Starting 5, Nov. 2: Ant sparks thrilling Wolves comeback against Game 7 rematch; OKC & Cleveland maintain flawless record

Yet another thrilling Wolves-Nuggets matchup, yet another impressive comeback by Minnesota.

THE LINEUP

Nov. 2, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Friday Fireworks: A Game 7 rematch delivered while two teams remained unbeaten

Dynamic Duos: LeBron & AD make history, Brunson & KAT cook

30-Piece, Please: Four big nights for four stars led to four dubs

Goin’ Global: The 33rd NBA game in Mexico tips off tonight on a special Saturday

Highlight Alert: An Ant vs. Wemby showdown headlines nine games on League Pass

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A worldwide day of hoops…

In the first Global Game of the regular season,

Jimmy Butler and the Heat will take on Jordan Poole and the Wizards in the Mexico City Game 2024 (

9:30 ET, NBA TV

).

Nine more games tip off on NBA League Pass, along with Vince Carter’s No. 15 Raptors jersey retirement as Toronto hosts Sacramento (7:30 ET) before a matchup between Anthony Edwards and the Wolves versus Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs (8 ET).

1. TWO GAME 7 REMATCHES & TWO PERFECT RECORDS ON THE LINE

In Game 7 of the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals, the Timberwolves overcame a 20-point 2nd-half deficit to oust the defending champion Nuggets on their home floor, marking the largest Game 7 comeback in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98).

In Friday’s rematch, Minnesota rallied again.

Despite holding a 16-point lead in the 2nd quarter, the Wolves (3-2) found themselves down seven with 2:30 left, but then Anthony Edwards (29 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 7 3s) ignited a 10-0 unanswered run to stun Nikola Jokić (26 pts, 9 reb, 13 ast) and the Nuggets, 119-116, in another thriller. | Recap | Final 7:51

Denver’s Run: Minnesota led by 12 early in the 4th but managed just five points over six minutes as Jokić and Aaron Gordon (31 pts, 11 reb, 5 3s) took charge, with Christian Braun’s vicious jam fueling Denver’s momentumMinny’s Comeback: Nickeil Alexander-Walker gave the Wolves life with a 3, then Edwards splashed another triple before dropping in a go-ahead floater with 26 ticks left, sending the Target Center crowd into a frenzyAfter a fourth straight stop, Rudy Gobert (17 pts, 14 reb) sunk a pair of free throws to put the Wolves up three, and Jokić’s last-second shot missed at the buzzer“It’s always a great game,” Edwards said after the win. “I love going against those guys … I look forward to it.”

With seven 3s in the win, Edwards leads the NBA with 29 made triples, while shooting a career-high 43.3% from deep.

Elite Company: The only player who had more 3s through the first five games of a season? Steph Curry, with 33 in 2018-19

For just the third time in franchise history, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 6-0.

In another Game 7 rematch of the 2024 Playoffs, Darius Garland (25 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast) and Donovan Mitchell (22 pts, 9-15 FG) helped the Cavs jump out to a 34-16 lead in the 1st quarter, and Cleveland never looked back for a 120-109 win over Jalen Suggs (career-high 28 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl) and the Magic (3-3). | Recap

It’s the Cavs’ best start since 2016-17, when they also opened the season at 6-0, and their best start without LeBron James since 1976-77 (8-0)Cleveland Contributions: Evan Mobley (14 pts, 12 reb) and Caris LeVert (13 pts, 7 ast) combined for 27 points, and the Cavs — who are second in the league in 3-point percentage (40.8) — buried 15 triplesMitchell:

“It’s a whole team effort, it’s a group thing and for us that is truly the name of the game … everybody down the line did their job and that’s what it takes for us to be who we want to be.”

Thunder 137, Trail Blazers 114: Out West, the NBA’s only other remaining undefeated team also kept their record unblemished as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast) and Jalen Williams (22 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl) powered the Thunder past Jerami Grant (17 pts, 3 reb) and the Blazers, improving OKC to 5-0. | Recap

Potential OKC History: It’s the Thunder’s first 5-0 start since 2011-12 — the last season they made the NBA Finals — and the franchise hasn’t gone 6-0 since moving to Oklahoma City

2. DYNAMIC DUOS: AD & LEBRON, BRUNSON & KAT SHINE

Before the sixth game of his record-tying 22nd NBA season, LeBron James played 1-on-1 against his son and teammate Bronny James during warmups.

For those who arrived at the arena closer to tip-off, James made his longevity even more apparent during the game.

Lakers 131, Raptors 125: James (27 pts, 10 ast) and Anthony Davis (38 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk) put on a show – and each made history in the process — while the Lakers (4-2) built a 43-19 lead in the 1st quarter and staved off a late Toronto comeback fueled by RJ Barrett (33 pts, 12 ast) and Gradey Dick (career-high 31 pts, 5 3s). | Recap

Never Seen Before: At 39 years and 307 days old, James became the oldest player in NBA history to record 25+ points and 10+ assists while committing zero turnovers in a game, topping Steve Nash’s previous record (38 years, 34 days old)AD Shaq:

Davis joined Shaquille O’Neal as the only Lakers to average 30+ points, 10+ rebounds and 2+ blocks over the first six games of a season (since blocks and steals were first recorded in 1974-75)

Knicks 128, Pistons 98: Jalen Brunson had 26 points at the half on his way to a season-high 36 (14-22 FG, 6-8 3P) along with five dimes, as he and Karl-Anthony Towns (21 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast) helped the Knicks (3-2) open the game on a 23-8 run to eventually secure a wire-to-wire win over Cade Cunningham (22 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and the Pistons (1-5). | Recap

KAT Earning His Stripes: Towns now has four double-doubles on the year and a total of 111 points in his first five games with New YorkThe only player with more points in their first five games with the Knicks? Carmelo Anthony, with 130Brunson:

“On any given night, we got a bunch of guys that can do a lot of crazy things on the stat sheet.”

3. 30-PIECES WITH A SIDE OF DUBS

Pelicans 125, Pacers 118: Zion Williamson (34 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast) dropped 16 points in the 4th quarter for his first career 30 pt/10 ast game, while Brandon Ingram added 26 points, six boards and seven dimes to push the Pels past Pascal Siakam (16 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast), Tyrese Haliburton (11 pts, 11 ast) and the Pacers. | Recap

NOLA Bounce: Yves Missi highlighted the win with a thunderous poster above, which registered the fourth-highest Dunk Score of the season (101.0)

Celtics 124, Hornets 109: After suffering their first loss of the season in Indiana on Wednesday, Jayson Tatum (32 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Jaylen Brown (25 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) and the Celtics (5-1) rebounded by staving off LaMelo Ball (31 pts, 4 ast, 5 3s) and the Hornets (2-3) in Charlotte. | Recap

Kings 123, Hawks 115: De’Aaron Fox (31 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast) and DeMar DeRozan (27 pts, 8 reb) were feeling it, and Domantas Sabonis (15 pts, 14 reb, 6 ast) and Keegan Murray (14 pts, 10 reb) notched double-doubles as the Kings (3-2) edged out Trae Young (25 pts, 12 ast) and the Hawks (2-4) for their third straight dub. | Recap

Nets 120, Bulls 112: Ben Simmons (8 pts, 8 reb, 11 ast) stuffed the stat sheet, and with Brooklyn clinging to a 110-109 lead, Cam Thomas (32 pts, 4 ast) scored 10 straight points — capped by this 3 from the parking lot — to lift the Nets over Nikola Vučević (28 pts, 11 reb, 10-11 FG) and the Bulls. | Recap

4. MEXICO CITY GAME: HEAT, WIZARDS MEET ON DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

On Saturday night, the game goes global as Jimmy Butler and the Heat take on Jordan Poole and the Wizards in the NBA Mexico City Game 2024 (9:30 ET, NBA TV).

As the league’s 33rd matchup in Mexico since 1992 – the most in any country outside the U.S. and Canada – this game adds an extra element to the NBA’s history abroad, coinciding with Mexico’s traditional Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations locally.

With both teams at 2-2, which squad will celebrate the holiday with their third dub of the season? Will it be the Wizards, seeking a third straight win — or the Heat, looking to improve to 3-0 all-time in regular-season games in Mexico?

Another Nail-Biter? Miami hasn’t lost a season series to Washington since 2014-15, but five of the last eight matchups between the two sides have been decided by seven points or lessJimmy Buckets: Last season, the Heat went 3-1 against the Wizards, led by Butler’s 21.0 ppg (53.8% FG) and 6.5 rpgTyler & Terry: This season, Tyler Herro (22.3 ppg) and Terry Rozier (18.5) lead Miami in scoring, and they’re the first starting backcourt in franchise history to each score 14+ points in the first four games of a seasonWiz Kid: On the other side, sophomore guard Bilal Coulibaly has posted 15+ points in a career-best three straight games, capped by a career-high 27 in Wednesday’s win over AtlantaSarr Shining:

On the interior, this year’s No. 2 overall pick, Alex Sarr, has multiple blocks in each of his first four games, tied for the fourth-longest streak to start a career in NBA history

While Saturday marks the third time Miami will play in Mexico, it’s the first for second-year standout and Mexican-American forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., whose father’s family hails from Guadalajara.

Mexican Pride: Jaquez Jr., a member of the 2023-24 NBA All-Rookie First Team, competed for Mexico at the 2019 Pan American Games — and helped to celebrate the trip by donning a Día de Los Muertos mask on Friday.“It’s going to be exciting … We’re ready to go down and put on a great show, help grow the game of basketball as best as we can …“I know it speaks loud

to people knowing that I have Mexican heritage and to be able to play down there in front of all those fans … it’s going to be inspiring.”

5. HIGHLIGHT WATCH: ANT-MAN vs. WEMBY ON LEAGUE PASS

Nine games tip off tonight on League Pass, headlined by a matchup featuring two players ready to provide a viral moment every time they step on the court.

Timberwolves at Spurs (8 ET): In a must-see meeting between two young superstars, the high-flying Anthony Edwards will go head-to-head against the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, who made history two days ago.

Rare Athletes: Edwards had three of the top four dunks in last season’s top 100 countdown, while Wemby posted his second career 5×5 game (25 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 5 stl, 5 blk) in a win over the Jazz on Friday, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (6) and Andrei Kirilenko (3) as the only players with multiple career 5×5 gamesAnt Ignition: Fresh off a 29-point performance against Denver, Edwards is currently sixth in the league in scoring (29.8 ppg)Leading by Example: Meanwhile, Wemby leads the Spurs in points (18.2), rebounds (10.6) and blocks (3.2) per game, joining Anthony Davis as the only players leading their teams in all three categoriesFrench Connection: Wembanyama’s counterpart inside will be fellow Frenchman and 2023-24 DPOY, Rudy Gobert, who finished last season ranked in the top five in both total rebounds (982) and blocks (162)More Big Numbers Loading? In 2023-24, Wemby averaged a double-double against the Wolves (20.3 ppg, 10.5 reb), but Minnesota took the season series 3-1 behind Edwards’ 27.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 7.0 apg

The League Pass action tips off at 6 ET and continues throughout the night, with both the unbeaten Cavs and Thunder looking to remain perfect in the second legs of their back-to-backs.

Celtics at Hornets (6 ET)Grizzlies at 76ers (7:30 ET)Kings at Raptors (7:30 ET)Warriors at Rockets (8 ET)Cavaliers at Bucks (8 ET)Jazz at Nuggets (10 ET)Trail Blazers at Suns (10 ET)Thunder at Clippers

(10:30 ET)