KD & Bron meeting for the 1st time in 5 years. A heartwarming tale of Pop and Becky Hammon’s connection. So many big dunks.
Fashion tips. (and more dunks)
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THE LINEUP 🏀
- KD-LeBron 1st Game Since 2018 ⭐
- Friday: Preseason Finales 🏀
- Pop and Becky Coaching Bond 🔗
- ‘Who He Play For’ Guide 🤦
- Colorful Preseason Fits 💧
LEBRON VS. DURANT AND THURSDAY DUNKFEST 💥
Two greats, squaring off for the first time since NBA on Christmas Day 2018. | NBAE
In their 1st matchup in 1,759 days, Kevin Durant got the best of LeBron James as the Suns topped the Lakers, 123-100, in the preseason finale for both teams.
- Stars Shine in Hollywood: Durant posted 21 points on 8-14 shooting in just 17 minutes in the 1st half. LeBron posted 19 points and 6 boards in his final tune-up for season 21.
- Block Party: Anthony Davis’ rim protection is season-ready as he finished with 6 blocks, including 5 in the game’s 1st 9 minutes
- Pick-and-Roll Throwdown: Can’t run the pick-and-roll much cleaner than this. D’Angelo Russell drove into the lane, waited for Nurkic to step up, then floated the alley-oop pass as Jaxson Hayes came flying in for the finish
💥Thursday Night Dunk Party💥
The Ant-Man GIF at the top was a taste of tonight’s theme, as there were monster dunks coming left and right from every game across the league.
Marvin Bagley III meets Chet Holmgren at the rim for a ‘welcome to the league’ moment | Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images
Here’s a rundown of the best throwdowns we saw:
- Celtics 127, Hornets 99: Boston’s Jaylen Brown drove the lane and punched in the one-handed dunk with authority … He also made a 75-footer in this game, but it came just after the buzzer
- Pistons 118, Thunder 116: Detroit rookie Ausar Thompson showed off the elevation, throwing down the alley-oop with the right hand. Jalen Duren joined the fun, finishing an alley-oop from Cade Cunningham with a 2-handed dunk through contact. But another Duren dunk attempt got denied by Holmgren with a 2-handed block
- Timberwolves 114, Bulls 105: Watch as the lane opened for Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards as he elevated and dropped the hammer, with Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic making a wise decision to avoid the poster
- Kings 116, Jazz 113: The Kings got their first preseason win behind Malik Monk’s 23 points and 8 dimes. Utah’s Collin Sexton kept the theme of the night going with as he called for the alley-oop in transition and threw it down
- Nuggets 103, Clippers 90: Nikola Jokic flirted with a triple-double (25 PTS, 14 REB, 8 AST) in Denver’s preseason finale, with 1 of those 8 dimes coming on a toss to Aaron Gordon for the reverse alley-oop dunk. Not to be outdone, Jamal Murray found Gordon for alley-oop of his own that AG threw down with power
Tonight: Smart, Embiid set for preseason debuts
The reigning MVP at Sixers open practice. | Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
The 2023 NBA preseason may be coming to a close tonight, but 2 key players are taking the court for the first time ahead of their 2023-24 season openers.
Joel Embiid in Philly
- The reigning Kia MVP and 2-time scoring champ is expected to play Friday when the Sixers host the Hawks (7 ET, NBA TV)
- While the Sixers were voted by the league GMs as the toughest team to predict this season, Philly has a chance for its 3rd straight 50+ win season, something they have not done since the mid-80s
Marcus Smart for Memphis
- After missing Memphis’ first 4 preseason games with abdominal soreness, Smart is expected to make his Grizz debut in Friday’s preseason finale against the Bucks (8 ET, NBA App)
- Smart – the 2022 NBA DPOY, a 3-time All-Defensive 1st Teamer and a 3-time Hustle Award winner – plays a style of ball that fits perfectly with Memphis’ Grind City reputation
Marcus Smart was voted as the most underrated acquisition of the offseason by the league’s GMs | Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Also closing out the preseason on Friday:
- 📱 Cavaliers-Pacers (7 ET, NBA App): Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and 8 dimes in his preseason debut against the Hawks. How will he fare against the Cavs?
- 📱 Flamengo-Magic (7 ET, NBA App): Orlando closes out this year’s run of preseason games against international squads when they host the Brazilian club
- 📱 Wizards-Raptors (7:30 ET, NBA App): After dropping 41 points in 3 quarters, what will Jordan Poole do to close out the preseason?
