NBA Recap: OT thriller in Intuit Dome opener, Risacher shines in debut and Morant makes a successful return

Houston, prepare for liftoff. This Brandon Miller hammer

in H-Town set the early bar for the new NBA Dunk Score

— hitting a mark of 108.9.

Find more on what went into the score at the end of today’s

edition. For now … let’s catch you up.

THE LINEUP

Oct. 24, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Courts Unveiling: The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 team courts drop

today with a splash

Day 2 Debuts: Extra hoops at the Intuit Dome, the first

pick’s first game and Ja’s return

Stars Show Out: Dame, Paolo and LaMelo light it up in

season-opening wins

Wednesday Roundup: Three convincing wins and a 4th-quarter

rally

Thursday Theater: Klay & CP3’s Texas debuts, a Denver-OKC

duel and more

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A star-studded Thursday night…

In a loaded four-game slate, Klay Thompson

and Chris Paul debut with their new teams as the Mavs host the

Spurs (7:30 ET, TNT

). Then, a heavyweight bout gets underway out West as Shai

Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC face Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets in

Denver (10 ET, TNT

).

Plus, this year’s No. 2 overall pick, Alex Sarr, will get his

first NBA action as the Wizards host the Celtics (7 ET, League

Pass

) before DeMar DeRozan makes his Kings debut against Anthony

Edwards and the Wolves (10 ET, League Pass

).

Are You Ready? Test your knowledge on tonight’s four matchups

with NBA Play Trivia.

1. EMIRATES NBA CUP COURTS REVEALED TODAY AT NOON

With the Emirates NBA Cup tipping off

Tuesday, Nov. 12, we’ve got a surprise coming your way in just a

few hours.

At 12 ET on the NBA App, NBA.com and @NBA social, we’ll be

unveiling the 2024 NBA Cup team courts designed by artist Victor

Solomon.

Keep reading for what to know … and stay tuned for something

colorful.

2024 Emirates NBA Cup: 30 teams. 8 advance. 1

champion.

What Is The Emirates NBA Cup? The Emirates NBA Cup is the

league’s annual in-season competition, which provides players and teams the opportunity to chase another championship, engages fans in a new way and drives additional interest in the early portion of the regular season. | More FAQsHow Does The Competition Work? The tournament begins with Group Play from Nov. 12-Dec. 3. All 30 teams are split into six groups, with the winner of each group and one wild card per conference advancing to the single-elimination Knockout Rounds. | See The DrawWhat Happens Next? The four teams that advance past the Quarterfinals (played on Dec. 10-11) head to Las Vegas, where the Semifinals (Dec. 14) and Championship (Dec. 17) will be played at a neutral site (T-Mobile Arena). | ScheduleHow Does This Impact The Schedule? Every Emirates NBA Cup game also counts as a regular-season game except for the Championship. Teams that do not advance will have two additional games added to their schedule to complete the full 82-game season. | Complete Rules & FormatThe Heist II: Watch award-winning actors Michael Imperioli and Rosario Dawson break down the competition and the stakes as they star alongside NBA All-Stars Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton and Jrue Holiday in “The Heist II“

2. THE DOME, THE WALL, THE GAME & TWO MARQUEE DEBUTS

Suns 116, Clippers 113 (OT): Last season, the Suns struggled in

4th quarters (they were outscored by 195 total points, 100 more

than any other team), but in Wednesday’s season opener, Phoenix

closed the 4th quarter on a 22-12 run to force overtime and

eventually spoil LA’s debut game at the Intuit Dome

. | Recap

| Watch The Dramatic Finish

Suns Trio Shines: Kevin Durant (25 pts, 7 reb), Bradley Beal

(24 pts, 4 3s) and Devin Booker (15 pts, 6 ast, 4 3s before fouling out) combined for 64 points in the first overtime game in a new arena’s opening game since 2005 (Charlotte’s Spectrum Arena)LA Connection: James Harden (29 pts, 12 reb, 8 ast) and Ivica Zubac (21 pts, 9 reb) combined for 50 points in the loss, with half of Harden’s dimes going to Zubac

Opening night of the Intuit Dome also meant the debut

of “The Wall” — a dedicated seating area behind the opposing

team’s 2nd-half basket, reserved for the most diehard Clippers

fans to help increase the home-court advantage.

Clippers Coach Tyronn Lue: “The wall is crazy, that’s our

sixth man.”Trivia Question: Who scored the first bucket at the Intuit Dome? Norman Powell is the answer after hitting a pull-up jumper from the foul line on the game’s opening possessionSaluting A Legend: The Clippers honored Jerry West – who served as a consultant for the franchise from 2017 until his passing – with a ‘JW’ court decal and a memorial seat in his usual spot behind the basket during games

Hawks 120, Nets 116: Cam Thomas (36 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl)

shined with 20 points in the 4th quarter, but the Nets couldn’t

slow down

Trae Young (30 pts, 5 reb, 12 ast) and Onyeka Okongwu

(career-high 28 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk), while this year’s No. 1

overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, added seven points in his NBA

debut to help earn a Hawks dub. | Recap

First Pick’s First Shot: It didn’t take long for Risacher to

get into the scorers’ column as the 19-year-old splashed a 3 in the 1st quarter on his first career attemptTrae Luka: Young is now tied with Luka Dončić — who he was traded for on Draft Night in 2018 – for the fifth-most 30/10 games in NBA history with 78Bigger Than Basketball: Before tipping off its season, Atlanta held a moment of silence to honor the great Dikembe Mutombo, who played for the Hawks from 1996-2001

Grizzlies 126, Jazz 124: Ja Morant posted 22 points

and 10 assists in his first regular-season game since Jan. 5,

while Santi Aldama (team-high 27 pts, 5 3s) and Desmond Bane (24

pts, 4 3s) combined for 51 to help the Grizzlies hold off a late

Jazz push to open the season 1-0. | Recap

Jazz Duo Shines: Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 35

points, nine boards and four 3s, while Walker Kessler posted a double-double (16 pts, 14 reb) with five blocks

3. STAR SCORERS: DAME, PAOLO & LAMELO DAZZLE

In his Bucks debut last season, Damian Lillard poured in 39

points to lead Milwaukee to a win over the Sixers.

In the Bucks season opener on Wednesday, Lillard went off

against Philly again, posting 30 points, nine boards and six

dimes while cooking with

Giannis Antetokounmpo (25 pts, 14 reb, 7 ast) to lead Milwaukee

to a 124-109 win against Tyrese Maxey (25 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast) and

company. | Recap

Deer Time: Lillard went 6-of-12 from 3 and Giannis went

8-of-11 from the floor while Taurean Prince (4-5 3P) and Bobby Portis (7-10 FG) added 16 points apiece Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner

Magic 116, Heat 97: In this

year’s first edition of the Sunshine State rivalry, Paolo

Banchero (33 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast

) was red-hot and got help from Franz Wagner (23 pts, 4 reb, 4

ast) to push the Magic past Terry Rozier (19 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast)

and the Heat in Miami. | Recap

Magic Men: Both Banchero (12-24 FG, 4-8 3P) and Wagner (10-16

FG, 3-6 3P) shot 50% from 3, and Orlando outscored Miami 39-18 in the 3rd quarter to pull awayLegend Honored: To commemorate Pat Riley’s 30th season with the franchise, the Heat held a halftime ceremony to unveil ‘Pat Riley Court’

Hornets 110, Rockets 105: LaMelo Ball went off (34 pts, 11 ast, 4 3s), Tre Mann shined off the bench (24 pts, 4 3s) and Grant Williams hit the clutch go-ahead 3 as the Hornets overcame an 18-point deficit to open the season with a win. | Recap

