Our NBA week 2 winners and losers show how fast an NBA season can turn. In the second week of the 2026-27 season, played from October 27 to November 2 in Philippine time, Memphis became the league’s last unbeaten team, Dallas knocked off two contenders, and injuries changed the outlook for two of the West’s best teams.
Records are through the games of November 1 in the US. Two of last week’s winners, Minnesota and Oklahoma City, land on the other side this time. For how their seasons started, see our NBA week 1 winners and losers.
Winner: Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis finished the week 6-0, the only unbeaten team left in the NBA. The schedule has been soft, and it stays that way until a meeting with Oklahoma City, but the Grizzlies have beaten the teams in front of them convincingly.
Ty Jerome and rookie Cameron Boozer have led the scoring. Boozer also became the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, doing it in just his fifth game.
Winner: Dallas Mavericks
No team had a bigger week of upsets than Dallas. The Mavericks beat both the Thunder and the Rockets, two of the West’s unbeaten teams going into the week, and climbed to 4-2.
Cooper Flagg has been the reason. In his second season, he is averaging 26.8 points, 6.6 assists, and 6.0 rebounds, plus 2.6 steals a game, the fourth-best mark in the league.
Winner: Luka Dončić and the Lakers
The Lakers went into November at 5-2, and Luka Dončić carried the offense. He scored 41 points with nine assists in the Lakers’ first loss of the season, a 136-129 defeat to Portland, then closed the week with 45 points and 15 rebounds in a 131-125 win over Toronto.
Austin Reaves has given the Lakers a strong second option, averaging 23.8 points while shooting 42.4% from three. Dončić’s scoring run only got bigger after this week, and our Luka Dončić stats page tracks his 40-point games and the records he is chasing.
Winner: Golden State Warriors
After losing their first three games, the Warriors won four straight to reach 4-3. Stephen Curry scored 44 against the Timberwolves, a reminder that he can still carry a game on his own.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has been just as big a story. He scored 113 points and grabbed 46 rebounds in his first five games, the first player to reach both marks that quickly since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992, then added 37 points against the Clippers.
Winner and loser: Portland Trail Blazers
Portland’s start under new coach Micah Nori has been one of the season’s best surprises. The Trail Blazers were 4-1 after the week, including their win over the Lakers, with a roster that has bought into passing and moving the ball.
The cost came in Ja Morant’s first game back in Memphis since his trade. He left early with a left hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out for at least a month.
Loser: Minnesota Timberwolves
Last week’s biggest winner had the worst news of this one. Anthony Edwards scored 47 points against Cleveland on October 27 (PHT) while playing through a sore right knee. The next day, reports said he needed arthroscopic surgery and could miss up to two months.
Minnesota went 1-3 for the week and fell to 4-3. Missing that much time also puts Edwards at risk of falling short of the 65 games needed for MVP and All-NBA awards, a rule covered in our NBA season format guide. LaMelo Ball now has to take on far more of the scoring.
Loser: Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City lost another key player. Chet Holmgren will miss at least two months with a patellar tendon tear, joining Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace on the sidelines after both were hurt in week 1.
The Thunder also lost to Dallas and dropped to 4-2, falling from first to 11th in NBC Sports’ power rankings. Ajay Mitchell offered a bright spot with 30 points in a win over Phoenix.
Loser: Sacramento Kings
Sacramento is the only team still without a win, at 0-6. Injuries have hurt, especially the absence of Keegan Murray after ankle surgery and a setback before training camp.
According to The Athletic, coach Doug Christie is not on the hot seat despite the start. Rookie Darius Acuff has been one of the few positives, putting up big numbers in the losses.
Elsewhere around the league
- Houston, one of our week 1 winners, moved to 6-1 and took over the top spot in NBC Sports’ power rankings.
- The Knicks won twice, including a victory over Detroit, but are still 2-4 after another loss to Philadelphia.
- Miami got its first win, over Atlanta, with Bam Adebayo scoring 24 points, and sits at 2-4.
What week 2 tells us
Injuries have become the defining story of the young season. Minnesota and Oklahoma City now face long stretches without key players, while Portland and Toronto are also waiting on stars to return.
Week 3 will test whether Memphis is for real once the schedule toughens, and whether Dallas and Golden State can keep climbing. For daily results and previews, follow our NBA news and game recaps.
