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Good morning! We’re making history together today. 🎉

…after Wemby went OFF and made some for himself last night.

THE TIP ⏰

The first NBA In-Season Tournament starts today. | NBAE via Getty Images

THE LINEUP 🏀

• Wemby joins exclusive club 🔥
• Sixers win 1st game post-trade 🔔
• In-Season Tournament Tips Tonight 🏀
• Preview: 1st Tournament Night 💥
• City Edition jerseys: 8️⃣stories 

1. WEMBY ERUPTS FOR 38, JOINS EXCLUSIVE CLUB 🔥

Another night. another Wemby photo that doesn’t seem real. | NBAE via Getty Images

🤠 Spurs 132, Suns 121: When the Spurs are on the schedule, one question always comes to mind: What’s Wemby going to do tonight to blow our minds?

On Thursday, he joined LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only teenagers in NBA history with 35+ points, 10+ rebounds and 2+ blocks in a game since blocks have been tracked (1973-74):

• LeBron: 38 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk (11/10/2004)
• Durant: 42 pts, 13 reb, 2 blk (4/16/2008) 
• Wemby: 38 pts, 10 reb, 2 blk (11/2/2023)

If that wasn’t enough, Wemby (103) joined David Robinson (115) as the only Spurs to total 100 or more points in their 1st 5 games.

But more impressive than the historic numbers was the situation in which they came as Thursday’s game flipped the script from the Spurs/Suns matchup 2 days prior. 

• On Tuesday, the Suns built a 20-point lead and tried to hold on as the Spurs rallied and stole the win in the closing seconds
• On Thursday, the Spurs built a 27-point lead and had to hold off a furious rally by the Suns. Phoenix tied the game with 4:21 to play, but never took the lead
• That’s because Wemby took over down the stretch, scoring 10 of San Antonio’s points in a 12-0 run to seize control and clinch the win

As with any Wembanyama game, there were highlights galore: 

• The Suns had no answers for Wemby in the post
• Trailing the fast break for the 2-hand flush
• Alley-oops are not supposed to look this easy
• After back-to-back duels, it was all respect between Wemby and KD

What will Wemby do next? Find out on Sunday vs. Toronto.

2. SIXERS WIN 1ST GAME FOLLOWING TRADE 🔔

The reigning MVP says nope. | NBAE

🔔 Sixers 114, Raptors 99: In their 1st game since their blockbuster trade with the Clippers, the Sixers defeated the Raptors behind Joel Embiid’s 28 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists.

76ers coach Nick Nurse improved to 2-0 against his former team, while the Sixers improved to 3-1.

• Must See: Embiid showed off the eyes in the back of his head with this no-look over-the-head pass to Kelly Oubre Jr.
• Stepping Up: In his 1st start of the season, Oubre had 23 points, 5 boards and 5 3s, while Tobias Harris added 23 points and 7 boards
• New Faces: The 4 players Philly got back in the Harden trade either did not play (Nic Batum and Marcus Morris) or played the final minutes with the game in hand (Robert Covington and K.J. Martin) as they are still getting acclimated to the team

Closing out Thursday night:

⚜️ Pelicans 125, Pistons 116: CJ McCollum scored 25 of his game-high 33 points in the 1st half as 4 Pelicans finished with 20+ points to push the Pelicans to 4-1.

• Jalen Duren’s 58 rebounds through the 1st 5 games are the most to open a season by a player 19 or younger, topping the 53 by Dwight Howard in 2004

🔮 Magic 115, Jazz 113: After averaging 12.5 points over his 1st 4 games, reigning ROY Paolo Banchero scored 30 – including the game-winning layup – to give the Magic their 3rd win of the season.

• Trailing much of the 2nd half, Utah made a late-game burst – including 2 Lauri Markkanen 3s – to take a 1-point lead with 20 seconds left, setting the stage for Paolo’s magic

3. IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT TIPS TODAY: ALL YOU GOTTA KNOW ✅

In-Season Tournament Group Play starts today. | NBAE via Getty Images

NBA history’s happening today.

The first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament games tip-off tonight, as 14 teams open Group Play – with an eye on making a trip to Vegas for the championship in December.

Any of that not make sense? You’re good. Catch up quick here, and become an expert by game time. (Or at least the one who knows things for your group chat)

In-Season Tournament Need-To-Know

• How does it work? Here’s the 101
• When do we play? On Tournament Nights
• What’s our group like? Preview ’em here
• I still have questions. We have answers.
• I hear they’re playing on new courts? You heard right.

🎥 With you the whole way: a new, behind-the-scenes series that tells the story of history as it’s written.

• Rivalry Rising: In one of the best moments from the premiere, Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo discuss the brewing rivalry between the Heat and Bucks – set to meet in East Group B.
• Tap for an exclusive early look, for Starting 5 readers
• New episodes will be released throughout the Tournament. 

