Starting 5, Oct. 25: Klay Thompson’s historic debut, Thunder rumble and more

OKC is back, and already in midseason form. ⚡

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THE LINEUP 🏀

Oct. 25, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

The Courts Are Here: Check out all 30 eye-popping NBA Cup 2024 court designs

Early Impressions: Klay sets record in Mavs debut, Randle & DeRozan go off with new clubs

Heavyweights: Last year’s top two seeds out West went toe-to-toe, while the C’s stayed red-hot

Dream Doubleheader: A historic rivalry resumes Friday before a LeBron-KD showdown

Heat Check: Three must-see matchups on NBA League Pass between six young scorers

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BUT FIRST … ⏰

A Friday full of hoops…

Ten games tip off tonight with an eight-game slate on NBA League Pass and a can’t-miss doubleheader on ESPN featuring familiar foes. First, the Knicks will host the rival Pacers at MSG (7:30 ET, ESPN). Then, Kevin Durant and the Suns visit LeBron James and the Lakers (10 ET, ESPN).

On Thursday, the Liberty held their championship parade and ceremony in New York City, celebrating the team’s first title in franchise history.

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1. NBA UNVEILS ALL 30 EMIRATES NBA CUP COURTS

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 is just 18 days away. And it will have a fresh new look.

On Thursday, the NBA unveiled all 30 team courts that will be used throughout the second annual in-season competition.

• Designed by artist Victor Solomon, the courts will be used during Group Play and the Quarterfinals, showcasing a leaguewide, distinctive scheme
• The colors of the courts are designed to contrast with the home teams’ Nike NBA Statement Edition uniforms, while road teams will wear Nike NBA Association Edition uniforms

While Emirates NBA Cup games count toward the regular season standings, they bring their own brand of energy and intensity from the players, coaches, fans and even the courts, with bold colors and signature tournament elements.

• Each court features three concentric circles radiating from center court in tonal hues of a core team color
• These circles represent the three stages of competition as teams pursue the NBA Cup: Group Play, the Quarterfinals and the Semifinals and Championship held in Las Vegas
• The NBA Cup – the trophy every team is chasing – is featured at center court and in the lane
• The jump circle at center court features team logos, while teams worked with Soloman to use a logo, wordmark or graphic over the entire court

Player Reactions: Stars like Anthony Davis, Victor Wembanyama, Paul George, Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown and more shared their initial reactions to their team’s court. Here are a few standouts:

• Bradley Beal likes the color: “The court is vibrant, man. So I think it’s just gonna continue to boost up the energy and the atmosphere.”
• Giannis Antetokounmpo sees the future: “I love it … You see the Bucks logo on the Cup, so I just envision myself winning that Cup.”
• Nikola Jokic gives an MVP stamp: “I like the colors, I like the logo in the middle. I approve it.”

The new courts will make their debut on Tuesday, Nov. 12 when Group Play opens with a TNT doubleheader featuring the Knicks visiting the Sixers and the Warriors hosting the Mavs.

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2. EARLY IMPRESSIONS: THOMPSON, RANDLE, DEROZAN SHINE

In June, the Mavericks finished three wins shy of an NBA title.

One month later, they added a generational sharpshooter in hopes of summiting the mountaintop in 2024-25.

Klay Thompson — who’s made the sixth-most 3-pointers in NBA history — sank 207 catch-and-shoot 3s last season, 65 more than any Mavericks player.

On Thursday, Dallas’ new star broke the record for most triples by a Maverick in their debut, going 6-of-10 from deep for 22 points in a 120-109 win over the Spurs. | Recap | All-Access

• Star Trio: Klay added seven boards and three steals while combining for 65 points with Luka Dončić (28 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast) and Kyrie Irving (15 pts, 2 ast, 2 stl) in the trio’s first-ever game together
• First Points, First Dub: Thompson wasted no time recording his first bucket and first 3 as a Mav, and helped spark a 21-7 Dallas run to open the 4th quarter and put the game away
• Klay On His Debut: “Wow. Just incredible … I’m not satisfied, but I’m happy for what we did tonight.”

• CP3’s First Showing: Thompson wasn’t the only veteran star debuting with a new club, as Chris Paul notched a team-high eight assists and three points in his first outing with the Spurs
• Wemby & Spurs Standouts: Victor Wembanyama added 17 points, nine boards and one block, while Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie led San Antonio with 18 points apiece
• Highlights Of The Game: This ridiculous no-look dime from Luka, and his no-look celly before a Klay 3

Julius Randle and DeMar DeRozan both went from East to West this offseason – Randle from New York to Minnesota and DeRozan from Chicago to Sacramento.

Both newcomers led their team in scoring on Thursday as Randle (33 pts, 13-17 FG, 5-6 3P) and the Wolves edged out DeRozan (26 pts, 8 reb in his debut game) and the Kings, 117-115. | Recap | Watch The Finish

• Ant-Man On Randle’s Debut: “Ohhhhhhhh my god. We told him this morning, don’t fit around us, we’ll fit around you, and he showed us today.”
• Edwards The Closer: Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 32 points in the 4th quarter, including the go-ahead free throws with 2.4 seconds left. On the Kings’ final shot, Edwards contested Keegan Murray’s potential game-winning 3 that rimmed out
• Super Subs: Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid had a double-double off the Wolves bench (19 pts, 13 reb, 4 3s), while runner-up Malik Monk had 17 points and four dimes off the Kings’ bench

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3. HEAVYWEIGHTS: OKC-DENVER DUEL, C’s ROLL

The Thunder and Nuggets finished last season with identical 57-25 records – the best mark in the Western Conference. OKC got the No. 1 seed by virtue of holding the head-to-head tiebreaker – winning the season series with Denver 3-1.

