The Precedent Daily: Tuesday, October 27, 2026

A new No. 1 in Houston, Minnesota's perfect start ends in overtime in Cleveland, and Boston climbs to the top of the NHL without lacing up.

Monday's top five

1. Houston is the NBA's new No. 1. The Rockets beat Atlanta, tied for first in The Precedent's Rating yesterday, 120-110 and stayed unbeaten at 4-0. Atlanta led by three at halftime, and Houston pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 14-0 run after the Hawks had cut the lead to two. Alperen Sengun finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Houston moved from third to first; its own win counted, and so did Dallas's win, a team it had already played.
2. Cleveland handed Minnesota its first loss and jumped 12 places. The Cavaliers came back from a big first-half deficit to force overtime, and Donovan Mitchell's go-ahead jumper won it 127-125. Cleveland moved from 16th to fourth: its record improved to 2-1, and adding a team that came in 3-0 lifted its opponents' combined winning percentage from .429 to .545. Minnesota fell from sixth to eighth.
3. Boston is No. 1 in the NHL without playing. Utah, first yesterday, didn't play either, but four games involving teams it had already played ended in losses, and its schedule's winning percentage fell from .555 to .539. That dropped Utah to second. Boston's own night comes today in Raleigh.
4. Detroit stunned Edmonton in a shootout. The Red Wings, 28th in the Rating, trailed late in the third period and tied it with their goalie pulled, then won 4-3 in the shootout at Edmonton, No. 3 yesterday. Michal Postava, in his first NHL start, stopped all three Oilers shooters. It was the biggest upset of the day by Rating.
5. Golden State routed Denver for its first win. The Warriors were 0-3 and 24th in the Rating, then won 134-114 in Denver, breaking the game open with a 40-point third quarter. Stephen Curry made all eight of his shots. Denver fell from ninth to 21st, the biggest drop of the day in the NBA.

NBA

Houston's win at the top of the league reshuffled the first five places. Detroit, idle, moved up to second, and Atlanta slipped to third after its first loss in Houston. Toronto, tied with Atlanta for first yesterday, fell to sixth without playing: all three teams it had played lost, and its schedule's winning percentage dropped from .667 to .500.

Memphis is 4-0 after winning 110-105 at Utah. The Grizzlies led by 13 after three quarters and held on as the Jazz closed the gap in the fourth. They climbed from 22nd to 16th, and Utah dropped from 11th to 18th. Oklahoma City also stayed unbeaten, beating Phoenix 125-114, but fell from fifth to seventh because its opponents' combined record got worse.

Not every win helped. Boston beat Chicago 134-99, pulling away with a 39-point third quarter, and still fell from ninth to 11th as the teams it has played saw their combined winning percentage drop from .500 to .400. Charlotte beat Washington 110-103 and moved up to 16th, and Milwaukee earned its first win, 110-102 over Indiana.

Monday's results

Ranks are The Precedent's Rating, yesterday → today.

Biggest upsets by Rating

Rating Top 10

Teams tied on Rating share a rank. SOS = average Rating of the opponents played.

Full NBA Ratings →

Biggest risers

Biggest fallers

Full NBA standings →

NHL

Detroit's shootout win in Edmonton moved the Red Wings from 28th to 25th, and Edmonton slipped from third to fourth. Los Angeles, 31st in the Rating yesterday, scored three times in the first period at Madison Square Garden and won 6-3. The NY Rangers fell from ninth to 14th.

Calgary beat Toronto 5-2 after jumping out to an early two-goal lead that Toronto never erased. The Flames climbed from 24th to 20th, and Toronto dropped from 11th to 15th. Carolina, which leads the Metropolitan Division, moved up two places without playing, but its Rating rank still sits well below its record because it has faced the league's easiest schedule so far.

Monday's results

Ranks are The Precedent's Rating, yesterday → today. In The Precedent's Rating, an overtime or shootout winner gets a win and the other team a loss, so records here are W-L.

Biggest upsets by Rating

Rating Top 10

Teams tied on Rating share a rank. SOS = average Rating of the opponents played.

Full NHL Ratings →

Biggest risers

Biggest fallers

Rating vs record

Record rank is by winning percentage. The gap comes from the records of the teams each has played.

Full NHL standings and playoff picture →

NFL

Dallas won 38-21 at Philadelphia on Monday night. The Cowboys led by six at halftime and put the game away with 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Dallas moved from 26th to 23rd, and Philadelphia fell from 25th to 28th.

Philadelphia's loss rippled up the table. Chicago, tied with Denver for second yesterday, slipped to third without playing because the Eagles are one of its earlier opponents. Minnesota, at 6-0, is still No. 1.

Monday's results

Ranks are The Precedent's Rating, yesterday → today.

Rating Top 10

Teams tied on Rating share a rank. SOS = average Rating of the opponents played.

Full NFL Ratings →

Biggest risers

Biggest fallers

Rating vs record

Record rank is by winning percentage. The gap comes from the records of the teams each has played.

Full NFL standings and playoff picture →

Coming up today

NHL · 11 games

No. 1 Boston visits Carolina at 7 PM in a meeting of two division leaders; Carolina's record is second-best in the league, but the Rating has it 12th. Two top-10 matchups follow: No. 10 New Jersey at No. 9 Dallas at 7 PM, and No. 8 Minnesota at No. 2 Utah at 8 PM.

NBA · 4 games

Detroit, 3-0 and second in the Rating, visits winless New York at 7 PM. Two more unbeaten records are on the line late: Portland, 2-0, visits the 3-0 LA Lakers at 10 PM.