There’s a vibrant Black-led cycling scene on the south and west sides that often rolls under the radar

For part three of the Reader’s series talking with local sustainable transportation advocates, we checked in with a few of the Black-led bike clubs and organizations that are part of the active group-ride scene on Chicago’s south and west sides. 

While those involved in Chicago’s group bike ride scene are often stereotyped as white north siders, in truth it’s much more diverse. In recent years, growing numbers of Black Chicagoans have been taking part in large recreational and social rides as a way to get physical activity, promote public safety and neighborhood unity—or just to have a good time.

Major Taylor Cycling Club Chicago (MTC3), named for turn of the 20th Century Black bike-racing legend Marshall “Major” Taylor, is the city’s oldest Black-led cycling organization. Membership is open to all, and the group’s stated mission is to promote good health through rides geared towards cyclists of all ages and abilities, from folks getting back into biking for the first time since childhood to elite road riders. 

MTC3 club captain Shawn Conley says MTC3 takes inspiration from Taylor, a man who kept a positive attitude despite facing brutal headwinds in a segregated sport. “We sometimes ride past the Major Taylor murals and gravesite [in south-suburban Glenwood], and we discuss his significance as a person of color who fought oppression and racism,” Conley says. He added that group rides offer members a chance to “enjoy each other’s company while combating heart disease and diabetes,” illnesses that disproportionately impact Black Americans.

One of MCT3’s key events is its annual Memorial Weekend Grand Prix at Big Marsh bike park on the southeast side. Held over Memorial Day Weekend, this year’s festivities included three days of rides of various lengths, including an excursion to an ice cream shop near Whihala Beach in Whiting, Indiana. 

We Keep You Rollin’is a health and wellness group that centers underserved communities in Chicago. It was founded in 2015 by Deloris Lucas, a longtime resident of the Golden Gate neighborhood in the city’s far-south Riverdale community area (located near the Altgeld Gardens housing project). Known as “the Bike Lady of Golden Gate,” Lucas has successfully advocated for bike lanes and Divvy stations in that part of town, and she’s currently pushing the city and state to build an off-street path along highway-like 130th Street—a major barrier to biking in the area. 

WKYR teaches safe cycling to kids and leads trips for people of all ages to natural areas like Beaubien Woods, just east of Altgeld.”WKYR teaches safe cycling to kids and leads trips to natural areas like Beaubien Woods, just east of Altgeld. “Our mission is ultimately to help create a more livable, sustainable and vibrant community,” Lucas said. The group’s centerpiece 2022 event was the 7th Annual WKYR “Lucas Legacy” Bike Ride & Wellness Pop Up. Held on July 30, with dozens of sponsors, community organizations, city agencies participating, drawing over 100 attendees. 

South Side Critical Mass is a predominantly Black spinoff of the huge Chicago Critical Mass bike parade that has gathered in Daley Plaza on the last Friday of every month. Though Chicago Critical Mass has grown more diverse since it started a quarter century ago, it still draws a majority white and north-side crowd, and while they ride to all corners of the city, they’re more likely to end at north-side destinations.

SSCM volunteer Danielle McKinnie says that the group’s rides aim to expose raiders to “hidden gems” on the city’s south side while supporting neighborhood businesses. “Our visibility in the community, while wishing onlookers a ‘Happy Friday,’ gets drivers used to seeing bikes in the streets, makes underserved communities safer, and promotes a biking culture,” she said. “We demonstrate the need for biking infrastructure like protected bike lanes and trails.”  

SSCM hosts their annual Wear Orange in June in honor of Hadiya Pendleton, who at age 15 was fatally shot in 2013 in a Kenwood park while standing with her friends (she was later mentioned in Barack Obama’s State of the Union address that year) plus others who lost their lives to gun violence. The ride, which drew more than 70 participants in 2022, visits Hadiya Pendleton Park in Grand Boulevard and ends at her family’s business, the New Look Restaurant. “This allows us to show the family love, celebrate Hadiya’s life and support the business,” McKinnie said.

We’ve just scratched the surface of the south and west side cycling scene. Here are some additional Black-led bike groups and community organizations that host rides to check out:

Black Joy RideChicago Century ClubEquiticityHoldTheLaneStreets CallingThink Outside da Block

Read the previous story in our series here: https://chicagoreader.com/city-life/on-the-right-track-the-high-speed-rail-alliance-aims-to-make-trains-a-more-practical-option-for-getting-across-chicago-and-the-nation/.

Coverage funded by The Darrell R. Windle Charitable Fund and Polo Inn.

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Is death life’s greatest mystery? Or would we just like it to be? (Therefore, ghosts, devils, heaven, hell, organized religion, and Halloween candy.)

Those are not among the five major questions that serve as an organizing mechanism for the Field Museum’s expansive new exhibit, “Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery,” however much they hang in the air.

The actual questions are these:

What is death?Answer, more or less: depends on how you define it.

What will happen to my body?Probably won’t be a fossil. Most likely, buried or burned. Ecologically correct but less popular choice: served up as another creature’s dinner.

Do I have to die?Um, yes.

How will my death affect others?Most animals won’t notice.

The big question—What will happen to my spirit? (And what is the spirit, anyway?)—is posed, but basically ducked.

Designed to be “a safe and welcoming place for visitors to get curious,” the exhibit presents “all the different answers offered by the natural world as well as human cultures through time,” according to a museum press release.

“Visitors will see that these questions don’t necessarily have just one answer, but many,” exhibition developer Ben Miller says in the statement.

Translation: there’s a lot here about the rituals various cultures have developed to help people cope.

“Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery”Through 8/27/23: daily 9 AM-5 PM (last admission 4 PM), closed Thanksgiving and Christmas, Field Museum, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., 312-922-9410, fieldmuseum.org; exhibition included in the Field’s All-Access Pass, starting at $32 for Chicago residents

So, anodyne enough for a G or PG rating. Not surprising since museums are fighting their own dinosaur status and school field trips are vital to their survival. Still, there’s plenty of interesting stuff, all drawn from the museum’s vast collection. The Field, with its 40 million objects and specimens—stuffed, pinned, floating in preservative—is our own spectacular temple of the dead.

The exhibit’s scariest element might be the ominous musical soundscape that covers nearly the entire 7,500-square-foot space with an aura of foreboding. Unlike the few items prefaced by warning signs—a series of illustrations depicting a decomposing body or a chance to sniff the scent of human death—it’s not something you can choose to avoid.

Would you rather be buried or cremated? Visitors can tap a touch screen to record their answers for comparison with the hive mind. On opening day, cremation was winning, 56 to 44 percent. This, in spite of a display titled “All about cremation, as told by chickens” that included the sparse remains of said birds after they’d been incinerated, hydrolyzed, freeze-dried, or transformed into a diamond.

According to the exhibit, “Life [though not exactly your life] goes on after death, and could not without it”—a situation illustrated by a model of a “whale fall,” in which a mob of underwater creatures feast and set up housekeeping on the body of a sunk dead whale. The human version of this circle-of-life outcome: a “green burial” pod that turns a decaying former person into tree food.

Model depicting the sunken body of a whale and the new ecosystem it creates. This model is included in the exhibition “Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery” at the Field Museum. © Field Museum, artwork by Blue Rhino Studios, photo by Edgar Lopez

Some creatures are good at holding off death. Among them, the tardigrade, represented by a blimp-like model 4,000 times its actual size, which is the width of two human hairs. Tardigrades are the most resilient creatures on earth, capable of surviving dehydration and starvation, able to live underwater and in outer space, and, we’re told, klutzy cute.  

Unlike tardigrades, human lives are highly dependent on their environment. In one of the exhibit’s potentially most interesting sections, the point is made that in the United States, “the best predictor of your life expectancy is where you live.” When I was there, however, its main feature, an interactive map that was supposed to allow visitors to check specific locations, was, well, dead. (At press time, a museum spokesperson said it should be operable now.) 

