Hoops is back tonight with a dozen games, after a night off. Here’s how both conferences look two weeks in.

THE LINEUP 🏀

Nov. 6, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Hello Again: Tonight’s ESPN doubleheader includes a 2022 Finals rematch and PG’s return to LA

Staying Perfect: Cleveland (8-0) and OKC (7-0) look to keep their unbeaten starts going

League Pass Spotlight: Ten games on League Pass, plus CrunchTime whiparound coverage

Early Impressions: How marquee newcomers have fared in the season’s first two weeks

Countdown: Six days before the Emirates NBA Cup tips, East Group A opens our six group previews

BUT FIRST … ⏰

An ESPN doubleheader highlights a 12-game slate…

The NBA is back with a 12-game night led by an ESPN doubleheader beginning with a 2022 Finals rematch between the Warriors and Celtics in Boston (7:30 ET), followed by Paul George’s first return to LA when the Sixers visit the Clippers (10 ET).

Test your knowledge of tonight’s Warriors-Celtics matchup as well as some NBA Cup questions with Group Play opening in just six days.

1. ESPN DOUBLEHEADER: A REMATCH AND A RETURN

Since meeting in the 2022 NBA Finals (won by Golden State in six games), the Warriors and Celtics traded wins, including a pair of OT games decided by a total of nine points. 

Their last meeting was a different story when Boston defeated Golden State 140-88 on March 3. It was simultaneously the third-largest win in Celtics history and the fourth-largest loss in Warriors history.

Tonight (7:30 ET, ESPN), the Celtics (7-1) and Warriors (6-1) meet for the first time since that blowout last spring.

• Two-Way Teams: Both the Celtics (1st in offense, 4th in defense) and Warriors (4th in offense, 2nd in defense) rank in the top four in the NBA on both sides of the ball
• Bench Bombers: Golden State’s Buddy Hield (4.7) and Boston’s Payton Pritchard (4.0) rank second and tied for fifth, respectively, in 3s made per game – and they’re doing it while coming off the bench
• JT For 30: Jayson Tatum (30.0 ppg on a career-high 48.1% shooting) is one of four players averaging 30+ points this season

After missing most of the first two weeks with a knee injury, Paul George made his Sixers debut on Monday with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes as Philly fell to Phoenix.

Tonight (10 ET, ESPN), George’s second game as a Sixer will be against the team he played for the past five seasons (the Clippers) in their new home (the Intuit Dome).

• Back-To-Back? After pulling off a 26-point comeback to earn their first win at the Dome on Monday, can the Clippers put together consecutive home wins?
• 3 & D Harden: James Harden enters the game just 16 3s shy of passing Ray Allen for 2nd all-time. He’s also tied for seventh in the league in total deflections so far this season (24), which was boosted by this play against the Spurs
• Max(ey) Vertical: Last season, Tyrese Maxey made the jump from 20 ppg scorer to 25 ppg scorer. With Joel Embiid sidelined (and recently suspended three games) and PG’s early absence, Maxey has carried more of the offense, averaging 30.2 ppg (3rd in the NBA) on a league-high 25.3 shots a game

2. LEAGUE PASS SPOTLIGHT: CAVS, THUNDER LOOK TO STAY PERFECT

On Monday, the Cavs improved to 8-0 to open the season, matching the 1976-77 squad for the franchise’s best start ever.

Tonight, the 2024-25 Cavs can set a new bar for future Cavs to chase when they visit the Pelicans (8 ET, League Pass).

• Winning In All Ways: The Cavs have three wins by 19+ points and three wins by six points or less, including their last two over the Bucks by a combined three points
• Clutch Time: Cleveland is 3-0 in clutch games, with Darius Garland ranked third in the NBA (6.0 ppg on 70% shooting) in clutch scoring
• Defensive Anchors: Among the 28 players that have defended at least five shots at the rim per game, Jarrett Allen (44.2%) and Evan Mobley (49.0%) rank third and sixth, respectively, in lowest field goal percentage allowed at the basket

Oklahoma City holds the title of last remaining unbeaten team out West and faces a tough test as they try to make it 8-0 to open the season – a mile-high matchup against Denver on the road (9 ET, League Pass).

• Been There, Done That: After winning the season series 3-1 last season to secure the head-to-head tiebreaker needed to separate the 57-25 finishers for the top seed in the West, OKC won its first matchup with Denver this season to push its win streak to four
• Strength vs. Strength: The Nuggets enter the matchup with the NBA’s seventh-ranked offense (114.5 points per 100 possessions), but will face the stingiest defense in the league (93.8) as the Thunder are on an early pace for the first sub-100 defensive rating in the NBA since the 2015-16 Spurs (98.2)
• Steals + Blocks: Through seven games, OKC (20.57) is on pace to have the highest average of combined steals (13.14 per game) and blocks (7.43 per game) since the stats were officially tracked in 1973-74. The current top three for a full season: 1982-83 Nets (18.33), 1977-78 Nets (18.15) and 1981-82 Sixers (18.02)
• MVP Rising: Coming off his third MVP win in four seasons, Nikola Jokić is averaging a triple-double through seven games: 29.6 ppg (career-best pace, 5th in NBA), 12.6 rpg (3rd in NBA) and 10.3 apg (career-best pace, 2nd in NBA)

3. LEAGUE PASS PREVIEW: 8 MORE GAMES + CRUNCHTIME

EIGHT more games tip-off on League Pass tonight, plus NBA CrunchTime whiparound coverage (US & Philippines) starting off at 8:30 ET to keep up with all of the action in real time.

