Get up to speed on the latest NBA news, plus a quick look at stories we’ll be following closely today:
1. Kuzma makes his season debut: The Lakers have held down the fort while Kyle Kuzma mends. (And yes, it sure helps to have LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the fold.) Kuzma was out to nurse a stress reaction in his left ankle and he’s not expected to play more than 15 or 20 minutes tonight in Dallas (9:30 ET, ESPN).
🎥 Kyle Kuzma talks about making his season debut tomorrow pic.twitter.com/rgWUDyr7mO
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 31, 2019
2. How about an encore, Mr. Harden?: The last time we saw him, James Harden was busy giving Wizards fans nightmares with a 59-point performance the day before Halloween. He and the Rockets take on the Nets tonight (7 ET, ESPN). What happened the last time Harden visited Brooklyn? He went off for 58 in the second of consecutive 50-point games. Could he repeat that feat one year later?
3. Big one looms for Bucks: Milwaukee was a trendy pick to not only win the East this season, but get off to a hot start as well. Yet the Bucks are squarely at .500 as they visit the Orlando Magic tonight (7 ET, League Pass). A 2-3 mark after tonight might raise the early levels of concern to date about the Bucks.
4. The Steph-less era Warriors begin: The word is out: Stephen Curry will be sidelined at 3 months after having surgery on his broken left hand. That means it will be the D’Angelo Russell and Draymond Green show as the rival Spurs pay a visit (10:30 ET, League Pass).
5. What’s wrong in Sacramento?: The Kings, kind of like the Bucks, had some serious goals for themselves this season. Yet with a loss tonight to the visiting Jazz (10 ET, League Pass), they’ll be 0-6 for the first time since 1990-91. Kings guard De’Aaron Fox is a large part of the struggles, as he’s averaging a career-low 11.6 points per game this season.
6. We love a good anniversary …: Where would the NBA and its stars of today be without those who came before them? It’s a basketball version of the chicken or the egg quandary. Welp, we’re here to pay homage, not get into semantics. As such, today marks the anniversary of the NBA debuts of Allen Iverson, Steve Nash and Ray Allen.