Decomposition can be stopped by processes like mummification, but to get a good look at that, you’d need to exit Death, enter the Inside Ancient Egypt exhibit across the great hall, and descend to the lower level of the museum, where, in an appropriately tomblike environment, actual mummies are displayed.

 The Death exhibit does not include any real human bodies.

Speaking of bodies, the immortal Mae West has been given the exhibit’s final wall text quote: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Visitors have a chance to add their own words as they exit, by completing this statement on a blackboard: “Before I die I want to . . .”

Answers I saw included “get a pet snake,” “fall in love with myself,” and “pass the NY bar.”

So, yes, life goes on. Probably still better than the alternative.

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During the Rock’s promotional tour for Black Adam, a fan sent their baby toward him, through the hands of many strangers. Everyone cheered as the baby, swaddled in pink, landed in his massive arms onstage. Such is the cult that has formed around the man born Dwayne Johnson, now peaking with the cinematic scale-up of a DC Comics side character.

Johnson previously rejected a Black Adam cameo in Shazam! 2, despite the character being canonically familiar as a Shazam villain. It would be an “incredible disservice” to the character, he said, oozing the same hijacking side-quest energy as when he entered, then exited, the Fast & Furious world with an odd, bloated spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw. That movie made big money, and Black Adam will too. The Rock is very popular.

Is his new cult chapter any good, though? Not really. Somehow one of its major problems is that the Rock isn’t in it enough. When he is, he doesn’t speak enough, and when he speaks, he’s doing a stoic fish-out-of-water ancient-man bit that’s a worse version of Dave Bautista in Guardians of the Galaxy. The CGI set pieces of the fictional, vaguely Middle Eastern city of Kahndaq are dreary and boring. There’s a political parable in there somewhere—something about strongman fascism that maybe, accidentally or not, suggests that there’s a good version of the stuff, but it isn’t cooked well enough to come through. The action occasionally entertains.

The rest is a muddle of virtually nameless side characters doing exposition and failed gags. Pierce Brosnan is wasted in what feels like a lot of scaffolding for future DC movies, or TV shows; rarely do we feel like we are experiencing the thing itself, but rather a setup for a different, later event, which will probably not be the real thing either. PG-13, 124 min.

Wide release in theaters

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Being a fan of Italian horror prog rockers Goblin can be massively rewarding and profoundly confusing. Famous for mind-bendingly complex tunes as well as their scores for late-70s films by the likes of Dario Argento and George Romero, Goblin dissolved in the early 80s, and since they began re-forming a couple decades ago they’ve existed in multiple parallel versions and under several names. When they played onstage in 2009, using the handle Back to the Goblin, it was the first time they’d done so in 32 years. Goblin’s studio lineup shifted radically and often, and their various latter-day touring incarnations have been similarly protean, led by different original members or newcomers. This can lead to unpredictable quality in Goblin-associated performances. 

These various versions of Goblin arose from the band’s initial 2000 reunion, which reopened some old wounds. In 2001 keyboardist Claudio Simonetti began touring with his horror-music tribute band, Daemonia (later called Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin), which he’d formed in the late 90s. I saw this incarnation of Goblin in 2013, and I wasn’t fully satisfied by the nu-metal edge that the newbies in the group brought to its sound. In 2017 I saw my fave modern Goblin show so far, which included the entire original lineup minus Simonetti and added the band’s second organist, Maurizio Guarini—he’d come into the fold in the mid-70s, right after they recorded their classic score for Argento’s Profondo Rosso. 

