Starting 5: Ant ignites epic Wolves rally

Another Wolves-Nuggets thriller. Another Minnesota comeback.

THE LINEUP 🏀
Nov. 2, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?
Friday Fireworks: A Game 7 rematch delivered while two teams remained unbeaten
Dynamic Duos: LeBron & AD make history, Brunson & KAT cook
30-Piece, Please: Four big nights for four stars led to four dubs
Goin’ Global: The 33rd NBA game in Mexico tips off tonight on a special Saturday
Highlight Alert: An Ant vs. Wemby showdown headlines nine games on League Pass
BUT FIRST … ⏰
A worldwide day of hoops…

In the first Global Game of the regular season, Jimmy Butler and the Heat will take on Jordan Poole and the Wizards in the Mexico City Game 2024 (9:30 ET, NBA TV).
Nine more games tip off on NBA League Pass, along with Vince Carter’s No. 15 Raptors jersey retirement as Toronto hosts Sacramento (7:30 ET) before a matchup between Anthony Edwards and the Wolves versus Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs (8 ET).
1. TWO GAME 7 REMATCHES & TWO PERFECT RECORDS ON THE LINE

In Game 7 of the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals, the Timberwolves overcame a 20-point 2nd-half deficit to oust the defending champion Nuggets on their home floor, marking the largest Game 7 comeback in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98).
In Friday’s rematch, Minnesota rallied again.
Despite holding a 16-point lead in the 2nd quarter, the Wolves (3-2) found themselves down seven with 2:30 left, but then Anthony Edwards (29 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 7 3s) ignited a 10-0 unanswered run to stun Nikola Jokić (26 pts, 9 reb, 13 ast) and the Nuggets, 119-116, in another thriller. | Recap | Final 7:51
With seven 3s in the win, Edwards leads the NBA with 29 made triples, while shooting a career-high 43.3% from deep.

For just the third time in franchise history, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 6-0.
In another Game 7 rematch of the 2024 Playoffs, Darius Garland (25 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast) and Donovan Mitchell (22 pts, 9-15 FG) helped the Cavs jump out to a 34-16 lead in the 1st quarter, and Cleveland never looked back for a 120-109 win over Jalen Suggs (career-high 28 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl) and the Magic (3-3). | Recap
“It’s a whole team effort, it’s a group thing and for us that is truly the name of the game … everybody down the line did their job and that’s what it takes for us to be who we want to be.”

Thunder 137, Trail Blazers 114: Out West, the NBA’s only other remaining undefeated team also kept their record unblemished as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast) and Jalen Williams (22 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl) powered the Thunder past Jerami Grant (17 pts, 3 reb) and the Blazers, improving OKC to 5-0. | Recap
2. DYNAMIC DUOS: AD & LEBRON, BRUNSON & KAT SHINE

Before the sixth game of his record-tying 22nd NBA season, LeBron James played 1-on-1 against his son and teammate Bronny James during warmups.
For those who arrived at the arena closer to tip-off, James made his longevity even more apparent during the game.
Lakers 131, Raptors 125: James (27 pts, 10 ast) and Anthony Davis (38 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk) put on a show – and each made history in the process — while the Lakers (4-2) built a 43-19 lead in the 1st quarter and staved off a late Toronto comeback fueled by RJ Barrett (33 pts, 12 ast) and Gradey Dick (career-high 31 pts, 5 3s). | Recap
Davis joined Shaquille O’Neal as the only Lakers to average 30+ points, 10+ rebounds and 2+ blocks over the first six games of a season (since blocks and steals were first recorded in 1974-75)

Knicks 128, Pistons 98: Jalen Brunson had 26 points at the half on his way to a season-high 36 (14-22 FG, 6-8 3P) along with five dimes, as he and Karl-Anthony Towns (21 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast) helped the Knicks (3-2) open the game on a 23-8 run to eventually secure a wire-to-wire win over Cade Cunningham (22 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and the Pistons (1-5). | Recap
“On any given night, we got a bunch of guys that can do a lot of crazy things on the stat sheet.”
3. 30-PIECES WITH A SIDE OF DUBS

Pelicans 125, Pacers 118: Zion Williamson (34 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast) dropped 16 points in the 4th quarter for his first career 30 pt/10 ast game, while Brandon Ingram added 26 points, six boards and seven dimes to push the Pels past Pascal Siakam (16 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast), Tyrese Haliburton (11 pts, 11 ast) and the Pacers. | Recap
Celtics 124, Hornets 109: After suffering their first loss of the season in Indiana on Wednesday, Jayson Tatum (32 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Jaylen Brown (25 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) and the Celtics (5-1) rebounded by staving off LaMelo Ball (31 pts, 4 ast, 5 3s) and the Hornets (2-3) in Charlotte. | Recap
Kings 123, Hawks 115: De’Aaron Fox (31 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast) and DeMar DeRozan (27 pts, 8 reb) were feeling it, and Domantas Sabonis (15 pts, 14 reb, 6 ast) and Keegan Murray (14 pts, 10 reb) notched double-doubles as the Kings (3-2) edged out Trae Young (25 pts, 12 ast) and the Hawks (2-4) for their third straight dub. | Recap
Nets 120, Bulls 112: Ben Simmons (8 pts, 8 reb, 11 ast) stuffed the stat sheet, and with Brooklyn clinging to a 110-109 lead, Cam Thomas (32 pts, 4 ast) scored 10 straight points — capped by this 3 from the parking lot — to lift the Nets over Nikola Vučević (28 pts, 11 reb, 10-11 FG) and the Bulls. | Recap
4. MEXICO CITY GAME: HEAT, WIZARDS MEET ON DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

On Saturday night, the game goes global as Jimmy Butler and the Heat take on Jordan Poole and the Wizards in the NBA Mexico City Game 2024 (9:30 ET, NBA TV).
As the league’s 33rd matchup in Mexico since 1992 – the most in any country outside the U.S. and Canada – this game adds an extra element to the NBA’s history abroad, coinciding with Mexico’s traditional Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations locally.
With both teams at 2-2, which squad will celebrate the holiday with their third dub of the season? Will it be the Wizards, seeking a third straight win — or the Heat, looking to improve to 3-0 all-time in regular-season games in Mexico?
On the interior, this year’s No. 2 overall pick, Alex Sarr, has multiple blocks in each of his first four games, tied for the fourth-longest streak to start a career in NBA history

While Saturday marks the third time Miami will play in Mexico, it’s the first for second-year standout and Mexican-American forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., whose father’s family hails from Guadalajara.
to people knowing that I have Mexican heritage and to be able to play down there in front of all those fans … it’s going to be inspiring.”
5. HIGHLIGHT WATCH: ANT-MAN vs. WEMBY ON LEAGUE PASS

Nine games tip off tonight on League Pass, headlined by a matchup featuring two players ready to provide a viral moment every time they step on the court.
Timberwolves at Spurs (8 ET): In a must-see meeting between two young superstars, the high-flying Anthony Edwards will go head-to-head against the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, who made history two days ago.

The League Pass action tips off at 6 ET and continues throughout the night, with both the unbeaten Cavs and Thunder looking to remain perfect in the second legs of their back-to-backs.
(10:30 ET)