in the regular season as the East’s top two teams from 1980-81 through 1986-87, a seven-year stretch in which one of the two reached the NBA Finals every season.

• In the 40 seasons since, the Celtics & Sixers have had 161 regular-season matchups, but just three of those meetings (1.9%) saw them as the top two seeds in the East (min. 10 GP each)
• Tonight marks the fourth, with the Sixers (9-2) and Celtics (8-2) standing as the conference’s only remaining two-loss teams – and a new twist coming to a historic rivalry

Fresh Chapter: The seeds of tonight’s matchup were planted in the First Round of last year’s Playoffs, when the Sixers erased a 3-1 series deficit to end the Celtics’ season in seven games.

• Then came the offseason, when Boston and Philly swapped Jaylen Brown and Paul George in a blockbuster trade that reshaped the Eastern Conference landscape
• Now, after 10 seasons in Boston, Brown faces his former team for the first time, just more than two years after helping lead the C’s to an NBA title
• Adding to the intrigue? LeBron James, who is no stranger to the Celtics – having faced them in seven career Playoff series – and now meets Boston for the first time as a Sixer

Hot Starts: Beyond all the history is a bout between two heavyweights.

Philly is off to its best 11-game start since 2000-01 – the last time it reached the NBA Finals – fueled by a balanced attack and clutch execution.

• Full Arsenal: Tyrese Maxey (26.9), Brown (22.3), Joel Embiid (17.9), James (15.6) and VJ Edgecombe (13.2) are the only five players in the same lineup who are all averaging 12+ppg
• Closing Strong: That balance has carried into crunch time, with Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe all shooting 50% in the clutch, where the Sixers are an NBA-best 8-0

Boston has won at least eight of its first 10 games for the ninth time since 2000-01, maintaining its winning ways despite a new-look roster.

• Two-Way Formula: The Celtics are the only team to rank in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating in each of the last three seasons. This year they’re doing it again, ranking 5th (117.9) and 4th (106.3), respectively
• JT Versatility: Leading the way is Jayson Tatum (27.1 pts, 6.0 reb, 7.8 ast), who joins Luka and Giannis as the only players averaging at least 25/5/5 this season, while posting his best DefRtg since 2021-22

Now, the East’s top two teams collide – as a historic rivalry enters a new chapter.

• “I’m looking forward to it,” said Brown, via Yahoo Sports. “Big-time matchup. Two heavyweights in the East. Let’s get it.”

4. COAST 2 COAST NIGHTCAP: STREAKING THUNDER VISIT BLAZERS (8 PT, NBC)

It was less than 24 hours after Jalen Williams went down with a gruesome leg fracture when Thunder GM Sam Presti addressed the media.

It was Monday, Oct. 26, and Presti had just informed the press OKC would be without not only Williams but Cason Wallace (torn labrum) indefinitely. But amid the uncertainty, his message was one of resolve.

• “This is what we’re built for,” said Presti. “This is the kind of thing that gets thrown at you here, and you just plow right through it. You walk through punches, and you step over roadblocks. And I think our guys are ready to do that.”

Consistency has become a hallmark of the Thunder’s success. Over the past three seasons, including the first few weeks of this season, OKC has won an NBA-best 197 regular-season games despite navigating extended absences from Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams over the past two years

But this challenge was different. The same Sunday Williams went down, Holmgren began experiencing knee discomfort that would sideline him for 8-10 weeks.

Suddenly, OKC was down three starters, including two All-Stars, just one week into the season.

• Their depth was going to be tested
• Their back-to-back Kia MVP was going to be asked to carry an even greater load
• And their culture was now more important than ever

How have they responded? By leaning into all three.

• Blip: The Thunder entered November sitting 6th in the West, coming off back-to-back 20+ point losses to Dallas and Houston
• MVP Response: They haven’t lost since, riding a four-game win streak, sparked by consecutive 40-balls from SGA, who’s averaging 35.8 ppg amid the run
• Cultural Buy-In: Meanwhile, OKC’s defense has been suffocating, holding its opponents to an NBA-best 37.4% shooting and 29% from 3 in its last four games

But it’s OKC’s depth, long considered one of its greatest luxuries, that’s been called upon like never before.

And it’s delivered.

• Ajay Ignition: Ajay Mitchell has reached another level in Year 3, averaging a career-high 18.9 ppg and 22.5 over the four-game win streak, including a career-best 35 points in Friday’s win over Memphis
• In Bunches: Jared McCain has added 14 ppg amid the 4-0 run, while rookies Bennett Stirtz (12) and Aday Mara (11.5) have combined for 23.5 ppg
• Interior Anchor: Mara’s also brought it on the defensive end, ranking 4th in blocks per game over that span (2.0)
• The Result? OKC has gone 5-2 since the wave of injuries, climbing to 3rd out West

Tonight (8 PT, NBC), they look to keep plowing forward, seeking a fifth straight win as they visit the Blazers.

5. FANTASY FINDS: POTENTIAL WAIVER WIRE ADDS IN WEEK 4

The season is still young, and with teams continuing to solidify their rotations – while others navigate early injuries – now is the time for fantasy managers to scour the waiver wire for emerging difference-makers.

Ahead of Week 4, RotoWire’s Mike Barner highlighted six players worth targeting across multiple fantasy formats, from 9-Category to Points League and High Score. Below are two of those targets, and his case for adding each.

Saddiq Bey (Pelicans, High Score): “This season, [Bey] has been one of the better bench scorers in the league … He will have the occasional scoring explosion off the bench, making him an ideal target in this format.”

De’Andre Hunter (Kings, Points League): “Hunter is playing enough to warrant adding him in points league. He already has two games with at least 24 points, while also averaging 4.6 rebounds a game.”