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From October 5th, 16th: From Steph and LeBron back to Steph vs. LeBron

From October 5th, 16th: From Steph and LeBron back to Steph vs. LeBron

After a summer full of winning gold together In the colors red, white and blue, it was again the Lakers’ gold and the Warriors’ blue for LeBron James and Steph Curry.

THE LINEUP 🏀

Oct 16, 2024 | What’s in today’s edition?

Tuesday takeover: A Raptors roar and the reunion of Steph and LeBron punctuated last night’s action

Heat control: Who else shone in Tuesday’s seven games?

Lonzo’s return: 1,006 days after his last NBA game, Lonzo Ball will speak again

WNBA Finals: The Lynx host the Liberty in a crucial Game 3 of the best-of-five series

Behind closed doors: All-access training camp footage from KD, CP3, Steph, LeBron and more

BUT FIRST… ⏰

What awaits you today?

Wednesday delivers a five-game slate. Starting with a match between Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs vs. Cade Cunningham and the Pistons (7 ET, NBA TV), before Bulls guard Lonzo Ball makes his return as Chicago hosts the Wolves (8 ET, League Pass).

In a 1-1 draw in the W final The best-of-five series shifts to Minnesota, where the Lynx host the Liberty for tonight’s Game 3 (8 ET, ESPN).

Relive Wemby’s historic Year 1: Go behind the scenes with Victor Wembanyama during his 2023-24 Kia ​​Rookie of the Year campaign in a new episode of Pass the Rock.

1. TUESDAY VOLUME: OUTSTANDING DUOS AND A STAR REUNION

Raptors 119, Celtics 118: Scottie Barnes (26 pts, 9 Reb, 10 Ast) and Gradey Dick (27 pts, 6 Reb) helped Toronto to a 24-point lead in the first quarter, and the Celtics came back to pull within 67-66 Lead In the second half, the Raptors prevailed in the home straight and secured the victory. | statistics

  • C’s shoot: Jayson Tatum (24 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 1 must-see poster), Derrick White (23 pts, 3 ast) and Payton Pritchard (15 pts) each made five 3s while Jaylen Brown added 19 points
  • Clutch knock: With Boston leading 118-117, Toronto’s DJ Carton hit two free throws with 12 seconds left before Branden Carlson sealed the win with a game-saving block
  • We’ll next see Boston on Tuesday If you Raise the banner 18 at the TD Garden before the 2024-25 regular season opener against the Knicks. Toronto will conclude its preseason on Friday against Brooklyn

Warriors 111, Lakers 97: Moses Moody (21 pts, 5 3s) and Steph Curry (16 pts, 6 ast, 3 3s) combined for 37 points and eight 3s to lead the Warriors past Anthony Davis (24 pts, 12 rebs) and the Lakers remained undefeated (5:0) in the previous season. | statistics

  • Rookies and the Vet: Dalton Knecht scored 16 of his 19 points (including four 3s) in the 2nd half, Bronny James had a bucket, a board and a block in nine minutes, while LeBron James finished with six points and four dimes
  • New venue, same Steph: curry hosts a pregame show wherever he plays – on Tuesday it was at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – while LA’s Austin Reaves played LeBron loves his Scoop 3 during warm-up

Jazz 117, Kings 114: Keyonte George (24 pts, 5 ast) and Lauri Markkanen (21 pts, 4 reb) combined for 45 points as the Jazz defeated the Kings in a game that featured 20 lead changes. Utah improved to 4-1 in the preseason while Sacramento fell to 0-4. | statistics

  • Double-Double King: Domantas Sabonis (29 pts, 17 rebs, 8 ast) recorded his second double-double of the preseason after leading the NBA with 77 last season. De’Aaron Fox (22 points, 5 asts, 1 buzzer-beater), Keegan Murray (21 points, 5 3s) and DeMar DeRozan (17 points, 5 stl) combined for 60 points

Thunder 124, Nuggets 94: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19 pts, 5 ast) led six Thunder players in double figures in a 30-point win over the Nuggets, who played without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook. | statistics

  • OKC3: Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe each scored 14 points and combined to make six of OKC’s 17 3s, compared to just 10 for Denver

2. Heat Control, Garden Bloom and some rocket fire

Heat 120, Spurs 117: Bam Adebayo tied for a game-high 20 points, joined by Jaime Jaquez Jr. (15 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast), Tyler Herro (14 pts, 4 ast) and Jimmy Butler (12 pts, 4 reb, 3). Stl) supported. and Duncan Robinson (10 pts, 4 ast) in double figures as the Heat edged out the Spurs. | statistics

  • What can’t Wemby do? Victor Wembanyama (8pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk) turned a pickpocket into an alley-oop assist for Jeremy Sochan (18pts, 11 Reb) to highlight his busy first half
  • New Spurs Spark: San Antonio’s newly signed free agent Chris Paul (13 points) and his No. 4 overall pick, Stephon Castle (6 points), each dished out five cents

Knicks 111, Hornets 105: Precious Achiuwa (20 pts, 16 pts) dominated the glass, scoring 38 points along with Miles McBride (18 pts, 5 pts) to lead the Knicks past Brandon Miller (26 pts, 5 pts, 3 pts, 6 pts) over the Hornets . | statistics

