{"id":947735,"date":"2026-10-31T15:36:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T15:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/947735\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T15:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T15:36:23","slug":"starting-5-a-spooktacular-start-to-the-emirates-nba-cup-wnba-finals-game-7-awaits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/947735\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5: A Spooktacular start to the Emirates NBA Cup, WNBA Finals Game 7 awaits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cCurry! Insane!\u201d<\/p>\n

The night before Halloween, Steph and Luka dueled in the Bay.<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Western Powers: Warriors use historic comeback to beat Lakers, Mavs hand Rockets first loss<\/p>\n

Beastly East: Wizards lock down defensively to open Emirates NBA Cup action<\/p>\n

Grizzlies Feasting: A look at Cameron Boozer\u2019s playmaking as the Grizzlies seek to go to 6-0<\/p>\n

Fearsome Facts: Five early-season takeaways, including the value of a double-digit lead<\/p>\n

A Bag Full Of Treats: NBC\u2019s Jamal Crawford discusses Luka\u2019s brilliance, Derrick Rose and sharing the backcourt with greatness<\/p>\n

BUT FIRST \u2026 \u23f0<\/p>\n

\"Tonight's<\/p>\n

We have seven games for you on this spookiest of holidays, including an NBA TV doubleheader featuring Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers and the Grizzlies\u2019 attempt to remain undefeated.<\/p>\n

The best two words in sports: Game 7. Which team will be crowned a champion for the first time as Gabby Williams and the Golden State Valkyries host Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center in San Francisco\u00a0(8 ET, USA\/Peacock\/CNBC<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

Celebrating NBA Pioneers: On Oct. 31, 1950, Earl Lloyd stepped onto the court and into history as the first Black player to play in an NBA game<\/a>, becoming a Pioneer in the NBA. Fellow NBA Pioneers, Chuck Cooper made his debut for the Boston Celtics<\/a> on Nov. 1, and Nat \u201cSweetwater\u201d Clifton made his debut on Nov. 4<\/a> for the New York Knicks. | Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

1. CURRY LEADS WARRIORS\u2019 COMEBACK, KYRIE, COOP PUSH DALLAS TO CUP-OPENING WIN
\n\"[<\/p>\n

Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Lakers led 38-15 after one.<\/p>\n

The Warriors won the second quarter 38-15.<\/p>\n

Historic comeback in the Bay.<\/p>\n

Warriors 112, Lakers 95: After Golden State fell behind early, Stephen Curry (31 pts, 8 3PM<\/a>) hit a vintage flurry to lead the Dubs back and outdo Luka Don\u010di\u0107 (37 pts) and the Lakers. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

The Don: Luka put up 21 points, 5 3PM and 5 assists in the first quarter, becoming the first player in NBA history to record multiple career quarters with 20+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ 3PM
\nFlipping The Script: Coming into today, no team in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55) had ever trailed by 23+ at the end of the first quarter and then come back to tie or take the lead<\/a> at halftime
\nA Human Highlight: In the win, Curry passed Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 18th on the all-time scoring list and joined LeBron James as the only players 38 or older to put up 30+ PTS, 5+ AST, and 8+ 3PM in a game<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been more than a year since we\u2019ve seen Kyrie at his best.<\/p>\n

Friday night, he gave us a treat, leading the Mavericks over the undefeated Rockets to open the Emirates NBA Cup.<\/p>\n

Mavericks 116, Rockets 111: Kyrie Irving (35 pts, 16 in the 4th, 9 ast) and Cooper Flagg (33 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast) dominated as Dallas overcame an eight-point 4th-quarter deficit to seize a game that featured nine lead changes and 10 ties. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Teen Scream: Flagg is now the second teenager to average 25+ ppg through the first five games of an NBA season, joining LeBron James<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Jesse D. Garrabrant\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

76ers 98, Knicks 93: The reigning Emirates NBA Cup and NBA champions<\/a> came back from 14-down to take a 90-89 lead with 1:32 to go, but LeBron (20 pts, six in the 4th<\/a>) and the Sixers responded and closed out the victory<\/a>. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Guards On The Attack: Tyrese Maxey (27 pts) led Philly in scoring, while Anfernee Simons (21 pts on 7-for-11 FGA) was big off the bench
\nA King\u2019s Garb: This young fan rocked his LeBron costume<\/a><\/p>\n

Heat 145, Pacers 125: Giannis Antetokounmpo (31 pts on 19 FGA, 18 reb, 10 ast<\/a>) put up a monster triple-double, aided by Bam Adebayo (27 pts) and Davion Mitchell (15 pts, 11 ast), and defeated Indiana. |\u00a0Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Sparking The Heat: Giannis is the first Heat player to put up 30\/15\/10 on 65% or better shooting in franchise history
\nSplash Time: Klay Thompson (25 pts, 7 3PM<\/a>) went off for his best game of the young season<\/p>\n

2. WIZARDS SQUASH HORNETS, MAGIC TRAP RAPTORS
\n\"[<\/p>\n

Scott Taetsch\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Wizards 95, Hornets 79: Anthony Davis (25 pts, 13 reb<\/a>) and Trae Young (21 pts, 9 ast) paced Washington, which held Charlotte to a season-low 79 points in the Wizards\u2019 best defensive showing since March 9, 2015. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

The Rook Can Cook: AJ Dybantsa finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds in his home debut<\/p>\n