Sadly, original Goblin guitarist Massimo Morante—a crucial part of their heavy, fuzzy sound—passed away earlier this year. Herculean bassist Fabio Pignatelli and jazzy drummer Agostino Marangolo have carried on as Goblin Rebirth (with the help of some new recruits), and Simonetti is once again touring as Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, this time backed by members of Portuguese band Black Mamba. In live footage from 2019, this configuration looks a bit like your uncle and auntie after an embarrassing industrial makeover, and to my ears they still overdo the thrashy guitar tone and conventional shredding (as much as Goblin are beloved by metalheads, they never really did that back in the day). All that said, Simonetti is in fine form, dueling with himself on multiple keyboards—his equipment sounds more modern than the gear he used in the 70s and 80s, but it still generally evokes the right feel. 

For this show, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin will perform their score to Argento’s 1977 masterpiece Suspiria, a beloved flick saturated with florid evil—the perfect sort of spookiness we all crave around Halloween. I saw the Daemonia lineup do the same show at Metro in 2014, and their sound was improved over the previous year’s gig—they even helped me get past the awkwardness of standing for an entire film, and I didn’t mind that they were louder than the dialogue. It was amazing to experience such cinematic synesthesia live. I’ll always secretly wish that the surviving original members of Goblin would make peace and join forces to play Suspiria again. But that day will probably never come, so this Goblinophile will take what he can get and love it—even if (in true Suspiria fashion) it’s somehow the musical equivalent of wriggling around in a room full of barbed wire.

Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin The band perform their score to Suspiria. (They’ll play the same show at the same venue on Thu 12/15.) Fri 10/28, 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport. General admission tickets are sold out, box seats are still available for $390. 17+

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Much like its purported star—heartthrob Harry Styles—British director Michael Grandage’s adaptation of Bethan Roberts’s 2012 novel is wantedly handsome and genially bland. The titular policeman, Tom (Styles), is courting school teacher Marion (Emma Corrin), while also falling in love with museum curator Patrick (David Dawson). The story of the trio’s relationship is revealed in retrospect when several decades later a sickly Patrick (Rupert Everett) comes to live with retirees Tom (Linus Roache) and Marion (Gina McKee) at their seaside cottage. Tom and Patrick had enjoyed a torrid affair (to the filmmakers’ credit, there are no coy cutaways when it comes to the steamy sex scenes) until Tom and Marion wed and she realized that something was going on between the two men. I won’t divulge the circumstances and eventual revelation that account for the queer misery which inevitably befalls them, but it’s undeniably cliche; perhaps it says something about the current state of things that another elegant item of such suffering might be considered passé. But Styles isn’t so bad, and it’s nice to know Everett—whose opportunity to be a leading man was sidelined by homophobia after he came out in 1989—collected a paycheck. McKee plays her part with subtle pathos; it’s Dawson, however, who steals the show, adding something not found in Styles’s sedate performance. Still, the film treads water rather than breaking new ground. R, 113 min.

Limited release in theaters,streaming on Prime Video

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For more than 20 years, George Clooney and Julia Roberts have been making affable, generally palatable movie magic together. They make sense together, in the grand old Hollywood tradition of romantic comedies in which a striking, spitfire leading lady is paired with a slightly older but still wildly roguish leading man. The pair banter and quip, spit and spar, but as the credits near they inevitably share a closedmouthed kiss. The two lovers try so hard to be apart, but in the end, they just can’t ignore chemistry. 

That, in short, is pretty much the plot of Ticket to Paradise, Clooney and Roberts’s latest romantic team up. There are twists and turns of course—the divorced pair’s once straitlaced daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) has decided to up and move to Bali and marry a guy she’s known for 37 days, Roberts’s character has a too-nice pilot boyfriend (Lucas Bravo), and there’s an incident with a dolphin, to name a few—but ultimately much of Ticket’s run time is spent waiting for the other romantic shoe to drop for the elder couple. To say whether it does or not would be a spoiler, but Ticket To Paradise is a traditional rom-com in every sense of the word, so it’s pretty easy to guess. 

Much like its Balinese setting, Ticket To Paradise is perfectly pleasant. The entire cast is fun if somewhat comedically underutilized, and you learn a surprising amount about Indonesian wedding culture, which is a nice bonus. Much like a vacation, though, Ticket To Paradise’s impact is fleeting. It’s a fine enough movie to fritter away a couple hours with, but don’t expect it to stick around in your consciousness for too long. PG-13, 104 min.