  • NY Spotlight: Cameron Payne and Pacome Dadiet, this year’s No. 25 overall pick, each scored 16 points, while fellow freshman Tyler Kolek (7pts, 8reb, 9ast) filled the stat sheet
  • Charlotte stars: LaMelo Ball added 14 points and seven dimes for the Hornets, and their No. 6 overall pick, Tidjane Salaun, had 13 points and eight boards
  • Garden jams: Ariel Hukporti threw two monster slams, including the one-handed hammer above

Rockets 118, Pelicans 98: Jalen Green (19 points, 6 points) led five Rockets in double figures, and Houston had 14 different players score at least one basket en route to a victory over Brandon Ingram (18 points, 3 points, 3 points) and the Pels. | statistics

  • Notable names: Dejounte Murray had 12 points, six rebounds and seven dimes for New Orleans – which got a game-high 20 points from Jordan Hawkins – while Alperen Sengun had 12 points, six boards and three assists for Houston

3. LONZO BALL’S LONG WALK BACK TO COURT

It has been 1,006 days since Lonzo Ball last played an NBA game.

But tonight, The Bulls guard and former No. 2 overall pick plans to take the floor for the first time since Jan. 14, 2022, when Chicago hosts Anthony Edwards and the Wolves (8 ET, League Pass).

  • Ball’s backstory: After two seasons with both the Lakers (2017-19) and Pelicans (2019-21), Ball was acquired by Chicago ahead of the 2021-22 season, where he averaged 13 points and 5.1 assists while at 3 of 35 42.3% games scored
  • The injury: However, a lingering left knee injury derailed his season, ultimately requiring three surgeries to repair, including meniscus and cartilage replacement
  • “It has started on the Lakers when I ripped [my meniscus] the first time,” Ball said. “I tore it a few more times until there was no meniscus left and there was bone-on-bone friction. So the cartilage was gone. The bone was broken.”

The injury forced Ball to miss the last two and a half seasons. and he says it took about 14 or 15 months for the problem with his knee to be diagnosed. He suffered several setbacks as he struggled with pain when jumping or even climbing stairs.

But tonight he will take a monumental step en route to his goal of playing against the Raptors in Chicago’s regular-season opener next Wednesday.

  • “That’s the plan that I’m there and I haven’t had any setbacks. I expect to play the first game… I firmly believe that.”

Four more matches will take place on Wednesday. including Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs vs. Cade Cunningham and the Pistons on NBA TV and three additional games on NBA League Pass.

4. WNBA FINALS: LYNX HOST LIBERTY FOR DECISIVE GAME 3

The 2024 WNBA Finals have moved from Brooklyn to Minneapolis for tonight’s deciding Game 3 between the Lynx and Liberty (8 ET, ESPN).

How we got here

What is at stake

  • Since the 2005 WNBA Finals were played in a best-of-five format, The series was tied 1-1 14 times. The winner of Game 3 won 71.4% of the time (10-4).

What you should see

  • The 1st quarter: The Liberty took double-digit leads in the first two games in Brooklyn. Between the regular season and playoffs combined, NY is 29-3 when winning in the first quarter. Can the lynx have a better start at home?
  • 19 points away: Collier enters Game 3 of the 2024 playoffs with 227 points scored (25.3 per game) – the fourth-most points ever. If she scores more than 19 points tonight, she will pass Maya Moore, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi to win the postseason with the highest points total of all time
  • The X Factor: In their Game 1 win, the Lynx got 10 points from Natisha Hiedeman in 13 minutes off the bench. In their Game 2 win, the Liberty had Betnijah Laney-Hamilton match her season-high 20 points, including a crucial 3 to stop Minnesota’s rally. Who will make the difference in Game 3?
  • Closing time: The first two games of the series were both decided in the final period, with the winning team going on a 12-0 run in the final minutes. Both teams have played 20 decisive games between the regular season and the playoffs – the Liberty have a record of 16-4 (.800) while the Lynx have a record of 12-8 (.600).

5. BEHIND LOCKED DOORS: ALL ACCESS TO THE TRAINING CAMP

Every NBA title run begins in training camp. where each of the league’s 30 squads comes together as a team for the first time. This is where chemistry is forged, culture is created and the foundation for the season is laid.

During these crucial days While games typically take place behind closed doors, our open-access cameras have captured exclusive footage giving fans a glimpse into the teams’ training sessions as the season approaches.

  • Pop & CP3: Take a look inside the gym in San Antonio where Chris Paul is hitting triples and receiving wisdom from Gregg Popovich
  • Veterinarians in the valley: What does an individual training session look like for Phoenix’s trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal?
  • Suns warm up: Battle up and down with Phoenix in a packed scrimmage that feels like a regular season game

  • Steph Mic’d Up: Work hard, play hard. Steph Curry keeps the energy high as Golden State prepares for another title run
  • A special Lakers look: A day in the life of LeBron James and the Lakers at work, from the weight room to the practice floor
  • “Look at this”: Heat star Tyler Herro can talk the talk and follow through with action
  • Summer in 10 seconds: What was the best part of these NBA stars’ summer?