Devin Booker’s running hook sent the Suns to the ‘W’ … and would have handed out some ‘H’s in HORSE, too.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Oct. 4, 2025
Suns Win Opener: Devin Booker & the new-look Suns defeat Lakers in Palm Desert
Abu Dhabi Matinee: Knicks & Sixers play round two to begin Saturday (11 a.m. ET)
Melbourne Nightcap: Pelicans go for the Aussie sweep tonight (11 p.m. ET)
Familiar Foes: Division rivals Denver & Minnesota meet in their preseason opener
More Debuts: Magic & Heat meet in Puerto Rico, Nets host Hapoel Jerusalem
BUT FIRST … ⏰
A truly global game…
Today’s five-game slate hits all corners of the globe, with contests on three different continents:
🔵 Abu Dhabi: Knicks vs. Sixers (11 a.m. ET, NBA TV)
⚫ Brooklyn: Nets vs. Hapoel Jerusalem (8 p.m. ET, League Pass)
🟢 Puerto Rico: Magic vs. Heat (8 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
🟡 San Diego: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves (9 p.m. ET, League Pass)
🔴 Melbourne: Pelicans vs. SE Melbourne Phoenix (11 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
WNBA Finals: The Aces outscored the Mercury 22-15 in the 4th quarter to rally for an 89-86 win in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. A’ja Wilson (21 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk) did it all, while reserves Dana Evans (21 pts, 5 3pm, 4 stl) and Jewell Loyd (18 pts) came up big off the bench.
The countdown to Amex Tip Off continues with the Opening Night doubleheader on NBC & Peacock just 17 days away.
1. BOOKER LEADS SUNS PAST LAKERS IN PRESEASON OPENER
After a disappointing 2024-25 season, the Suns had a busy summer rebuilding their roster around franchise cornerstone Devin Booker.
On Friday, in the first preseason game with the new-look squad, Booker and the Suns looked sharp in a win over the shorthanded Lakers, who were without Luka Dončić and LeBron James in their preseason opener.
Suns 103, Lakers 81: Booker led all players in points (24) and assists (7) over 25 minutes, while Grayson Allen (13 pts, 3 3pm), Jared Butler (12 pts) and newcomer Dillon Brooks (10 pts) combined to add 35 points in the win. | Recap
- Phoenix First: Brooks wasted no time getting his first bucket as a Sun, knocking down a corner 3 in the game’s third minute
- Dishing Dimes: Brooks also showed off his playmaking skills, hitting Allen for a reverse layup alley-oop from just inside halfcourt
L.A.’ s Austin Reaves was hot early – reaching 16 points early in the 2nd quarter – before finishing with a team-high 20 points with three boards and two dimes, including this alley-oop to a soaring Jaxson Hayes for the poster jam.
- Reverse Card: After Reaves set up Hayes for the slam, it was a Hayes block that set up a coast-to-coast play for Reaves capped by a showtime lefty layup
- L.A. Debuts: Jake LaRavia had seven points and five boards in his first game in purple and gold, while Deandre Ayton cleaned the glass (eight boards) and protected the paint (two blocks)
What’s Next: The Lakers and Suns continue their preseason schedules, with their games separated by five days and 7,000 miles.
- Lakers Head North (To The Bay): The Lakers visit the Warriors on Sunday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), but will be without Dončić again as he was ruled out of L.A.’s first two preseason games
- Suns Head West (To The Far East): The Suns travel to Macao to face the Brooklyn Nets in two preseason games as the NBA China Games returns for the first time since 2019
2. KNICKS, SIXERS RUN IT BACK IN ABU DHABI
On Wednesday, the Knicks and Sixers tipped off the 2025-26 NBA preseason in Abu Dhabi with New York pulling away in the 3rd quarter to get the first dub of the season.
In just a few hours (11 a.m. ET to be exact), they will square off again to close out the fourth annual NBA Abu Dhabi Games.
Knicks Go For Sweep: Since the debut of the Abu Dhabi Games in 2022, each two-game series has ended in a sweep. Can the Knicks keep that tradition rolling?
- Starters: New York played its starters for the first half on Wednesday, with Karl-Anthony Towns (11), Mikal Bridges (10) and Jalen Brunson (6) combining for 27 points, while Mitchell Robinson grabbed 16 boards
Sixers Look To End Streak: Dating back to the 2024 Playoffs when New York eliminated Philly in the first round, the Sixers have dropped six straight games to the Knicks (including Wednesday’s game).
Can Philly taste a preseason win over New York before the division rivals meet again in the regular season on Dec. 19?
- Edgecombe’s Encore: The No. 3 pick in the draft put up 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in a game-high 31 minutes on Wednesday. What will VJ have in store today?
- Brotherly Love: Adem Bona’s brothers had never seen him play basketball live … until Wednesday night in Abu Dhabi. Their reactions were priceless, as was Adem’s reaction to their reaction on the final slide
Creator Country: Some of the top hoops creators in the game – Jesser, Lethal Shooter, The Professor, Matt Kiatipis and Adam Waheed – took in the sights of the city and the game in Abu Dhabi.
3. PELICANS CLOSE OUT NBA X NBL MELBOURNE SERIES TONIGHT
The Pelicans already made history on Friday by playing in the first-ever NBA preseason game played on Australian soil, defeating Melbourne United, 107-97, in front of nearly 15,000 fans at Rod Laver Arena.
