Starting 5 Daily Newsletter

Starting 5, Oct. 30: Nikola Jokić’s historic triple-double, Mavs' duo lights up Wolves

Nikola Jokić’s monster triple-double put him in a club of two players ever. Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić deliver again in Minnesota.

Starting 5

The Joker is on a heater, and Jamal Murray and the Nuggets are warming up.


THE LINEUP 🏀

Oct. 30, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

The Joker’s Ace: A triple-double only seen once before fueled another Nuggets OT dub

Déjà Vu Dallas: In a WCF rematch, Dallas’ star duo came through again when it mattered most

NorCal Squads Roll: The Warriors and Kings each picked up double-digit wins on Tuesday

ESPN Doubleheader: Two of the final three unbeaten teams look to keep rolling

CrunchTime: LeBron in Cleveland, Paolo encore, Knicks-Heat round 173


BUT FIRST … ⏰

Lock in for a busy night of hoops…

Tonight’s ESPN Doubleheader tips off with the Celtics going for their first back-to-back 5-0 starts since 1963 and 1964 when they visit the Pacers in Indy (7 ET), followed by the first sophomore matchup between the top two finishers in last year’s Rookie of the Year race – San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and OKC’s Chet Holmgren (9:30 ET).

League Pass & NBA CrunchTime: With nine games on NBA League Pass, you can swap games on your own or tune into the season debut of NBA CrunchTime for whiparound coverage beginning at 8:30 ET (NBA App, NBA TV).


1. JOKIĆ’S TRIPLE-DOUBLE MASTERCLASS

On Monday, Nikola Jokić dropped back-to-back 40 pieces for the first time in his career, with 40 points in a win over the Raptors following a 41-point performance against the Clippers on Saturday.

On Tuesday, the reigning Kia NBA MVP didn’t just notch another personal milestone — he made NBA history.

In his second triple-double of the young season, Jokić went for 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists on 9-of-16 shooting, while Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon added 24 points apiece to lead the Nuggets to a 144-139 OT win over Dennis Schröder (28 pts, 14 ast), Cam Thomas (26 pts) and the Nets. | Recap

  • Jokić & The Big O: In the win, Jokić joined Oscar Robertson (2x) as the only players in NBA history to record 29+ points, 18+ rebounds and 16+ assists in a game
  • Legendary Stat-Stuffers: It’s also the Joker’s eighth career 15+ point, 15+ rebound, 15+ assist game, tying Wilt Chamberlain for third-most in NBA history and trailing only Robertson and Russell Westbrook, who added 22 points for Denver
  • Quick Cookin’: It’s Jokić’s 132nd career-triple double — six behind Magic Johnson (138) for the third-most all-time — and he needed less than 36 minutes to get it, finishing the 3rd quarter with 17 points, 13 boards and 11 dimes

After an 0-2 start to the season, the Nuggets have moved to .500 with two road wins in two days. In both victories, Denver found itself trailing by double figures, but its stars came through in the clutch to lead the team to a pair of overtime dubs.

  • In Monday’s win in Toronto, Denver overcame a 15-point deficit before Murray used a game-tying layup with 0.3 seconds left to send the game to OT, where the Nuggets prevailed 127-125
  • In Tuesday’s win in Brooklyn, Denver came back from 17 points down and Jokić tied the game with 8.8 seconds remaining to force OT, where he dropped seven of the team’s 13 points to seal the win

2. A STATEMENT WIN IN A WCF REMATCH

The last time the Mavs and Wolves met was Game 5 of the 2024 Western Conference Finals, when Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić poured in 36 points apiece on Minnesota’s home floor to punch Dallas’ first ticket to the NBA Finals in 13 years.