Wide release in theaters

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Everything was fine in Inisherin yesterday. And there’s no reason to think that this remote island off the Ireland coast changed overnight. Especially for Pádraic, played by Colin Farrell, who we first meet as he strolls down the country roads to meet his best friend Colm, played by a brooding Brendan Gleeson, before heading to the pub. But when the good-hearted Pádraic finds a cold Colm, there’s no denying the island is different. Pádraic, confused by Colm’s distance, leaves for the pub with his head down, and even the bartender notices something awry. Once Colm finally arrives at the pub, he insists that Pádraic leave him alone (forever), saying, “I just don’t like you no more.”

The fallout between the former best friends is amplified by the orbiting cast of eclectic islanders, including Dominic, played by Barry Keoghan, and Pádraic’s sister Siobhan, played by Kerry Condon. This brutal, bleak depiction of friends drifting apart consumes the small community, rendering Inisherin unrecognizable by the end. This is typical director Martin McDonagh, and it works once again. 

The Banshees of Inisherin is an elegy to friendship. McDonagh masterfully crafts this grim reflection on the most cutting form of heartbreak, finished with furnishings of whimsical dark comedy and unrivaled banter between Gleeson and Farrell. (This film gifts us another look at the explosive chemistry between the two men, who starred in McDonagh’s beloved directorial debut, In Bruges.)

Farrell delivers a career-defining, heart-wrenching performance as Pádraic, chronicling not only a dissolving friendship but also capturing the character’s budding despair. And this despair steadily consumes the two characters and the island as heartbreak is mangled into resentment and bitterness. But Pádraic refuses to abandon this friendship, and in retaliation to Pádraic’s appeals, Colm threatens to cut off his fingers with garden shears. And he means it, giving Pádraic the finger. Told in isolation, The Banshees of Inisherin is a momentous fable that’s tethered to a familiar agony, and in the end, there are astonishing consequences. R, 109 min.

Limited release in theaters

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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

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The 2022-23 NBA hierarchy already saw a few shake-ups in its first week.

The Portland Trail Blazers have taken an early lead on the title for biggest surprise of the season with a 4-0 start. Damian Lillard & Co. have not only won but have notched meaningful victories over Western Conference rivals at the top of this week’s rankings, including the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets.

The Utah Jazz joined Portland in the surprisingly undefeated club with its three wins coming against contenders, including Denver and the Minnesota Timberwolves, before coming back down to earth against the lowly Houston Rockets.

Still, at least one team confirmed some recent pessimism this week: The Los Angeles Lakers started the season 0-3, and they appear lost from beyond the 3-point line. The Brooklyn Nets look like they could be a star-studded mess themselves, with Ben Simmons lowlighting one of the NBA’s worst defenses in the early going.

Note: The NBA Power Rankings have found a new home — on Wednesdays! Throughout the regular season, our panel (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Week 1

1. Milwaukee Bucks2022-23 record: 2-0Preseason ranking: 2

As evidenced by their opening-night victory against Philadelphia, the Bucks’ offense might be a slog while Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton remain sidelined, but Giannis Antetokounmpo looks ready to pick up the slack. Antetokounmpo put up 44 points on 81% shooting to go with 12 rebounds in 28 minutes against the Rockets, the first time in his career he scored 40 in less than 30 minutes of playing time. — Collier

2. Boston Celtics2022-23 record: 3-1Preseason ranking: 4

Monday’s dud against the Bulls aside, it’s been an impressive start to the season for Boston, with the Celtics looking like they haven’t missed a beat from last season’s NBA Finals run — even as they adjust to life under interim coach Joe Mazzulla. Malcolm Brogdon, in particular, has been a seamless fit coming off the bench, giving Boston the kind of off-the-dribble juice this team simply didn’t have during the playoffs. — Bontemps