- 📱 Pistons-Mavericks (8 ET, NBA App): The Mavs are still looking for their 1st win of the preseason, trying to avoid finishing at 0-4
- 📱 Heat-Rockets (8 ET, NBA App): How good has Cam Whitmore been for the 3-1 Rockets this preseason? He’s averaging 13.8 points and 4 boards and is a plus-52 in 80 minutes on court
- 📺 Spurs-Warriors (10 ET, NBA TV): The Warriors stayed undefeated this preseason thanks to Steph’s “bed time” game-winning 3 against the Kings on Wednesday. Can they finish a perfect 5-0 against the Spurs?
Reminder: Lineups change quickly in the preseason. Stay up to date at the NBA App.
The Pop and Becky Coaching Bond
Hammon served as an assistant coach on Popovich’s Spurs staff from 2014-2021 | Matteo Marchi/Getty Images
As soon as Gregg Popovich took the podium after Wednesday’s preseason win over Houston, he was ready to leave.
- He didn’t want to talk about Wemby, or Devin Vassell’s big game
- He was ready to celebrate Becky Hammon – one of the many branches on his expansive coaching tree – who had just won her 2nd straight WNBA title as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces
- Pop jokingly said he considered getting ejected from the Spurs game so he could watch the Aces. He decided against it, “but it was close”
The connection between Popovich and Hammon dates back to Hammon’s playing days in San Antonio.
- Hammon’s 2013 WNBA season lasted all of 12 minutes as she tore her ACL in her team’s first game. As she rehabbed the injury, she was invited to shadow Popovich and the Spurs practices
- On Aug. 5, 2014, Popovich hired Hammon to his staff, making her the 1st woman to serve as a full-time assistant coach in the NBA. Her playing career ended 3 weeks later
- Hammon coached the Spurs’ Summer League team in 2015 and 2016, leading San Antonio to the 2015 Summer League championship
Hammon’s first coaching title | Jack Arent/NBAE via Getty Images
- Hammon was promoted to the front of the bench in 2018 and 2 years later became the 1st woman to direct an NBA team, taking over as acting head coach following an actual Popovich ejection
- On Dec. 31, 2021, Hammon was hired as head coach of the Aces, thus ending her Spurs coaching career. But the bond between Popovich and Hammon remained strong
- This summer, they were part of the same class (along with fellow Spurs Tony Parker & Pau Gasol) to enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- During her induction speech, Hammon thanked Popovich in an emotional moment for changing the trajectory of her life: “I know you weren’t trying to be courageous when you hired me, but you did do something that nobody else in professional sports had ever done”
‘Who He Play For’ Study Guide 🤦
Hey Chuck, Nikola Jokic plays for the Nuggets. You’re welcome. | Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images
With “Inside the NBA” on TNT returning on Oct. 24 for the opening night of the 2023-24 season, we’re just days away from Charles Barkley’s annual quiz (dating back to 2003!) on offseason player movement.
More than 100 players switched teams over the summer, so to help Chuck prepare, NBA.com released its “Who He Play For Study Guide” – a list of 25 familiar faces in new places. But before you click…
How well have you kept up with this offseason’s player movement? Can you name where these 5 players ended up?
- Seth Curry
- Rudy Gay
- Obi Toppin
- Cam Reddish
- Garrett Temple
Tap here to find out, and find some all-time classic Who He Play Fors (Who He Play For’s? Who He Play For…s?) here.
MUTED FALL FITS? NOT THIS PRESEASON. ☀️🍂
As the leaves begin to fall and the temperature starts to dip, many of us instinctively reach for our collection of dark and muted fall clothing.
But when have NBA players followed trends? They set them.
During this year’s NBA preseason, players ditched the traditional fall wardrobe in favor of fun and colorful looks. From LeBron embracing the vibrant green to Steph rocking coral or Tobias Harris embracing the yellow, these players showcased how you can get some colorful fits off as the weather drops.
If you’re not ready to commit to a full-color outfit just yet, just look at how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brought some color into his tunnel walk fit with his kicks.
So if you need some inspiration on how to brighten up your wardrobe on a dark and gloomy autumn day, just take a style cue from NBA stars.
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry arrives at the arena before the game against the Lakers. | Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LeBron James
LeBron James arrives at the arena before the game against the Warriors on Oct. 13 | Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images
Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris arrives at the arena before the game against the Celtics on Oct. 8 | Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Nickeil Alexander-Walker arrives to the hotel as part of 2023 NBA Global Games Abu Dhabi | Brian Choi/NBAE via Getty Images)
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook arrives at the arena before the game against the Nuggets | Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
Michael Porter Jr.
Michael Porter Jr. arrives at the arena before the game against the Bulls | Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
Cason Wallace
Cason Wallace arrives at the arena before the game against the Spurs | Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images)
See ya tomorrow. And, in case somebody needs to say it, yeah, you’d look great rocking one of those hoodies.
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