4. 7 GAMES GET GOING 💥

Giannis leads the Bucks into their Group B opener. | NBAE via Getty Images

📺 Knicks at Bucks (7:30 ET, ESPN, East Group B)

• The Knicks own the league’s 2nd-ranked defense and have dominated the offensive and defensive glass
• As Giannis and Dame go, so go the Bucks. In 2 wins, the duo has combined for 60 points per game on 50% shooting. In 2 losses, the duo’s scoring drops to 31.5 ppg on 42.5% shooting
• Milwaukee has won the last 6 meetings, including the most recent matchup on Jan. 9 when the Bucks rallied from down 17 to beat the Knicks at MSG despite 44 points from Jalen Brunson

Two MVP candidates meet in West Group B. | NBAE via Getty Images

📺 Mavericks at Nuggets (10 ET, ESPN, West Group B)

• The Nuggets open Group Play hosting the unbeaten Mavs in a matchup of MVP candidates Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic – the only players with multiple triple-doubles this season
• Luka enters Group Play as the NBA’s leading scorer (33.8 ppg) and is averaging nearly a triple-double (10.5 rpg, 9.8 apg). Luka, Jokic and Joel Embiid are the only 3 players averaging at least 25 points, 10 boards and 7 assists
• Jokic and Luka dominate different areas of the court: Jokic leads all players in FGM between 5-9 feet (4.0 per game), while Luka makes the 2nd most from 25-29 feet (4.0 per game)

📲 Cavaliers at Pacers (7 ET, NBA App, East Group A)

• Indiana hosts Cleveland looking to rebound from its 2nd-biggest loss in franchise history (-51 vs. Boston). Indiana won the 1st meeting on Oct. 28 in Cleveland, though the Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland

📲 Warriors at Thunder (8 ET, NBA App, West Group C)

• This matchup of the 2nd-oldest team (Warriors’ average age: 28.03) and 2nd-youngest team (Thunder: 24.12) has gone the way of the vets recently, with Golden State holding a 9-1 edge the last 3 seasons

📲 Nets at Bulls (8 ET, NBA App, East Group C)

• The last time these teams met (Feb. 24 in Chicago), the Bulls handed the Nets their worst loss in 9 years (-44) behind Zach LaVine’s 32 points

📲 Wizards at Heat (8 ET, NBA App, East Group B)

• Both teams enter Group Play looking for their 2nd win this season. Which team will dictate pace of play? The Wizards lead the NBA in pace (107.0), while the Heat rank 18th (100.3)

📲 Grizzlies at Blazers (10 ET, NBA App, West Group A)

• Memphis is still looking for their 1st win (0-5). Can they break through against a young Blazers team that has won 2 straight after starting 0-3?

5. NIKE NBA CITY EDITION JERSEYS: 8 STORIES

New looks for a new Tournament. What’s the story behind them? | NBAE via Getty Images

When the first-ever In-Season Tournament tips off tonight, the courts will look a little different.

So will the uniforms.

The 2023-24 Nike NBA City Edition uniforms dropped on Thursday, representing the stories, history and heritage that make each franchise unique – honoring the bond between, court, community and culture. 

Go inside a few of those stories here.

Suns 

The “El Valle” uniform pays tribute to the Chicano fanbase and the low rider culture, an invention originating in the Southwest of the United States. 

Nuggets

The champs take pride in the number 5280 which signifies playing at the highest elevation in the league. The Nuggets have embraced the home-court advantage that has been documented as one of the toughest places to play due to the altitude. 

Celtics

The connection between the city of Boston and the game of basketball spans eras. 

James Naismith invented the sport in Springfield, MA., and the Celtics were founded as one of the league’s original eight teams. This City Edition uniform gives a nod to the origin of the game of basketball and its evolution. 

Lakers 

The all black uniform signifies the time when the team first got to L.A., and portrays the evolution of the Lakers’ identity. The triangle wordmark is a throwback from the team’s early days, while the purple and black trim is a nod to the sky after a California sunset.  

Bulls

The Bulls City Edition uniform pays homage to the old Chicago Stadium, which stood on the near West Side for almost 60 years until it was replaced by the current home of the Bulls, the United Center. 

Bucks

The Bucks were inspired by the fans that packed the neighborhood in which their arena Fiserv Forum resides. The uniform utilizes the Great Lakes blue color which was also featured on the 2020-21 and 2022-23 uniforms. 

Warriors 

The Warriors took inspiration for their City Edition uniform from the iconic cable cars that have been in the city for 150 years. The cable car is a landmark known in The Bay as a symbol of resilience, surviving the 1906 Earthquake. The wordmark leans into the cable cars motif, with the font taking inspiration from the cable car route signs and the shape indicating the trolley route up and down the San Francisco hills. 

Pistons 

The Pistons city edition uniform is inspired by the legendary championship Bad Boys teams. The uniform is black with a red outline with Detroit across the chest in script. The shorts feature a modernized take on the original fan-made “Detroit Bad Boys” logo.

Go deeper into the stories at the City Edition Hub.