3. Phoenix Suns2022-23 record: 3-1Preseason ranking: 8

What a whirlwind of emotions for the Suns this week, as they shook off any notion of offseason slippage by beating three Western Conference contenders in the Clippers, Warriors and Mavs. The win over Golden State was a 29-point drubbing — and a possible statement on how Phoenix’s season will end up going. — McMenamin

4. Memphis Grizzlies2022-23 record: 3-1Preseason ranking: 6

Ja Morant and Desmond Bane evenly split 76 points in Monday’s win over the Nets, breaking Memphis’ franchise record for the highest-scoring performance by a duo. The spectacular has been routine for Morant, the league’s leading scorer (35.3 points per game). Bane, whom the Grizzlies believe can make the step to All-Star status this season, broke out of a season-opening shooting funk against Brooklyn, registering more field goals (14-of-21) and 3s (8-of-11) than he did in the first three games combined. — MacMahon

5. Golden State Warriors2022-23 record: 2-2Preseason ranking: 1

Following Golden State’s loss to the Suns, which saw Klay Thompson get his first career ejection, the Warriors offered a blunt assessment of their 2-2 start. “A decent offensive team and a bad defensive team,” Draymond Green said Tuesday night. And he’s correct. The Warriors have allowed opponents to score at least 70 points in one half in three out of their four games. — Andrews

6. Cleveland Cavaliers2022-23 record: 2-1Preseason ranking: 13

Welcome to Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell has been every bit as good as advertised to start things off for the Cavs, scoring 30 points or more in each of the team’s first three games while also dishing out seven assists a night. The next step will be integrating Evan Mobley, with the second-year star’s shots per game down from 12 a season ago to only 8.3 in the early going. — McMenamin

7. LA Clippers2022-23 record: 2-2Preseason ranking: 3

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It’s going to be a while before the Clippers see what they truly can be at full strength. There’s early concern with Kawhi Leonard, who will travel back to L.A. and miss both games at Oklahoma City after experiencing stiffness in his surgically repaired knee. Leonard was already coming off the bench, having played three stints, with totals of 21 minutes (twice) and 28 minutes. John Wall has looked good in limited minutes, Reggie Jackson has had to deal with a groin issue and Paul George missed Tuesday’s game with non-COVID illness. And the Clippers’ schedule is packed, with 18 games in 32 days, starting on Sunday. — Youngmisuk

8. Portland Trail Blazers2022-23 record: 4-0Preseason ranking: 21

There’s something brewing in Portland. The Blazers are 4-0, with an overtime win against Phoenix, a thrilling two-point victory over the Lakers and a rout of the Nuggets. Damian Lillard is heating up with two 41-point games, Anfernee Simons drilled seven 3s against Denver, Jusuf Nurkic is healthy and offseason addition Jerami Grant is starting to fit in. — Youngmisuk

9. New Orleans Pelicans2022-23 record: 3-1Preseason ranking: 14

Zion Williamson is back. Despite the fourth-year forward missing Tuesday night’s matchup because of a right posterior hip/lower back contusion, Williamson made waves in his first three contests. He is back to his bruising self in the paint, as he scored at least 25 points on 50% shooting twice in three games. It was the 48th time he accomplished the feat in 88 career contests. Only Walt Bellamy (57) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (54) registered more such games in their first 100 career games, and Williamson has 12 more to go. — Lopez

10. Denver Nuggets2022-23 record: 2-2Preseason ranking: 7

Sure, the Nuggets lost to the Jazz, but Denver rebounded nicely over the Warriors, scoring 70 points in the first half. Nikola Jokic has already tallied two triple-doubles and tied Wilt Chamberlain for most triple-doubles by a center in NBA history. — Andrews

11. Dallas Mavericks2022-23 record: 1-2Preseason ranking: 10

Luka Doncic and Christian Wood rank first and second, respectively, in Player Efficiency Rating. But those great numbers only add up to a 1-2 record after the Mavs blew a 22-point lead to the Suns in the opener and managed to lose to a New Orleans team missing Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and defensive stopper Herb Jones. — MacMahon

