Castle and DC Clash in Portland, Hawkins Sees Increased Opportunity

DONOVAN CLINGAN, STEPHON CASTLE BOTH DOMINATING EARLY NOVEMBER

The first week of November proved to be quite successful for both Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle. DC rattled off three straight double-doubles while Steph scored at least 16 points in the Spurs’ first three games of the month.

On Monday, Clingan scored 17 points, while recording a season-high 18 rebounds and three blocks in a 118-110 Blazers victory against the Denver Nuggets. Castle posted 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in a 119-97 San Antonio win at the Utah Jazz.

Then on Wednesday, the big man erupted for a season-high 24 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in a Portland 132-119 victory against the Phoenix Suns. On the same night, Castle posted his first double-double of the season after scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a Spurs 112-111 win versus the Dallas Mavericks.

Then the former Bristol Central standout finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks on Friday as Portland fell 124-118 to the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Cup Group Play matchup.  DC knocked down three of his five attempts from beyond the arc and is now shooting 10-of-22 (45.5%) from three-point range this season. The 2024-2025 NBA Rookie of the Year scored 19 points and dished out seven assists on Friday in a 124-109 win at the Sacramento Kings.

Alex Karaban had a pretty good view of this Castle slam!

CLINGAN-CASTLE GO HEAD-TO-HEAD FOR FIRST TIME IN ‘26-’27 SEASON

Those three straight dominant performances led to the first Clingan-Castle clash of the 2026-2027 season on Saturday. DC’s double-double streak came to a halt after scoring just six points and grabbing five rebounds. Castle drilled two three-pointers in a 14-point, seven-rebound, and five-assist performance, helping the Spurs take down the Blazers 125-103. After losing the first two games of the season, the Spurs have won eight contests in a row.

CAM SPENCER CONTINUES TO BE AN ELITE PASSER

Husky fans are well aware of Cam Spencer’s three-point shooting ability. The 2024 national champion made 99 triples in his lone season at UConn. Spencer’s 3.6 assists per game during the 2023-2024 campaign were the second-most on the team behind Tristen Newton’s 6.2. However, Spencer has taken his passing powers to a new level over the last two seasons.

Last season, Spencer averaged 5.6 assists per game and has picked up right where he left off. On October 31st, he made his first (and so far only) start of the season and recorded his first double-double with 10 points, tied a career-high 13 assists and zero turnovers in a 136-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Spencer’s career high in assists at UConn was nine, which he recorded in a 95-90 victory over the St. John’s Red Storm in the 2024 Big East Tournament semifinals. Spencer recorded at least seven assists in three games during his time at UConn. Over the last week and a half, Spencer has continued to showcase his playmaking ability, recording seven assists against the New Orleans Pelicans and nine against the Indiana Pacers after his 13-assist performance against the Kings.

JORDAN HAWKINS PLAYS MEANINGFUL MINUTES WITH CHICAGO BULLS ON SUNDAY

Prior to the Chicago Bulls’ 127-121 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, Jordan Hawkins had played in just four of the team’s first eight games. Those four appearances were all in the fourth quarter when the game was in doubt.

However, on Sunday, that changed dramatically as Hawk first appeared in the first quarter and went onto play a season-high 17 minutes and scored a season-best nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 1-of-4 from three with one assist and one block.

Hawkins drilled a three-pointer to give the Bulls a 38-36 lead in the second quarter, then accounted for six consecutive Chicago points late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, knocking down a fadeaway jumper and a layup plus an assist. 

It's worth noting that Hawkins stayed with the Bulls over the weekend, even though the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate, began its season with back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. Hawk signed a two-way deal with Chicago just days before the start of the NBA season, making him eligible to be active for up to 50 NBA games before the organization must decide whether to sign the 2023 national champion to an NBA contract or waive him.

TRISTEN NEWTON MAKES G LEAGUE STOCKTON KINGS DEBUT

Tristen Newton will have to continue to grind out in the G League in order to get a chance at the NBA as the 2026 All-NBA G League First Team member made his 2026-2027 debut with the Stockton Kings (Sacramento Kings’ G League affiliate) on Saturday night.

