Starting 5, Oct. 28: Tyrese Maxey drops 45 in Sixers' first win

When your daughter strikes your signature pose in front of your freshly unveiled statue.

THE LINEUP 🏀

Oct. 28, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Maxey Drops 45: Philly secures its first win behind Tyrese Maxey’s 45 points

Sunday Roundup: OKC stays unbeaten, Curry’s early exit, Nets & Blazers secure first wins

‘This Is My House’: Heat unveil Dwyane Wade statue outside Kaseya Center

Weekend Rewind: Key moments from the opening weekend of the season

Monday Preview: Bucks-Celtics and Lakers-Suns on NBA TV plus nine games on League Pass

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Start your week with more hoops…

A star-studded NBA TV doubleheader highlights an 11-game slate to open Week 2 of the 2024-25 season.

The Celtics and Lakers look to stay unbeaten and improve to 4-0 on the season. Boston hosts Milwaukee (7:30 ET) followed by the Lakers visiting Phoenix (10 ET) in their first road game of the season.

1. MAXEY WINS BATTLE OF THE TYRESES, SIXERS GET FIRST WIN

Andrew Nembhard’s bucket with 1:33 left in regulation put the Pacers up 102-97 – the largest lead of either team in the 4th quarter. But Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers were not going to fall to 0-3 without one last push. *

• Philly’s 8-0 Run: Four free throws and a dime from Maxey and buckets by Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin put the Sixers up three with 11.7 seconds left
• The Other Tyrese Ties It: Haliburton brought the ball up, got to his spot behind the 3-point line and hit a double-pump trey to tie the game with 3.5 seconds left and force OT
• Maxey Owns OT: Maxey scored 10 of Philly’s 13 points in the extra five minutes – single-handedly outscoring Indy 10-9 – to seal the win for the shorthanded Sixers, who are still without Joel Embiid and Paul George | Recap | Watch the Dramatic Finish

Maxey finished with 45 points – the highest scoring game of the young 2024-25 NBA season – giving him four 45+ point games as a Sixer, the fourth most in franchise history behind only Allen Iverson (31), Wilt Chamberlain (17) and Embiid (16).

• One-Man Run: Maxey scored 14 straight points for the Sixers over a six-minute stretch spanning the 3rd and 4th quarters
• In addition to Maxey, Philly got double-digit contributions from Martin (17 pts, 12 reb), Eric Gordon (15 pts), Oubre (14 pts, 8 reb) and Andre Drummond (9 pts, 17 reb)
• Pace(r) Setters: Haliburton (22 pts, 4 3s) – who had a chance to tie the game at the free throw line with five seconds in overtime – and Pascal Siakam (17 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 2 3s) combined for 39 in the loss as both teams now sit 1-2

40+ Point Club: Maxey posted the third 40+ point game of the 2024-25 season’s opening week – joining Nikola Jokić (41 vs. Clippers) and Luka Dončić (40 vs. Suns) on Saturday – and the only one to come in a win.

2. OKC HITS 3-0; DUBS LOSE GAME & CURRY; NETS & BLAZERS GET FIRST WINS

Thunder 128, Hawks 104: In a clash of two 2-0 teams, the Thunder pulled away in the 4th quarter to defeat the Hawks behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s near triple-double (35 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast) and Chet Holmgren’s two-way showcase (25 pts, 9 reb, 6 blk). | Recap

• Closing Time: After a Dyson Daniels putback gave the Hawks a one-point lead 90 seconds into the 4th quarter, OKC outscored Atlanta 37-12 the rest of the game – with SGA and Chet combining for 18 of those points

Clippers 112, Warriors 104: LA got double-doubles from James Harden (23 pts, 11 ast, 7 reb) and Ivica Zubac (23 pts, 18 reb, 6 ast) as well as 38 combined points from Norm Powell (20) and Derrick Jones Jr. (18) to hand the Warriors their first loss of the season. | Recap

• The Bigger Loss: Steph Curry had 18 points, six assists, four 3s and this magical fast break before leaving the game with 7:55 left in the 4th quarter after twisting his ankle for the second time in the 2nd half
• Four 3-0 Teams Left: With OKC’s win and Golden State’s loss, the number of unbeaten teams stands at four following the opening weekend of the season: Boston and Cleveland in the East, OKC and the L.A. Lakers in the West

Nets 115, Bucks 102: Cam Thomas (32 pts, 10-21 FG) and Dennis Schröder (29 pts, 5 3s, 6 ast) combined for 61 points as they outscored the Bucks duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo (22) and Damian Lillard (21) to lead the Nets to their first win under new head coach Jordi Fernandez | Recap | See The Celebration Inside The Nets Locker Room

• Through three games, Thomas is tied with Trae Young as the sixth-leading scorer in the NBA at 30.7 points per game

Blazers 125, Pelicans 103: Jerami Grant (28 pts, 5 reb, 4 blk) and Anfernee Simons (27 pts, 6 ast, 5 3s) combined for 55 points to help the Blazers secure Portland’s first win after falling to the Pelicans (105-103) on Friday. | Recap

• CJ McCollum had 27 points to lead the Pelicans, which saw their seven-game win streak against McCollum’s former team snapped with the loss

3. WADE’S ‘THIS IS MY HOUSE’ STATUE UNVEILED IN MIAMI

From this day forward, Heat fans entering the Kaseya Center will be reminded whose house they are about to enter.

Dwyane Wade – who led the Miami Heat to three championships during his 15 seasons in South Beach – became the first player in franchise history to be honored with a statue outside the team’s home arena. | Watch the Reveal

When it came time to choose the pose for the statue, Wade and the Heat had many options – as the current squad made their guesses – but in the end it was the indelible image of Wade that stood out from the rest.

