Starting 5, Oct. 29: Historic night for Paolo Banchero & big names ...

Abracadabra … Paolo Banchero’s latest show was simply magic.

THE LINEUP ????

Oct. 29, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Magic Man: How Paolo joined the likes of Kareem, T-Mac, Shaq and LeBron

Big Names, Big Buckets: The reigning MVP poured in 40 more on a night full of shining stars

Monster Monday: C’s surge, Fox enters Kings lore and a full roundup of Monday’s 11 games

Retooled Rematch: Fresh faces in a WCF rematch headline tonight’s slate

LP Lineup: Will the Joker stay hot in Brooklyn, and will Utah rebound against Sacramento?

BUT FIRST … ⏰

More hoops and Week 1 honors…

Tuesday features four matchups, highlighted by TNT’s doubleheader where Anthony Edwards and the Wolves will host Luka Dončić and the Mavs in a Western Conference Finals rematch (7:30 ET) before the Warriors host the Pelicans (10 ET).

POTW: The Lakers’ Anthony Davis and Celtics’ Jayson Tatum were named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 1 of the 2024-25 season (Oct. 22-27).

National Vote Early Day in the US: It’s important for your voice to be heard. It’s something you can’t take for granted. Make your game plan to vote early, or on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Tap for the NBA Elections Hub.

1. A MAGIC MONDAY FOR PAOLO

In his first NBA season, Paolo Banchero was named Kia Rookie of the Year.

In his second NBA season, he earned an All-Star selection while leading the Magic to their first Playoff appearance since 2019-20.

Now, just one week into Year 3, the 21-year-old star is already hinting at another leap and reaching new heights.

Banchero made history on Monday, erupting for a career-high 50 points — including 37 in the 1st half — on 16-of-26 shooting, while adding 13 boards, nine dimes and two blocks to lead the Magic to a 119-115 win over the Pacers. | Recap | WILD Final 3:51

1st-Half Heat: Banchero’s 37 points tied the Magic franchise record for the most in a half in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98), set by Tracy McGrady in 2003 More History: He also became just the third player in the play-by-play era to record at least 35 points, five rebounds and five assists in a half, joining James Harden (2017) and Donovan Mitchell (2023) “That was a magical 1st half for sure … felt like I was in an open gym back at home just working on my game”

Banchero entered the 4th quarter with 40 points but heated back up in the final frame to make history and seal the win — while also stamping the first 50-point game this season.

The Finish: After Anthony Black drilled a go-ahead 3 to give Orlando a 118-115 lead, Paolo notched his 50th point from the line with 10.3 seconds left to ice the game, improving Orlando’s record to 3-1 Paolo ???? Kareem: In the win, Banchero joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players since 1973-74 to record 50+ points, 13+ rebounds, 9+ assists and 2+ blocks in a game Only Four: He’s also just the fourth player in NBA history to record 50+ points and 10+ rebounds in a game at age 21 or younger, joining LeBron James, Jamal Mashburn and Rick Barry Magic Men: Paolo’s now the youngest Magic player to score 50 in a game, breaking Shaquille O’Neal’s previous record at 22 years and 45 days old. He is also the first Magic player to reach the mark since McGrady did so in 2004 Paolo Postgame: “I’m tired as hell … just proud of my team … it was going to take a full team effort [to win] and that’s what we did.”

2. BIG NAMES GET BIG BUCKETS

Down eight at the half in Toronto, the Nuggets found themselves staring at a potential 0-3 start to the season.

Instead, their stars came through for the team’s first win.

Nikola Jokić poured in 40 points along with 10 rebounds, four assists and three 3s, while Jamal Murray (17 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast) somehow got this reverse scoop layup to drop with 0.3 seconds left to send the game to OT, where Denver prevailed 127-125 against the Raptors. | Recap | OT Finish

A Jokić First: With a 41-point performance against the Clippers on Saturday, Jokić has now posted back-to-back 40 pieces for the first time in his career Roaring Raptor: Scottie Barnes (21 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast, 5 stl) notched a near triple-double for Toronto, who now sits at 1-3

On Friday, the Lakers overcame a 22-point deficit to stun the Suns at Crypto.com Arena.