12. Atlanta Hawks2022-23 record: 2-1Preseason ranking: 16

The Trae Young–Dejounte Murray partnership is going to be a work in progress, but early returns are encouraging. Young is averaging 25.3 points and 11.7 assists despite low shooting numbers. (His 32.4% shooting and 25% clip from 3-point range are sure to increase.) And Murray is averaging 19.7 points, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals in his first three games as a Hawk. Young and Murray are both in the top 10 in total assists in the league and, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, could become just the fourth set of teammates since 2000 to each finish in the top 10. — Lopez

13. Utah Jazz2022-23 record: 3-1Preseason ranking: 28

The Jazz became the second team over the past three decades to start 3-0 despite being at least seven-point underdogs in each game, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The other: the 2013-14 76ers, who finished … 19-63. Lauri Markkanen (21.5 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game) is off to an awesome start in Utah, following up on his phenomenal EuroBasket performance for Finland. — MacMahon

14. New York Knicks2022-23 record: 2-1Preseason ranking: 18

Through three games, Jalen Brunson has been everything the Knicks could have hoped for this season, and then some: 17 points and seven assists per game as compared to just one turnover per contest, and, most importantly, a steady hand on the wheel. It’s been a very encouraging start for the Knicks. Brunson is a big reason. — Bontemps

15. Toronto Raptors2022-23 record: 2-2Preseason ranking: 15

No Eastern Conference team has had a more difficult start than Toronto, with a home game against Cleveland followed by road tilts versus Brooklyn and Miami (twice). What do the Raptors get as a reward for going 2-2 through that stretch? A baseball series at home against Philadelphia, followed by a visit from Trae Young and the Hawks on Halloween. It’s the perfect encapsulation of the difficulties that life in the conference is going to provide on a daily basis. — Bontemps

16. Washington Wizards2022-23 record: 3-1Preseason ranking: 22

The Wizards got off to a 10-3 start last season, so it’s best to wait before making any quick judgments on Washington’s start to this season. Bradley Beal hasn’t had to do a lot of heavy lifting so far, setting up his teammates and averaging six assists so far. Kristaps Porzingis has remained healthy, and Kyle Kuzma is off to a great start, scoring at least 22 points in three of his four games. — Youngmisuk

17. Minnesota Timberwolves2022-23 record: 2-2Preseason ranking: 12

The Timberwolves lost to the Jazz and had two close games against the Thunder that, on paper, should have been easy tasks. It will take some time for the Wolves to find their identity around new defensive anchor Rudy Gobert, but in the world of instant gratification, Minnesota has a lot of work to do. — Andrews

18. San Antonio Spurs2022-23 record: 3-1Preseason ranking: 27

Gregg Popovich joked on media day that no one should be heading to Las Vegas to place bets on the Spurs to win the NBA championship, but that hasn’t stopped San Antonio from getting out to a 3-1 start. After a disappointing loss at home to the Hornets to start the campaign, San Antonio rattled off road wins against Indiana, Philadelphia and Minnesota. Devin Vassell has averaged 22.7 PPG during the win streak, marking the first time in his career he has scored at least 20 in three consecutive games. — Lopez

19. Philadelphia 76ers2022-23 record: 1-3Preseason ranking: 5

Philadelphia’s basketball team should be thanking its lucky stars that the city’s baseball team is in the World Series and its football team is the NFL’s lone remaining undefeated team this season. While Monday’s win over the Pacers briefly calmed things down, the 76ers’ quiet, drama-free preseason now feels like a distant memory. — Bontemps

20. Charlotte Hornets2022-23 record: 2-1Preseason ranking: 24

Kelly Oubre Jr. has provided a nice lift for Steve Clifford in the coach’s first regular-season week back on the job. Oubre is averaging 17.3 points and six rebounds while shooting 40% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Gordon Hayward is averaging 19.3 points and has provided a solid presence while the Hornets wait for LaMelo Ball to return from an ankle injury. — Friedell