• In the closing seconds of a double-overtime game against his hometown team – the Chicago Bulls – Wade came up with a steal, dribbled past half-court and launched a running 3-pointer that splashed as the buzzer sounded
• With the crowd in a frenzy, Wade leapt up onto the scorer’s table, raised his arms up with his fingers pointing to the court while screaming “This is my house!”
• Wade On The Statue Pose: “It was that moment on March 9, 2009… I’m glad that we can set that moment in stone.”
• After giving fans one more ‘This is my house!’ while standing in front of the statue, Wade added: “We just made that a forever thing.”
• Family Affair: Wade takes in the moment with his son, then helps his daughter hit the pose while she stands in front of the statue
• Watch the game that delivered the statue moment with this Classic Game available with your NBA ID

During Wednesday’s season opener, the Heat dedicated their court to former head coach and current Team President Pat Riley, who established the championship standard and culture that the Heat have made famous.

With Wade’s statue unveiling coming in the same week, the two Heat icons are forever linked as the foundation of a winning franchise that will last well beyond their time on the court or in the front office.

• Wade: “I’m just appreciative to be part of an organization that has history and understand that it took so long to create it. I didn’t come into history; I’m a part of the history.
• “I’m a part of building that history. This is just the beginning. This organization will be here way longer than me but my name will be associated with it forever.”

4. WEEKEND REWIND: VINTAGE LEBRON, A KD MILESTONE, A GAME WINNER & MORE

A lot went down over the opening weekend of the 2024-25 season. Let’s catch you up in under two minutes.

Friday

• Ingram Calls Game: Brandon Ingram had the first game-winning bucket of the young season, sinking a fadeaway jumper with 4.9 seconds left to give New Orleans the 105-103 win in Portland
• AD Ignites Comeback: Trailing by 22 points in the 2nd quarter, Anthony Davis (35 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast) and the Lakers outscored the Suns 97-68 the rest of the way to get the home win
• The Bodega KAT: Playing in their first home game at The Garden, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges dropped 21 points apiece to help the Knicks get past the Pacers in a Playoff rematch
• Buddy Gets Buckets: After splashing five 3s in his Warriors debut, Buddy Hield sank seven triples to lead Golden State to a 2-0 start with a pair of 30+ point wins on the road

Saturday

• Vintage LeBron: The Lakers opened the 4th quarter against the Kings with a 21-0 run, with 16 of those points coming from LeBron James to help L.A. snap a five-game losing streak to Sacramento
• 29K For KD: Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 29,000 career points as he dropped 31 in a Suns win over the Mavs despite a 40-piece from Luka Dončić
• Celtics Raining 3s: With 22 3s on Saturday, Boston shattered the NBA record for most 3-pointers made through the first three games of the season. It was 54 (by the 2021 Knicks), it’s now 68
• Wemby From The Logo? Yes, Wemby from the logo for three of his 29 points to lead the Spurs to their first win of the season

5. WEEK 2 OPENS WITH AN 11-GAME SLATE ON MONDAY

The second week of the 2024-25 season opens with an NBA TV doubleheader loaded with star power.

Bucks at Celtics (7:30 ET, NBA TV): Jrue Holiday has won titles with both teams in this Eastern Conference clash – helping the Bucks win their first in 50 years in 2021 and an integral piece of getting the Celtics past the finish line in 2024.

• Can Boston Keep This Pace? The record for most 3-pointers made per game by a team over the course of a season is 16.7 by the 2020-21 Jazz. Through three games, the 2024-25 Celtics average six more 3s per game (22.7 3pm on 44.2% shooting)
• An Early Test For Milwaukee: After opening the season with a win over Philly, the Bucks have suffered back-to-back double-digit losses to the Bulls and Nets. Can Giannis and Dame bounce back and be the first team to knock off the defending champs?

Lakers at Suns (10 ET, NBA TV): If seeing this matchup gives you a sense of déjà vu, it is understandable. Between the preseason (two games) and regular season (last Friday and tonight), the Lakers and Suns have met four times in October.

• Best Start In Over A Decade: The Lakers are 3-0 for the first time since 2010-11 when they opened the season 8-0 and finished 57-25 in Phil Jackson’s final season. Can JJ Redick’s first season challenge that fast start from 14 years ago?
• Countdown To 30K: Kevin Durant surpassed 29,000 points in Phoenix’s win over Dallas on Saturday. With KD’s hot start (28.7ppg, 52.7% FG, 50% 3P), how quickly can he reach the next benchmark? Current pace: 35 games for No. 35

NBA League Pass Spotlight: In addition to the NBA TV doubleheader, NBA League Pass has nine more games on Monday night, including these three standouts.

• Pacers at Magic (7 ET): Last season, both teams finished 47-35, with Orlando earning the No. 5 seed over Indy thanks to winning the season series 2-1. Who will get the early edge this season?
• Wizards at Hawks (7:30 ET): The first meeting between the top two picks in the 2024 NBA Draft (and two Frenchmen) – Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher and Washington’s Alex Sarr
• Cavaliers at Knicks (7:30 ET): A matchup of two Playoff teams, both led by All-Star guards – Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and New York’s Jalen Brunson – and both looking to improve on last year’s exit in the East Semis

Six more League Pass games close out the night.

• Pistons at Heat (7:30 ET)
• Nuggets at Raptors (7:30 ET)
• Bulls at Grizzlies (8 ET)
• Rockets at Spurs (8 ET)
• Jazz at Mavericks (8:30 ET)
• Blazers at Kings (10 ET)