Big names shine bright as Paolo Banchero makes history on Oct. 29

Abracadabra ... Paolo Banchero's most recent performance was truly spellbinding.

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 2003More 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 3-1Paolo 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 gameOnly 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 BarryMagic 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 2004Paolo 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 careerRoaring 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 4-0L.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 arcSharing 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 assistsIrving’s Impact: But Kyrie Irving added an extra boost for Dallas, posting 27.0 ppg while no other Wolves player averaged more than 20.0Now, 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 DiVincenzoWith 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 2011-12Golden From 3: Through three outings, the Warriors (18.0) only trail the Celtics (21.5) for most 3s made per game in the NBASteph’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 ppgBuilding Blocks: Through three outings, Utah has six different players averaging double-digit points, led by Markkanen’s 21.7 ppg