21. Miami Heat2022-23 record: 1-3Preseason ranking: 9

This has not been the start that Erik Spoelstra & Co. were hoping for. Jimmy Butler has started off strong, averaging 23 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists over his first four games, but he hasn’t yet gotten the kind of consistent help he needs. Kyle Lowry went a combined 6-for-28 during Miami’s three losses.— Friedell

22. Brooklyn Nets2022-23 record: 1-2Preseason ranking: 11

The Nets are struggling to find any kind of defensive rhythm. They have a league-worst 124.7 defensive rating, according to NBA.com/stats. While coach Steve Nash remains confident his team will catch its rhythm, the larger issue for Brooklyn is Ben Simmons. He did not have much of an impact over his first week and fouled out of two of his first three regular-season games. — Friedell

23. Chicago Bulls2022-23 record: 2-2Preseason ranking: 17

After going 1-14 against the four East semifinalists (Milwaukee, Boston, Miami and Philadelphia) last season, the Bulls picked up wins against the Celtics and Heat in the season’s opening week. The Bulls still have offensive issues to iron out (25th in offensive efficiency and 28th in 3-pointers per game), but they have been about league average on defense to help fuel a .500 start. — Collier

24. Detroit Pistons2022-23 record: 1-3Preseason ranking: 23

Detroit’s roster features 10 players 24 or younger, so some ups and downs should be expected throughout the season. However, the Pistons have to be encouraged by the starts of their two rookies. Jalen Duren, 18, is averaging nine points and seven rebounds while shooting 58% off the bench. And Jaden Ivey is averaging 17 points, six assists and five rebounds while shooting 45% from 3. — Collier

25. Los Angeles Lakers2022-23 record: 0-3Preseason ranking: 19

Things aren’t just bad in L.A. They’re historically bad. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, a team has attempted at least 100 3-pointers in a three-game span more than 6,100 times in NBA history. The Lakers’ 21.2% showing from deep in their 0-3 start to the season is the second worst out of all those instances, besting only the Hawks 21.0% in 2018. — McMenamin

26. Indiana Pacers2022-23 record: 1-3Preseason ranking: 26

What a start for Pacers rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin. After a strong preseason, the No. 6 pick put up 22.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his opening week, which included hitting 42.9% of 3s on seven attempts per game. Mathurin will be someone to keep an eye on playing next to guard Tyrese Haliburton. — Collier

27. Houston Rockets2022-23 record: 1-3Preseason ranking: 30

Rookie Jabari Smith Jr. responded to a spot start at center with by far the best performance of his young career in Monday’s win over Utah. He had 21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks, sealing the Rockets’ first victory of the season with a pair of clutch free throws. — MacMahon

28. Sacramento Kings2022-23 record: 0-3Preseason ranking: 20

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Sacramento has been within five points of its competition in the last five minutes during each of its games, all loses, and the Kings nearly overcame a 50-point second quarter by the Warriors and fought back from a 26-point deficit. The Kings are struggling on the margins, such as free throws, negating stellar starts from rookie Keegan Murray and star guard De’Aaron Fox. — Andrews

29. Oklahoma City Thunder2022-23 record: 1-3Preseason ranking: 29

The Thunder took advantage of a Clippers squad without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to pick up win No. 1 on the season Tuesday night, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his strong start. Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals. It was the third time in his career he has had at least three blocks and three steals, and the Thunder have been victorious in all three contests. — Lopez

30. Orlando Magic2022-23 record: 0-4Preseason ranking: 25

The good news: No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero appears to be that good. In his first four games, the rookie averaged 22.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3 assists. The bad news is that the Magic still don’t have a win. After re-signing in the summer, big man Mo Bamba has had little impact off the bench, averaging 3 points and 2.8 rebounds in just over 13 minutes a contest.– Friedell

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