Celtics 125, Bulls 111: Payton Pritchard (30 pts on 17 FGA<\/a>) starred off the bench, aiding Jayson Tatum (26 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) in overcoming a solid performance from Caleb Wilson (23 pts, 6 3PM). | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Nathaniel S. Butler\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Pistons 110, Nets 94: Cade Cunningham (20 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and Ron Holland II (18 pts, 4 stl) kept this stalwart Pistons squad at the top of the East, denying the Nets their first win of the season. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Magic 121, Raptors 114: Franz Wagner (26 pts, 11 ast) and Desmond Bane (28 pts, 6 3PM) lifted Orlando to a road win, as the Magic shot 18-for-34 (52.9%) from 3-point range to overcome a career-high night from Scottie Barnes (41 pts, 2 stl) and Toronto. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Timberwolves 127, Clippers 101: LaMelo Ball (24 pts, 7 ast) sparked the Timberwolves to their first win without Anthony Edwards, leading six Minnesota players in double figures. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Nuggets 127, Suns 120: Jamal Murray (39 pts) went supernova, putting up 15 points in the third quarter to lead Denver over Phoenix. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Braun Brawn: Christian Braun (31 pts, 7 3PM) set a new career high in scoring and threes in the win<\/p>\n

3. LEAGUE PASS: BOOZER, GRIZZ LOOK TO CONTINUE HOT START
\n\"[<\/p>\n

Alex Goodlett\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Cameron Boozer and the undefeated Grizzlies are in rare territory, seeking to match their franchise record, set in 2014-15, with a 6-0 start against the Kings (8 ET, League Pass).<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve delivered on both sides, putting up the sixth-best ORTG (116.8) and fifth-best DRTG (104.9) in the Association, limiting opponents to a stingy 10.2 fast break points per game in the process.<\/p>\n

Nothing But Net: The Grizzlies are first in the league in 3-point percentage, shooting 39.9% from deep, and second in free-throw percentage (84.7%)
\nBoarding: Memphis is first in rebounds per game (50.8), third in offensive boards (14.6), and fifth in second-chance points per game (17.6)<\/p>\n

The craft and hustle have been evident, including from their prized rookie.<\/p>\n

Boozer\u2019s playmaking has shone in the early going, including in Thursday\u2019s 124-103 win over the Trail Blazers, when he became the second-youngest player<\/a> in NBA history to amass a triple-double.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s second among rookies with 6.2 ast and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.82) \u2014\u00a0a neat trick for a 19-year-old power forward.<\/p>\n

Check out how Boozer reads the angles of the game.<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Textbook passing off the short roll here, as Boozer finds Cedric Coward open in the corner.<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

Boozer draws the defense with the Iverson cut, then dumps the ball to the 7-foot-3 Zach Edey for the easy floater.<\/p>\n

\"[<\/p>\n

The rookie plays with his eyes up, showing a comfortable handle. Here, he finds Isaiah Stewart streaking ahead for the dunk.<\/p>\n

Darius Acuff Jr. has been a force of his own for Sacramento, putting up two 30+ point games in his first five outings. Which rook will shine Saturday?<\/p>\n

We also have an NBA TV doubleheader, as Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers look to keep rolling against the Hornets (6 ET<\/a>) before the Rockets look to stay unbeaten as well against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder (8:30 ET<\/a>).<\/p>\n

4. 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE START OF THE SEASON
\n\"[<\/p>\n

Brian Sevald\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

NBA.com<\/a>\u2019s John Schuhmann has the numbers you need to know about this early NBA season, including a look at the value of a double-digit lead, which Cade Cunningham and the Pistons overcame by rallying from 22-down in the first game of the campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast season (regular season, Play-In and playoffs combined), teams were:<\/p>\n

615-23 (.964) when leading by at least 20 points.
\n1,145-354 (.764) when leading by at least 10 points.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, even 10-point leads are significant. Of course, 10 or 20-point leads don\u2019t mean quite as much as they did 25 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the first five seasons of play-by-play data (1996-97 through 2000-01), teams had a winning percentage of .807 when leading by double-digits and .972 when leading by at least 20 points.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a> of Schuhmann\u2019s takeaways, including a look at the specific value of knocking down an above-average percentage of 3-pointers, on NBA.com.<\/p>\n

5. JAMAL CRAWFORD ON LUKA, D ROSE & MORE
\n\"[<\/p>\n

Harry How\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

20-year NBA veteran and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford has thoughts about Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s inimitable game, playing with Stephon Marbury and Chris Paul, facing Derrick Rose and Nikola Joki\u0107, and much more in this week\u2019s mailbag.<\/p>\n

What makes Luka so difficult to defend? \u2013 from Blake in Provo, UT\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always talk about pace, but the thing that\u2019s special about Luka is that his pace can make you go his pace as a defender. You\u2019re at the mercy of whatever he wants to do. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re more athletic or you\u2019re stronger. He\u2019s going to put you in such a trick bag that you\u2019re going to be uncomfortable, or you\u2019re gonna say, \u2018Well, that was good defense, but he made a tough shot.\u2019 But for him, he\u2019s so at peace with his game that he\u2019s just unbothered.\u201d | Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

Want to share\u00a0Starting\u00a05\u00a0with a friend?\u00a0Send them this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shape the Starting 5.\u00a0\u00a0Email us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t have the NBA App? Download it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n