In Tuesday’s rematch, Irving (35 pts, 5 ast, 6 3s) and Dončić (24 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) went off again, combining for 59 points — capped by Luka’s dagger 3 from the logo (below) — to lift the Mavs over Anthony Edwards (37 pts, 6 reb, 7 3s) and the Wolves in Minneapolis, 120-114. | Recap

  • Ant’s Record Start: The night began with a historic opening frame from Anthony Edwards, who set the Wolves record in the play-by-play era for points in a 1st quarter with 24, including six triples — giving Minnesota a 34-26 lead
  • But Dallas responded to take a two-point edge into the half, and Irving’s 16 3rd-quarter points built the lead up to double-digits entering the final frame
  • “Our team is so deep,” said Luka. “Obviously we got Kai, we know what to expect from him every night.”

Luka Time: After a late Wolves rally, Dončić slammed the door in the 4th with 11 points, stamped by a familiar stepback dagger 3 to silence the Target Center.

  • In Game 2 of the WCF, against 2022-23 DPOY Rudy Gobert, Dončić splashed a game-winning triple with 3.0 seconds left, stunning the Minnesota crowd while giving Dallas a 2-0 series lead
  • On Tuesday, Dončić found himself isolated in the same spot, but this time, pulled up from even deeper and canned a 33-footer to say goodnight, putting Dallas up eight with 1:04 remaining

What It Means: Minnesota drops to 2-2 with the loss, while Dallas improves to 3-1 with two victories in two days.

  • Luka: “I don’t think people realize how big of a win this is.”

3. NORCAL SQUADS NOTCH DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS

Warriors 124, Pelicans 106: Golden State was shorthanded – with no Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins or DeAnthony Melton – and found themselves down by 20 just 18 seconds into the 2nd quarter.

  • Over the next 10 minutes, the Warriors went on a 30-11 run to get back in the game, fueled by the bench trio of Lindy Waters III (9 of 21 pts came in the run), Gary Payton II (all 7 of his pts) and Jonathan Kuminga (6 of his 17 pts)
  • 3rd-Quarter Warriors Strike Again: Golden State scored 40+ points in the 3rd quarter for the 52nd time – the most during the play-by-play era (since 1997-98)
  • It was part of a 38-point swing in this game as the Warriors went from down 20 to winning by 18 points. | Recap

Buddy’s Two Halves: After scoring 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting from 3 at the half, Buddy Hield got some advice from TNT broadcast and shooting legend Reggie Miller: “He told me to shoot the blanking ball.”

In the 2nd half, Buddy shot six 3s, made six 3s and scored 25 points, including 19 in the 4th quarter.

  • Good Company: Hield joined Curry (4x), CJ McCollum (3x) and Kemba Walker as the only players in NBA History to make 20+ 3s through the first 4 games of a NBA season
  • Buddy Doing Steph Things: Curry is usually the one causing these reactions from the Warriors bench; now it’s Hield getting Curry on his feet with a deep splash

Kings 113, Jazz 96: After opening the season with a pair of losses by a total of six points, the Kings won two straight in consecutive nights to improve to 2-2 early in the season. | Recap

  • 3rd-Quarter Burst: After Utah hit a pair of 3s to open the 3rd quarter on a 6-0 run to cut Sacramento’s lead to three points, the Kings outscored the Jazz 29-8 the rest of the quarter to build a 24-point lead
  • Double-Double King: Domantas Sabonis – who posted a league-high 77 double-doubles last season – notched his third straight in the win with 28 points (13-of-18 FG) and 11 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan (20 pts, 8 ast) and De’Aaron Fox (19 pts, 6 ast, this trick play) combined to add 39 points in the win
  • Markkanen Exits Early: Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 21 points, Keyonte George notched a double-double (10 pts, career-high-tying 11 assists) and Lauri Markkanen had seven points before exiting the game at the half due to back spasms

4. CLASSIC & BUDDING RIVALRIES FEAT. TWO UNBEATEN TEAMS

Tonight’s ESPN doubleheader features two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the league – the Celtics (4-0) and Thunder (3-0) – both looking to stay perfect in the early season.