Here are four standout games to queue up on League Pass tonight:

• Lakers at Grizzlies (8 ET): What will Ja Morant have for a follow up after Monday’s highlight night? Is a 720 layup next? For the Lakers, can they close out their first road trip (1-3 so far) on a positive note before returning home (3-0) for their next three games?
• Bulls at Mavs (8:30 ET): Both teams are looking to bounce back from close losses on Monday. Each team also brings an elite high-volume 3-point shooter so far this season. Among the 53 players with at least 40 3-point attempts, Dallas’ Kyrie Irving (56.1%) and Chicago’s Zach LaVine (45.8%) rank first and sixth, respectively
• Heat at Suns (9 ET): A matchup of two teams coming off different ends of a clutch game on Monday. The Heat were seconds away from a win over the Kings before Domantas Sabonis’ putback with 0.7 ticks left. Meanwhile, the Suns closed out the Sixers with an 14-3 run capped by Kevin Durant’s game-winning layup

• Raptors at Kings (10 ET): Three of the past five matchups between these teams have been decided by five points or less, including Saturday’s game in Toronto on Vince Carter jersey retirement night that saw the Raptors prevail in overtime. Can the Kings avenge that loss to split the season series?

4. HOW KEY SUMMER ADDITIONS HAVE FARED IN FIRST TWO WEEKS

Each summer, free agency brings player movement and hopes that teams have found the missing piece to solve their championship puzzle.

Some new pieces fit perfectly, while others take more time to fit in. Two weeks into the 2024-25 season, let’s take a look at how some of the marquee players to change teams this past offseason are doing with their new squads.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges (Knicks): Towns missed the early part of training camp, but has opened the season strong – he’s second on the team in scoring (21.3 ppg) and first in rebounds (12.5 rpg, 4th in NBA) and is shooting 57.9% (11-19) on 3-pointers (5th in NBA).

• Bridges found quick chemistry with former Villanova teammates, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, while averaging 17.2 points (3rd on team) on 50.6% shooting and tied for the team lead in steals at 1.5 per game

Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo (Timberwolves): The opposite end of the KAT deal saw Randle and DiVincenzo head to Minnesota.

Randle played only one preseason game as he worked his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, but has not missed time in the regular season. In seven games, he’s averaging 21.4 points (2nd to Anthony Edwards) on a career-best 57.4% shooting and a team-high 4.7 assists.

• DiVincenzo is averaging 10.4 points (4th on team) and 3.4 assists (3rd on team) in 27 minutes per game off the bench. His 3-point shot (33.3%) should improve after shooting 39.7% and 40.1% the past two seasons with Golden State and New York, respectively

Klay Thompson (Mavericks): The most telling visual of how well Klay (14.7 ppg, 3.4 3pg on 38.7% shooting from deep) has fit in with Dallas is watching Luka Doncic swing a pass to a wide open Klay at the 3-point line and start running the other way, knowing the 3 was going to splash before Klay even elevated for the shot.

DeMar DeRozan (Kings): DeRozan (team-high 25.4 ppg on 52.9% shooting) has opened his Kings run with seven straight 20+ point games, matching Chris Webber in 1999 for the longest such streak to start a tenure with the franchise.

Josh Giddey (Bulls): Giddey’s all around game – 14.7 ppg (4th on team), 7.1 rpg (2nd on team) and 6.3 apg (team-high) – has allowed him to fit in rather seamlessly with a Bulls squad also reincorporating Zach LaVine (after missing most of last season) and Lonzo Ball (missing the past two-plus seasons).

Chris Paul (Spurs): The veteran point guard was added to provide leadership and guidance to a roster loaded with young talent, centered around reigning ROY Victor Wembanyama. Paul (12.0 ppg, team-high 8.9 apg) has developed quick chemistry with Wemby as the two have connected on alley-oops in pick-and-rolls and in transition.

Russell Westbrook (Nuggets): Westbrook’s scoring has been hit (two games with 20+ points) or miss (the other five games in single digits), but his energy, playmaking (4.7 apg, 2nd behind Nikola Jokić) and defensive intensity (team-high 1.9 spg) have made him an asset.

Paul George (76ers): PG made his Sixers debut on Monday and there were signs of a bit of rust on his offense (15 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 6 turnovers, 4-14 FG, 1-7 3P) in a two-point loss to the red-hot Suns. More time on court with his new teammates – and Joel Embiid once he returns – will offer a true evaluation of this fit down the line.

5. EMIRATES NBA CUP COUNTDOWN: EAST GROUP A PREVIEW

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 tips off in just six days, with Group Play opening on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

And with six groups in the tournament, that gives one group per day to break down as we countdown to the first Cup Night of the competition.

We begin the series with East Group A, featuring the following teams:

• New York Knicks: 12-4 (.750) vs. the other four teams in the group last season
• Philadelphia 76ers: 10-5 (.667)
• Orlando Magic: 8-7 (.533)
• Brooklyn Nets: 5-10 (.333)
• Charlotte Hornets: 3-12 (.250)

The full 10-game Group Play schedule is above. Here are three matchups to circle:

• Knicks at Sixers (Nov. 12, 7:30 ET, TNT): The Group Play opener for both teams is a rematch of the hard fought first-round playoff series won by New York in six games. How close was that series? New York outscored Philly by just a single point over the six games combined (650-649)
• Nets at Knicks (Nov. 15, 7:30 ET, League Pass): The Battle of the Boroughs adds an extra layer of intrigue this season as the Nets and Knicks executed their first trade between the neighboring teams in over four decades when Brooklyn sent Bridges over the bridge to Manhattan to join the Knicks
• Magic at Knicks (Dec. 3, 7:30 ET, TNT): The Knicks won the season series with every team in East Group A with the exception of one – the Magic, who went 3-1 against New York last season. Orlando’s defense held the Knicks to 100 points per game (12.8 ppg below their season average) and got a combined 49 points per game from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner