Back to Basics: Steph vs. LeBron, Oct. 16 Starting Lineup

After a summer of winning gold together in the red, white and blue, it was back to Lakers gold and Warriors blue for LeBron James and Steph Curry.

THE LINEUP

Oct. 16, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Tuesday Takeover: A Raptors roar and Steph & LeBron reunion highlighted last night’s action

Heat Check: Who else shined during Tuesday’s seven-game slate?

Lonzo’s Return: 1,006 days since his last NBA game, Lonzo Ball’s set to take the floor again

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

Behind Closed Doors: All-access training camp footage of KD, CP3, Steph, LeBron & more

BUT FIRST … ⏰

What’s in store today?

Wednesday delivers a five-game slate, beginning with a matchup 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).

With the W Finals tied 1-1, 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’S TAPE: STANDOUT DUOS & A STAR REUNION

Raptors 119, Celtics 118: Scottie Barnes (26 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast) and Gradey Dick (27 pts, 6 reb) helped Toronto jump out to a 24-point lead in the 1st quarter, and although the Celtics came back to go up 67-66 at the half, the Raptors prevailed down the stretch for the win. | Stats

C’s Shooting: 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) hit five 3s apiece, while Jaylen Brown added 19 pointsClutch Raps: With Boston holding a 118-117 lead, Toronto’s D.J. Carton knocked down a pair of go-ahead free throws with 12 seconds left before Branden Carlson sealed the win with a game-saving blockThe next time we’ll see Boston is Tuesday

when they

raise banner 18

at TD Garden ahead of the 2024-25 regular-season opener against the Knicks. Toronto will close out its preseason on Friday vs. 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 reb) and the Lakers to remain unbeaten (5-0) in the preseason. | Stats

Rookies And The Vet: Dalton Knecht scored 16 of his 19 points (with 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 dimesNew Venue, Same Steph:

Curry

puts on a pregame show

wherever he plays – on Tuesday it was T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – while L.A.’s Austin Reaves had

LeBron loving his scoop 3

during warmups

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. | Stats

Double-Double King: Domantas Sabonis (29 pts, 17 reb, 8 ast) posted his second double-double of the preseason after leading the NBA with 77 last season. De’Aaron Fox (22 pts, 5 ast, 1 buzzer-beater), Keegan Murray (21 pts, 5 3s) and DeMar DeRozan (17 pts, 5 stl) combined to add 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. | Stats

OKC3: Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe scored 14 points apiece while combining for six of OKC’s 17 3s compared to just 10 for Denver

2. HEAT CHECK, GARDEN FLOURISH & SOME ROCKETS FIRE

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

What Can’t Wemby Do? Victor Wembanyama (8 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk) turned a pickpocket into a cost-to-coast alley-oop assist to Jeremy Sochan (18 pts, 11 reb) to highlight his busy 1st halfNew Spurs Spark:

San Antonio’s newly signed free agent Chris Paul (13 pts) and its No. 4 overall pick, Stephon Castle (6 pts), each dished out five dimes

Knicks 111, Hornets 105: Precious Achiuwa (20 pts, 16 reb) was dominant on the glass and combined for 38 points with Miles McBride (18 pts, 5 ast) to lead the Knicks past Brandon Miller (26 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 6 3s) and the Hornets. | Stats

NY Spotlight: Cameron Payne and this year’s No. 25 overall pick, Pacome Dadiet, notched 16 points apiece, while fellow rookie Tyler Kolek (7 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast) stuffed the stat sheetCharlotte Stars: LaMelo Ball added 14 points and seven dimes for the Hornets, and their No. 6 overall pick, Tidjane Salaun, tallied 13 points and eight boardsGarden Jams:

Ariel Hukporti threw down two monster slams, including the one-handed hammer above

Rockets 118, Pelicans 98: Jalen Green (19 pts, 6 reb) led five Rockets in double figures, and Houston had 14 different players score at least one bucket on its way to a win over Brandon Ingram (18 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) and the Pels. | Stats

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

3. LONZO BALL’S LONG ROAD BACK TO THE COURT

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

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

Ball’s Backstory: Following two seasons with both the Lakers (2017-19) and Pelicans (2019-21), Ball was acquired by Chicago ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, in which he averaged 13 points and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% from 3 in 35 gamesThe Injury: However, a lingering left knee injury derailed his season, which ultimately required three surgeries to repair, including meniscus and cartilage replacements“It started

on the Lakers when I tore [my meniscus] the first time,” said Ball. “Tore it a couple more times to a point to where there was no more meniscus left, with bone-on-bone rubbing. So the cartilage was gone. The bone was messed up.”

The injury forced Ball to miss the last 2 1/2 seasons, and he says it took around 14 or 15 months to identify the problem with his knee. He faced several setbacks, dealing with pain while jumping or even climbing stairs.

But tonight, he’ll take a monumental step toward his goal of playing in Chicago’s regular-season opener next Wednesday against the Raptors.

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

Four more matchups get underway Wednesday, including Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs vs. Cade Cunningham and the Pistons on NBA TV and three additional games on NBA League Pass.

Cavaliers at Pistons (7 ET, NBA TV)Nets at 76ers (7 ET, League Pass)Hawks at Heat (7:30 ET, League Pass)Ratiopharm Ulm at Trail Blazers

(

10 ET, League Pass

)

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

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

How We Got Here

Game 1 (Lynx 95, Liberty 93, OT): Down by as many as 18, the Lynx rallied past the Liberty behind a clutch four-point play by Courtney WilliamsGame 2 (Liberty 80, Lynx 66):

Once again the Lynx got down big and rallied to make it a one-possession game, but this time New York had an answer, closing the game on a 12-0 run to even the series

What’s At Stake

Since the WNBA Finals went to a best-of-five in 2005, the series has been tied 1-1 14 times. The winner of Game 3 has gone on to win 71.4% (10-4) of the time

What To Watch

The 1st Quarter: The Liberty jumped out to double-digit leads in the first two games in Brooklyn. Between the regular season and Playoffs combined, NY is 29-3 when winning the 1st quarter. Can the Lynx get off to a better start at home?19 Points Away: Collier enters Game 3 with 227 points scored (25.3 per game) in the 2024 Playoffs – the fourth-most all-time. If she scores 19+ points tonight, she’ll pass Maya Moore, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi for the highest-scoring postseason everThe 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 saw Betnijah Laney-Hamilton match her season-high with 20 points, including a clutch 3 to halt Minnesota’s rally. Who will be the difference maker in Game 3?Closing Time: The first two games of the series were both decided in clutch time with the winning team using a 12-0 run in the closing minutes. Both teams have played in 20 clutch games between the regular season and Playoffs – the Liberty are 16-4 (.800), while the Lynx are 12-8 (.600)

5. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: ALL-ACCESS AT TRAINING CAMP

Every NBA title run begins at training camp, where each of the league’s 30 rosters come together for the first time as a team. It’s where chemistry is forged, culture is created and the foundation for the season is set.

While these crucial days typically unfold behind closed doors, our all-access cameras captured exclusive footage, giving fans an inside look at teams’ training sessions as the season nears.

Pop & CP3: Peek into the gym in San Antonio where Chris Paul is hitting triples and receiving wisdom from Gregg PopovichVets In The Valley: What does an individual training session look like for Phoenix’s trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal?Suns Heating Up:

Go up and down with Phoenix in a full-court 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 preps for another title chaseA Special Lakers Look: A day in the life of LeBron James and the Lakers at work, from the weight room to the practice floor“Watch This”: Heat star Tyler Herro can talk the talk and walk the walkSummer In 10 Seconds:

What was the best part of these NBA stars’ summer?