Tonight (11 p.m. ET), the Pelicans will try to complete an Aussie sweep as they take on South East Melbourne Phoenix to close out the NBA Melbourne Series.
- Quick Work: NOLA’s starters played limited minutes but made the most of their time on the court. Trey Murphy III (18 pts in 19 min) and Zion Williamson (15 pts in 16 min) led the Pelicans offense
- “We Want Zion!” – After being serenaded by chants from the Aussie crowd, Zion was all smiles after the game, saying “It’s love, man. It just shows you the reach of the game of basketball.“
- Media Day Rewind: When meeting with the media before the 9,000 mile trip Down Under, Zion said “it feels good to feel good” and followed it up by looking springy and spry in his preseason debut
- Aussie Poole Party? In his Pelicans debut, Jordan Poole had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, but shot just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. Can he find the splash zone tonight?
- Rookie Range: NOLA’s No. 7 overall pick, Jeremiah Fears, will look to have a better shooting night after going 3-of-15 and 0-of-6 from deep in a team-high 22 minutes on Friday
4. NUGGETS, WOLVES RENEW RIVALRY IN PRESEASON OPENERS
Dustin Bradford/NBAE via Getty Images
Division rivals looking to challenge the defending champion Thunder in the West this season – the Nuggets (2023 champs) and the Wolves (coming off back-to-back West Finals appearances) – open the preseason against each other tonight in San Diego (9 ET, League Pass).
- Familiar Foes: Minnesota ended Denver’s title defense in the 2024 Playoffs – winning the final two games of the West Semis, including a historic rally in Game 7 in Denver – then swept last year’s regular-season series with two of the games decided by three points or less
- An Instant Classic: In their last meeting on April 1, the Nuggets and Wolves played one of the games of the year – a double-OT thriller that saw Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle combine for 60 points to overcome the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history by Nikola Jokić (61-10-10)
Offseason Strategies: When the postseason ended for both teams – Denver’s in the West Semis and Minnesota’s in the West Finals, both at the hands of OKC – the Nuggets made some key roster moves, while the Wolves kept their core together.
- Nuggets Retool: Tonight will be our first glimpse of the new-look Nuggets with Cam Johnson (acquired from Brooklyn for Michael Porter Jr.), Bruce Brown Jr. (returning to Denver after two years), Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valančiūnas. | Read More
- Nuggets’ New Starting 5: Denver head coach David Adelman likes what he’s seen in training camp from his new first unit: “What’s beginning looks dangerous and impactful. A lot of chemistry there.”
- “My plan is to be a Nugget forever.” Those eight words from three-time MVP Nikola Jokić are music to every single ear of Nuggets Nation
- Wolves Back: Minnesota resigned Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Joe Ingles this summer, but lost one key member of the pack as Nickeil Alexander-Walker departed in free agency to Atlanta | Read More
- Calling Card: During their back-to-back runs to the West Finals, the Wolves ranked first and sixth, respectively, in defensive rating. Early in training camp, defensive assistant coach Micah Nori gave this assessment: “Our defense has been really, really good.”
With both teams eyeing a run to the Finals this season, the first step in that journey begins tonight.
5. HEAT VS. MAGIC IN PUERTO RICO, NETS HOST HAPOEL JERUSALEM
Rich Storry/NBAE via Getty Images
The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic have made the trip from Florida to Puerto Rico, where they will open the preseason against each other tonight (8 p.m. ET, NBA TV).
- Rivalry Rewind: The in-state rivals split their four-game season series a year ago. Both secured Playoff berths via the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament before being eliminated in the first round
Both teams were active this offseason, adding a veteran shooter to help their already established duos.
Julio Aguilar & Carmen Mandato/NBAE via Getty Images
- Bane Magic: Orlando acquired Desmond Bane from Memphis during the NBA Finals, locking up the career 41% 3-point shooter before offseason player movement got into full swing.
- Bane will boost Orlando’s 27th-ranked offense (108.9) and 30th-ranked 3-point percentage (31.8%)
- Norm!: Everybody knows Powell’s name after his breakout year last season with the LA Clippers, averaging a career-best 21.8 points per game while shooting 41.8% from deep, which ranked second out of 58 high-volume 3-point shooters with 400+ attempts
- First Looks: Both Bane and Powell are expected to make their respective preseason debuts tonight
- Missing Pieces: However, a number of key players for both teams will be unavailable tonight as they continue to work their way back from injury – Miami’s Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and Davion Mitchell as well as Orlando’s Moe Wagner and Jalen Suggs
Evan Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Home Cookin’: The Nets are the only team on the schedule tonight playing in their traditional home arena – the Barclays Center – when they host Hapoel Jerusalem (8 p.m. ET, League Pass).
- Busy Summer: The Nets were active during the offseason, acquiring 2023 NBA champion Michael Porter Jr. from Denver, Haywood Highsmith from Miami as well as Terance Mann and Kobe Bufkin from Atlanta
- Busy Draft: The Nets finished Night 1 of the Draft with five players taken in the first round – using their picks on Egor Demin (8), Nolan Traoré (19), Ben Saraf (26) and Danny Wolf (27), while acquiring Drake Powell (22) from Atlanta
- Matchup Ties: Two of Brooklyn’s first-round picks – Ben Saraf (Israel’s U18 in 2024 EuroBasket, named MVP) and Danny Wolf (Israel’s U20 at 2023 FIBA European Championship) have played for Israel’s national teams