In Monday’s rematch, it was Phoenix who sparked a home rally, as Devin Booker (33 pts, 3 3s) and Kevin Durant (30 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast) willed the Suns from 18 points down to beat Anthony Davis (29 pts, 15 reb, 3 blk) and the Lakers, 109-105, marking Los Angeles’ first loss of the season. | Recap | WILD Final 4:30

Suns Star Power: It’s the fourth game in which Booker and KD each dropped 30+ points apiece. In those four instances, Phoenix is 4-0 L.A. Leaders: Davis had 20 points at the half, and Austin Reaves (23 pts, 5 3s) and Rui Hachimura (20 pts, 10 reb) each finished with 20-pieces

Rockets 106, Spurs 101: In a Texas duel between two rising clubs out West, Jalen Green (36 pts, 7 3s, one vicious jam) and Victor Wembanyama (14 pts, 20 reb, 5 ast, 4 blk) both shined, but Green’s scoring outburst was too much for San Antonio to overcome, as Houston earned a wire-to-wire win to move to 2-2. | Recap

Rocket Fuel: Green knocked down six triples for 24 points (8-10 FG) in the 1st half to help Houston jump out to a 62-45 lead and notched a 37.9″ vertical on the dunk above — the highest recorded vert so far this season

Cavaliers 110, Knicks 104: Looking to improve to 4-0, Cleveland rode the hot hand of Darius Garland (34 pts, 5 3s, 12-19 FG), who dropped 15 points in the 4th quarter to help edge out Jalen Brunson (21 pts, 7 ast) and the Knicks at MSG. | Recap

Cav Contributions: Donovan Mitchell added 25 points and five dimes, while Jarrett Allen (15 pts, 15 reb) posted his second double-double in three games

3. MONDAY ROUNDUP: C’s FLEX MUSCLE, FOX MAKES HISTORY & MORE

Celtics 119, Bucks 108: After trailing 56-53 at the half, Jaylen Brown (30 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) sparked a 37-26 3rd-quarter run for the C’s, capped by — you guessed it — a Payton Pritchard(28 pts, 8 3pm) triple with 0.4 ticks left, and Boston never looked back to improve to 4-0. | Recap

Deer Duo vs. C’s 3s: Damian Lillard (33 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast) combined for 63 points, but it wasn’t enough as Boston outscored Milwaukee 54-24 from beyond the arc Sharing The Wealth: Jayson Tatum added 15 points, eight boards and four assists, and six Celtics finished in double figures

Wizards 121, Hawks 119: Jordan Poole (26 pts, 5 ast, 6 3s) and Kyle Kuzma (25 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast, 5 3s) were feeling it, and the Wizards rallied from a 13-point deficit before holding on down the stretch to sneak past Jalen Johnson (29 pts, 12 reb, 7 ast) and the Hawks in Atlanta. | Recap

No. 1 vs. No. 2: In a matchup between the two picks in this year’s Draft, Zaccharie Risacher (4 pts, 2 stl, 2 blk, +14) finished with Atlanta’s highest plus-minus, while Washington’s No. 2 pick, Alex Sarr, added seven points, nine boards and two blocks

Heat 106, Pistons 98: Jimmy Butler (23 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl) and Bam Adebayo (12 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk) were busy on both ends, while Terry Rozier (20 pts, 5 3s) and Tyler Herro (19 pts, 6 ast) combined for 39 points as the Heat staved off Cade Cunningham (24 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) and the Pistons in Miami. | Recap

Stories Of The Statue: Following its unveiling on Sunday, Dwyane Wade shared the details of his statue on Monday, which was “Wade Night” in Miami

Kings 111, Trail Blazers 98: De’Aaron Fox (24 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast) became the fifth player in Kings history to reach 10,000 career points, DeMar DeRozan poured in 23 and Domantas Sabonis (16 pts, 13 reb, 7 ast) added a double-double to lead the Kings past Deandre Ayton (20 pts, 11 reb) and the Blazers in Sacramento. | Recap