Celtics at Pacers (7 ET, ESPN)

Boston

  • Encore: The Celtics are looking to open the season 5-0 for the second straight season. It worked out well for them last year as a 5-0 start led to a 64-win season and culminated with banner 18
  • Tatum On Fire: Jayson Tatum (28.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5.5 apg) has gotten off to a hot start – particularly from the 3-point line as he’s averaging 4.5 3s per game on 41.9% shooting

Indiana

  • Bounce Back: After winning their season opener, the Pacers have dropped three straight games. They will look to avoid their first four-game losing streak since falling to the Celtics in the East Finals 4-0
  • Setting The Pace: Pascal Siakam leads the team in points (18.5) and rebounds (6.8) while being tied with Tyrese Haliburton for second in assists (5.3) through four games
  • Haliburton is looking for a spark after opening the season averaging 14 ppg on 33.9% FG along with those 5.3 dimes – less than half his league-leading average from last year

Spurs at Thunder (9:30 ET, ESPN)

Wemby vs. Chet – Season 2, Round 1: The top two finishers in last year’s Rookie of the Year race meet for the first time this season. The chart above breaks down how these multi-talented bigs did against one another last season

  • While Wembanyama had the edge in counting stats (+3.7 ppg, +5.3 rpg, +2.0 bpg), Holmgren had two key advantages – he shot and scored with a higher efficiency and his team won two of the three matchups

This is a matchup of two young and versatile bigs that made NBA history together last season.

  • 3s and Bs: Wemby and Chet were the only two rookies to have recorded 150+ blocks and 100+ 3PM in a season once blocks were officially tracked in 1973-74
  • Block Party: They became the first two rookies to rank first and second in total blocks in a season since blocks were officially tracked

What’s At Stake? In addition to the head-to-head matchup between Chet and Wemby that will draw plenty of attention, this game could also help the Thunder match their best start (4-0) since the 2016-17 season.

Meanwhile, San Antonio is looking to rebound from a five-point loss in the second game of a two-game set with in-state rival, Houston when they face the team that finished first in the West last season.


5. WELCOME BACK, NBA CRUNCHTIME

Looking for Wednesday’s best moments in one spot? Well, look no further because NBA CrunchTime has you covered with whiparound coverage starting at 8:30 ET (NBA App, NBA TV).

With nine matchups on NBA League Pass, you can bounce around from game to game or catch all the top action on CrunchTime, which makes its season debut tonight. Below are three matchups to keep an eye on as you watch it all unfold.

Lakers at Cavs (7 ET)

  • LeBron vs. Cavs: In 22 career games against his former squad, LeBron has gone 19-3 (including a 9-2 mark in Cleveland) with averages of 28.5 points (his fourth-highest average against any team), 7.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists
  • Welcome Back: Anytime LeBron James plays in Cleveland is a must-see game — today, he and Bronny both return to their home state
  • Fast Starts: Cleveland is looking for its first 5-0 start to a season since LeBron’s penultimate season during his second stint in Cleveland (6-0 start in 2016-17). L.A. opened the season 3-0 before taking their first loss on Monday

Knicks at Heat (7:30 ET)

  • The Rivalry: Since the Heat entered the NBA in 1988, Miami and NY have met in the Playoffs six times, most recently in the 2023 East Semis (won by Miami 4-2)
  • How Closely Matched Are They? In 172 games played between the regular season and Playoffs, the Knicks are +2 in wins (87-85) with a total scoring margin of just 27 points (Knicks 16,359, Heat 16,332)

Magic at Bulls (8 ET)

  • Encore: How will Paolo Banchero follow up his career-best 50 points on Monday as the Magic look to match their best five-game start (4-1) since 2020?
  • Bounce Back: After playing just 25 games last season, Zach LaVine has gotten off to a strong start for the 2-2 Bulls, averaging a team-high 26.0 ppg (T-17th in NBA) while shooting 45.7% from deep – fifth among the 29 high-volume 3-point shooters with 8+ attempts per game

Remaining League Pass games

  • Raptors at Hornets (7 ET)
  • Pistons at Sixers (7 ET)
  • Hawks at Wizards (7 ET)
  • Nets at Grizzlies (8 ET)
  • Pelicans at Warriors (10 ET)
  • Blazers at Clippers (10:30 ET)

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