Poster Alert: Before exiting in the 1st quarter with a hip

injury, Brandon Miller unleashed a monster jam

4. ROUNDUP: PELS FLY, PACERS RALLY, DUBS & CAVS ROLL

Pelicans 123, Bulls 111: Brandon Ingram (33 pts, 7 reb, 3 3s)

and CJ McCollum (23 pts, 5 ast, 5 3s) combined for 56 points

to lead New Orleans past Chicago. Dejounte Murray nearly posted

a triple-double (14 pts, 10 ast, 8 reb) in his Pelicans debut,

but injured his left hand

in the 4th quarter. | Recap

Running With The Bulls Again: In his first game in 279 days

(since Jan. 18, 2024), Zach LaVine led Chicago with 27 points and five 3s. In his first game in 1,013 days (since Jan. 14, 2022), Lonzo Ball had five points and four assists

Pacers 115, Pistons 109: Cade Cunningham (28 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast) and the Pistons were in control for the first three quarters, but Indiana outscored Detroit 33-19 in the 4th, and Tyrese Haliburton

(15 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl) sank a dagger 3 with 20.4 seconds

left to secure a Pacers win. | Recap

Front Court Control: Myles Turner (20 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast) led

the Pacers in scoring, while Pascal Siakam (19 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast) posted a near triple-double

Warriors 139, Trail Blazers 104: In his Warriors debut,

Buddy Hield erupted for 22 points and five 3s in less than 15

minutes, while Andrew Wiggins added 20 points and Steph Curry

finished one board shy of a triple-double (17 pts, 10 ast, 9 reb)

as the Warriors rolled in their season opener. | Recap

Cavaliers 136, Raptors 106: Evan Mobley (25 pts, 9 reb) and

Donovan Mitchell (21 pts, 3 ast, 3 stl) combined for 46 points,

and Caris LeVert (19 pts, 8-9 FG, 4 ast) was feeling it as

Cleveland pulled away from Chris Boucher (18 pts, 4-5 3P) and the

Raptors in Toronto. | Recap

5. THURSDAY THEATER: KLAY & CP3 DEBUT IN TEXAS DUEL

One game. Two all-time talents in new threads.

Fresh off a Finals run, Dallas is looking to build on last

season with a new sharpshooting wing. About four hours south in

San Antonio, the Spurs paired their 2023-24 Kia Rookie of the

Year with a legendary floor general.

On Thursday, the two sides will meet as Klay Thompson and Chris

Paul make their regular-season debuts with their new teams in a

Texas duel between the Mavs and Spurs (7:30 ET, TNT).

CP3 & Wemby: Now entering his 20th NBA season, Paul — who

ranks third all-time in assists — begins a new chapter in San Antonio alongside the reigning ROY Victor Wembanyama. Together, they’ll look to lead the Spurs to their first Playoff berth since 2018-19Dallas Trio Debut: Meanwhile, after a 13-year tenure with theWarriors, Thompson’s Dallas debut will also mark his first outing with both Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, as the trio didn’t play together during the preseasonLuka Magic: In his 20 career matchups against San Antonio, Dončić has posted 29.4 ppg, the second-highest points average against the Spurs by any player since 1996-97

The star power continues in the second leg of TNT’s

doubleheader, as the top two finishers in last year’s MVP voting,

Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, square off in a marquee

matchup between the Nuggets and Thunder (10 ET, TNT).

New-Look Nugs: Led by Jokić, the reigning Kia MVP, Denver will

look to emulate its 2023 title run after falling to the Wolves in Game 7 of the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals. But this time, the Nugs have some new piecesStacked OKC: After becoming the youngest team to earn a No. 1 seed last season, OKC bolstered its core this summer by adding Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. But fans will have to wait for Hartenstein’s debut, as the new big man will miss the first few weeks of the season with a hand injury

On NBA League Pass, the Wizards’ No. 2 overall pick, Alex

Sarr, will make his NBA debut against the reigning champion

Celtics, who will look to improve to 2-0 after their opening

night win over the Knicks (7 ET, LP)

.

Then, DeMar DeRozan will make his Kings debut against the

Wolves in Sacramento, where Anthony Edwards and Minnesota look to

rebound from Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers (10 ET, LP).

What went into Miller’s 108.9 Overall Dunk Score

? Scores of 67 for Defensive Contest, 70 for Style, 91 for Jump

and 94 for Power.

See ya tomorrow, when we take flight again.