Royalty: Fox joins Oscar Robertson, Nate Archibald, Mitch Richmond and Jack Twyman as the only Kings in the 10K points club, and the win is Sacramento’s first of the season

Mavericks 110, Jazz 102: Kyrie Irving (23 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast), Klay Thompson (18 pts, 4 3s) and Luka Dončić (15 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl) combined for 56 points, and the Mavs led for the final 47 minutes in a home win over Collin Sexton (23 pts, 9-11 FG) and the Jazz. | Recap

Bulls 126, Grizzlies 123: With Ja Morant sidelined due to right thigh soreness, Desmond Bane (30 pts, 7 reb, 6 3s) stepped up for Memphis, but Zach LaVine (30 pts, 4 ast, 5 3s) and Nikola Vučević (22 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) rallied Chicago in the 4th quarter to earn a road dub. | Recap

4. 2024 WEST FINALS REMATCH HEADLINES TUESDAY’S TNT DOUBLEHEADER

Last regular season, the Timberwolves beat the Mavericks in three of their four matchups.

But in the 2024 Western Conference Finals, it was Dallas who advanced to the NBA Finals in five games.

Tonight, the two sides will meet in Minnesota for the first time since last year’s Playoff showdown in a rematch featuring two of the league’s brightest young stars (7:30 ET, TNT).

Ant-Man & Luka Magic: In last year’s WCF, both Luka Dončić (32.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 8.2 apg) and Anthony Edwards (24.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 7.8 apg) led their team in points, rebounds and assists Irving’s Impact: But Kyrie Irving added an extra boost for Dallas, posting 27.0 ppg while no other Wolves player averaged more than 20.0 Now, both teams have new stars as Dallas added Klay Thompson this offseason while Minnesota traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo With fresh faces and retooled rosters, tonight’s matchup offers a new chapter in this budding rivalry. Which team will make the opening statement?

The second leg of TNT’s doubleheader features two more Playoff contenders out West who are each 2-1, as Brandon Ingram and the Pels travel to the Bay to take on Buddy Hield and the Warriors (10 ET, TNT).

Scoring Pels: Ingram (22.7 ppg) is combining for 46.0 ppg with CJ McCollum (23.3) and New Orleans took last year’s season series (2-1) for the first time since 2011-12 Golden From 3: Through three outings, the Warriors (18.0) only trail the Celtics (21.5) for most 3s made per game in the NBA Steph’s Status: Hield (4.3), Steph Curry (3.7) and Andrew Wiggins (3.7) lead Golden State with over three 3s a game, but Curry is out until at least Friday after suffering an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss to the Clippers

5. LEAGUE PASS LINEUP: 4 SQUADS OUT FOR BIG EARLY WINS

Two more matchups tip off tonight on NBA League Pass, as last year’s Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić will lead the Nuggets against Cam Thomas and the Nets in Brooklyn before Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz host the revamped Kings.

Nuggets at Nets (7:30 ET): After dropping 40 points in Monday’s overtime victory against the Raptors, will Jokić lead the Nuggets to back-to-back wins to improve to 2-2?

Red-Hot Joker: Capped by two straight 40-pieces, Jokić (32.3 ppg) is averaging the second-most points in the NBA this season, trailing only Anthony Davis (32.8) Brooklyn Bucket: Fresh off a 32-point performance in the Nets first win over the Bucks on Sunday, Thomas is averaging 30.7 ppg, the fifth-highest mark in the league

Kings at Jazz (9 ET): Each in the second leg of a back-to-back, the Kings (1-2) will look to earn their second win in two days, while Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz (0-3) seek their first.

Sac Stars: The Kings’ star trio of Domantas Sabonis (23.0 pts, 11.0 reb, 6.0 ast), DeMar DeRozan (24.0 pts, 4.0 reb) and De’Aaron Fox (22.3 pts, 8.0 ast) are combining for an average of 69.3 ppg Building Blocks: Through three outings, Utah has six different players averaging double-digit points, led by Markkanen’s 21.7 ppg