The back-to-back national champion scored 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three and 1-of-1 from the free throw line, with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a 127-108 loss to the Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State Warriors’ G League affiliate).

After starring for the Rio Grand Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets’ G League affiliate) on a two-way contract last season, the organization elected to trade Newton to the Stockton Kings this past offseason. Newton played in three of the five Kings preseason games, but was ultimately waived but then re-signed with Stockton to an Exhibit 10 contract, which is a one-year non-guaranteed deal with the NBA minimum salary. 

JAMES BOUKNIGHT COMES OFF BENCH IN MEXICO CITY CAPITANES ‘26-‘27 DEBUT

The 2021 First-Team All-Big East member came off the bench and scored a team-high 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three and 3-of-4 from the free throw line in just 25 minutes to help lead the Mexico City Capitanes (No G League affiliate) take down the Texas Legends (Dallas Mavericks G League affilate) on Sunday night.

Bouknight, an improved three-point shooter since his two years at UConn, shot 167-398 (41.9%) across 49 G League games last season.

JOE FAGNANO MAKES FIRST CAREER NFL START

On Thursday night, Joe Fagnano became the third former Husky in the 21st century to start an NFL game at the quarterback position. However, an ankle injury, Mother Nature and a ferocious Jacksonville Jaguars defense made it difficult for Fagnano to generate much offense, as the Baltimore Ravens suffered their fourth consecutive loss, 33-10.

The undrafted rookie went 10-18 for just 60 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Baltimore had a game plan to try and help Fagnano with various designed runs, and Derrick Henry even threw a pass, but between the rain and the Jaguars having the second-best scoring defense in the NFL, it was a long night for the first-year Ravens quarterback.

Lamar Jackson (thumb) is expected to miss 6-9 weeks, Tyler Huntley (turf toe) is out for the season, on Friday morning, the Ravens officially announced a trade after acquiring Jacoby Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals. It remains to be seen who will be the starting quarterback for the Ravens in their next game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, November 16th.

Tarris Reed Jr. (San Antonio Spurs)

• MONDAY: 4 points (1-1 FG, 2-2 FT), 7 rebounds, 1 block in 7 minutes. The Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 119-97.
• WEDNESDAY: DNP (Coach’s Decision). San Antonio defeated the Dallas Mavericks 112-111.
• FRIDAY: 1 rebound in 3 minutes. The Spurs won at the Sacramento Kings 124-109.
• SATURDAY: 2 points (1-3 FG), 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 9 minutes. San Antonio defeated the Trail Blazers 125-103.

Liam McNeeley (Charlotte Hornets)

• MONDAY: 3 points (1-5 FG, 0-1 3-FG, 1-1 FT) in 9 minutes. The Hornets lost to the Detroit Pistons 124-91.
• WEDNESDAY: DNP (Coach’s Decision). Charlotte fell to the Brooklyn Nets 114-104.
• FRIDAY: 8 points (3-11 FG, 1-6 3-FG, 1-2 FT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal in 19 minutes. The Hornets (3-7) lost to the Boston Celtics 119-80.

Andre Drummond (New York Knicks)

• MONDAY: 4 points (1-3 FG, 2-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 1 block in 13 minutes. The Knicks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 103-90.
• WEDNESDAY: 6 points (2-6 FG, 2-2 FT), 9 rebounds in 12 minutes. New York defeated the Chicago Bulls 135-105.
• SATURDAY: 0 points (0-1 FG), 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block in 14 minutes. The Knicks took down the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-97.

Alex Karaban (Sacramento Kings)

• MONDAY: DNP (Coach’s Decision). The Kings defeated the Dallas Mavericks 115-110 for their first victory of the season
• WEDNESDAY: DNP (Coach’s Decision). Sacramento lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 116-103.
• FRIDAY: Zero shot attempts, 1 offensive rebound in 11 minutes. The Kings fell to the San Antonio Spurs 124-109.
• SUNDAY: DNP (Coach’s Decision). Sacramento (1-9) lost to the Miami Heat 114-108.

Make sure you follow @HuskyPros/X and turn those notifications on for all the latest updates on your favorite Huskies in the Pros!

Subscribe to Storrs Central to support the UConn NIL effort and get access to the latest intel and premium content.