Starting 5: Rookie masterclass, preseason finale

Nothing But Knecht. The Lakers rookie took over down the stretch to claim an OT dub in Phoenix.

THE LINEUP 🏀
What’s inside today’s edition?
Terrific Tandems: A pair of duos out West lit up last night’s scoreboard in style
Buckets In Bulk: More big names dropped big numbers in Thursday’s seven-game slate
Friday Finale: Two marquee matchups headline the final day of the 2024-25 preseason
LP Look-In: Players you should keep an eye out for tonight on NBA League Pass
W Finals: Will Friday’s Game 4 produce a first-time champion, or a decisive Game 5?
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Tonight’s preseason finale…

The NBA 2024-25 preseason concludes Friday with a seven-game slate, including a pair of nationally televised games as Ja Morant and the Grizzlies host the Heat (8 ET, NBA TV) before the Lakers take on the Warriors (10:30 ET, ESPN2).
Game 4 of the WNBA Finals also tips off tonight as the Liberty will look to claim their first-ever title, while the Lynx hope to force a winner-take-all Game 5 (8 ET, ESPN).
1. TERRIFIC TANDEMS: A PAIR OF DUOS GO OFF

Lakers 128, Suns 122 (OT): Dalton Knecht scored 20 straight Lakers points – including a pair of 3s in the final minute of regulation to force OT and three more in the extra five minutes – to lead the Lakers to a comeback win. | Stats
: Devin Booker (22 pts, 3 3s), Kevin Durant (19 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) and Bradley Beal (13 pts, 4 ast) combined for 54 points for the Suns in their preseason finale

Rockets 129, Spurs 107: Jalen Green (30 pts, 7-13 3P) and Alperen Sengun (21 pts, 10 reb) went off, combining for 51 points to power the Rockets past Stephon Castle (16 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast) and the Spurs, who gave Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul the night off. | Stats
Mavericks 109, Bucks 84: Kyrie Irving (14 pts, 6-7 FG) and Klay Thompson (11 pts, 6 reb, 3-7 3P) helped spark a 16-2 Mavs run to close the 1st half, giving Dallas a 54-38 lead that it never relinquished for its first preseason dub. | Stats
2. MORE BUCKET-GETTERS, BONUS HOOPS & THIS ⬇️

Pacers 121, Hornets 116 (OT): Brandon Miller only needed one half to score a game-high 20 points, highlighted by five 3s and one jaw-dropping jam. But Myles Turner (18 pts, 7-10 FG), Tyrese Haliburton (14 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) and the Pacers rallied from 16 points down to steal an overtime win. | Stats
Nuggets 132, Timberwolves 126: Denver closed out the preseason with its first win behind Julian Strawther’s game-high 33 points and five 3s off the bench. Jamal Murray added 25 points, five dimes and five 3s of his own. | Stats

Thunder 104, Hawks 99: With the Hawks resting their core lineup, Kobe Bufkin shined with a game-high 31 points while going 7-of-14 from deep, but it wasn’t enough to top Chet Holmgren (15 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast) and the Thunder, who finished the preseason at 4-1 | Stats
Clippers 113, Kings 91: The Clippers improved to 2-0 at the Intuit Dome as they raced past the Kings – leading by 27 points at the half – and never looked back. Jordan Miller (21 pts, 8-11 FG) and Amir Coffey (18 pts, 3 3s) combined for 39 points for LA, which played without James Harden. | Stats
Listen to Fox and DeRozan take command of the court during Kings practice ahead of last night’s game
3. FRIDAY FINALE: PRESEASON CLOSES ON NATIONAL STAGE

How about seven more games tonight? The preseason wraps up Friday with another loaded schedule, headlined by four star-studded rosters taking the national stage.
Heat at Grizzlies (8 ET, NBA TV): After their respective stars, Jimmy Butler and Ja Morant, were plagued by injuries last year, both the Heat (3-1) and the Grizzlies (3-1) will look to close their promising preseasons with a fourth win.
In his one preseason outing, Morant (13 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast,
) looked sharp in a win against the Mavs. Will we see him again tonight?

Lakers at Warriors (10:30 ET, ESPN2): After beating Los Angeles 111-97 on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Steph Curry and the Warriors will host LeBron James and the Lakers in the Bay to cap the 2024-25 preseason.
Enter the gym at UCLA Health Training Facility as first-year head coach JJ Redick leads the Lakers through practice
4. LEAGUE PASS LOOK-IN: STANDOUTS TO WATCH

Friday also boasts five games on NBA League Pass, including a pair of intriguing matchups in the East featuring some newly acquired stars and potential breakout performers.
Knicks at Wizards (7 ET, League Pass): In the new-look Knicks’ final exhibition before tipping off the regular season against the defending champion Celtics on Tuesday, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and company will take on Jordan Poole and the Wizards.
Washington’s No. 2 overall pick in this year’s Draft, Alex Sarr, is second on the team in points (11.3 ppg) and first in blocks (1.7 bpg), while Poole is adding 10.5 ppg

Cavaliers at Bulls (8 ET, League Pass): In a matchup featuring a handful of preseason standouts, Coby White, Zach LaVine and the Bulls will host Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs in Chi-Town.
After scoring 10 points on Wednesday in his first game in over 2.5 seasons, Lonzo Ball will get one last tune-up before Chicago’s regular-season opener on Wednesday against the Raptors, which he intends to play in
The League Pass action rolls on throughout the night, with six more teams making their final preseason outings.
(10 ET, League Pass)
5. W FINALS GAME 4: A TITLE TONIGHT OR A GAME 5 FOR IT ALL?

Tonight in Minneapolis (8 ET, ESPN), one of two things will happen:
to continue their pursuit of an unprecedented fifth WNBA title
Thanks to Sabrina Ionescu’s 28-foot game-winning trey to win Game 3 for New York, the Liberty can clinch that elusive first title with a win in either Game 4 (tonight) or Game 5 (Sunday at home).
Let’s dive into a bit of history to see how these games have played out since the WNBA went to a best-of-five Finals in 2005. Of those 19 best-of-five series, seven ended in sweeps, giving us 12 series that needed a Game 4.
to not only force a Game 5, but also win the series in five games. The last team to do it? The 2017 Lynx against the Sparks. However, the only team to win Game 4 at home and Game 5 on the road to clinch the title is the 2007 Mercury

No Lead Is Safe: Each game of the 2024 Finals has featured a double-digit comeback.
New York rallied back from 15 down before clinching the win on Ionescu’s triple to cap the third-largest comeback in Finals history
Will Game 4 deliver another instant classic? And will it result in a championship celebration or must-see Game 5 on Sunday?