With the West expected to be just as competitive this season, these head-to-head matchups take on added importance – even in the first game of the season for both teams. The Thunder struck first with a 102-87 win behind a combined 53 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. | Recap | All-Access

Stat Sheet Stuffers: SGA (28 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) and Chet (25 pts, 14 reb, 5 ast, 4 blk) were each huge on both sides of the ball for OKC, while Nikola Jokić (16 pts, 12 reb, 13 ast) recorded the NBA’s first triple-double of the season and the 131st of his career

• Chet’s Double Stuff: No play sums up two-way Chet better than this 3rd-quarter sequence that started with blocking Jokić in the lane, then beating the Joker down the court, getting a dime from SGA and throwing down a jam that earned the second-best Dunk Score of the night (65.7)
• Remembering Mutombo: The Nuggets, who drafted Dikembe Mutombo in 1991, honored the late NBA icon with a video tribute and a 55-second standing ovation, matching the number he wore throughout his career, which is retired by Denver

Celtics 122, Wizards 102: Jordan Poole (26 pts, 4 ast, 4 stl) finished the 1st quarter with 17 points and five 3s as the Wizards jumped out to an early lead, but Jaylen Brown (27 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl) and Jayson Tatum (25 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast) rallied Boston before the half and the reigning champs pulled away to improve to 2-0. | Recap | All-Access

• C’s 3s: After tying the NBA single-game record with 29 made 3s in their season-opening win against the Knicks, Boston went 17-of-45 (37.8%) from downtown, led by Payton Pritchard (5 3P), Derrick White (4), Brown (3) and Tatum (3)
• A First On Both Ends: In his NBA debut, Washington’s No. 2 overall pick, Alex Sarr (2 pts, 5 reb, 2 blk) celebrated his first career swat with a slam on the other end for his first bucket

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4. HISTORIC RIVALS + LEGENDARY SCORERS MEET FRIDAY

159 days ago – on May 19, 2024 – the Pacers ended the Knicks season at Madison Square Garden with a Game 7 win in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, adding a new chapter to a historic NBA rivalry.

Tonight (7:30 ET, ESPN), the Knicks host the Pacers again, this time in the second game of the 2024-25 season for two teams that each have visions of another deep Playoff run.

• New Look Knicks: After posting their first 50+ win season in over a decade, the Knicks had a busy offseason to continue to upgrade their roster – acquiring Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn and Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota
• Pacers Run It Back: On the other hand, Indy’s offseason was about securing long-term deals with its core players as they look to build on a runner-up finish for the first-ever NBA Cup and its first trip to the East Finals in a decade
• All-Star Guards Clash: The marquee matchup will be in the backcourt between NY’s Jalen Brunson (29.7 ppg, 6.1 apg in the East Semis) and Indy’s Tyrese Haliburton (21.3 ppg, 7.0 apg in the series)

After facing each other twice in the preseason, the Lakers and Suns meet tonight (10 ET, ESPN) for the first of two games in the opening week of the regular season.

• If four games in the span of 23 days wasn’t enough, the teams will also meet in Group Play of the Emirates NBA Cup (Nov. 26) for a second straight year
• In the inaugural in-season competition, the Lakers beat the Suns by three points in both Group Play and the Quarterfinals on their way to securing the NBA Cup
• Scoring Stars: At the center of this matchup are two of the greatest scorers in NBA history – LeBron James and Kevin Durant – who both rank in the top eight in total points and points per game, while averaging 25+ ppg for the most seasons in league history

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5. HEAT CHECK: 3 MUST-SEE MATCHUPS BETWEEN STAR SCORERS

NBA League Pass boasts eight more games tonight, including three must-see matchups between six young scorers who made statements in their season debuts on Wednesday.

Hornets at Hawks (7:30 ET, League Pass): LaMelo Ball vs. Trae Young

• LaMelo Makes History: In Wednesday’s win against the Rockets, Ball (34 pts, 8 reb, 11 ast) became the first-ever Hornet to record 30+ points and 10+ assists in a season opener
• Ball also became just the 15th player in NBA history to record 30+ points, 5+ rebounds and 10+ assists in a season opener
• Ice Trae Tally: Meanwhile, Young (30 pts, 5 reb, 12 ast) tied Luka Dončić for the fifth-most 30/10 games in NBA history (78) in a win over the Nets

Nets at Magic (7 ET, League Pass): Cam Thomas vs. Paolo Banchero

• Brooklyn Bucket: After posting a career-high 22.5 ppg last season, Thomas began Year 4 with a bang, pouring in 36 points against Atlanta, including 20 in the 4th quarter, while splashing seven 3s
• Future Scoring Champ? NBA.com’s John Schuhmann has Thomas as a top-five candidate to win this season’s scoring title
• Magic Man: Fresh off his first All-Star campaign in his second season, Paolo (33 pts, 11 reb) put on a show to tip-off Year 3 while leading Orlando to a season-opening dub against the rival Heat

Grizzlies at Rockets (8 ET, League Pass): Ja Morant vs. Jalen Green

• Ja’s Back: In his first regular-season game in 292 days, Morant (22 pts, 10 ast) went for a double-double while going 7-of-12 from the floor. What will the Grizzlies superstar have in store tonight?
• Rocket Fuel: Another electrifying young guard, Green went off for 28 points and five 3s on Wednesday, just days after agreeing to a three-year extension with Houston

The star power continues on League Pass throughout the night as five more matchups tip off, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks taking on the Bulls before Steph Curry and the Warriors face Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz.