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NBA Starting 5, Oct. 19: Aces Go Back-To-Back, Curry Calls Game – NBA.com
So much had already gone down on Thursday. Then Steph Curry got the ball down 2, with 10 seconds left…
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THE TIP ⏰
Wednesday’s Scores
🪄 Wizards 131, Knicks 106
🗽 Nets 107, Heat 104
🤠 Spurs 117, Rockets 103
🌁 Warriors 116, Kings 115
🏆 W Finals: Aces 70, Liberty 69
➡️ Aces win 2nd straight title
Thursday’s Games
📺 Celtics-Hornets, 7 pm ET, NBA TV
📱 Pistons-Thunder, 8 pm, NBA App
📱 Timberwolves-Bulls, 8 pm, NBA App
📱 Jazz-Kings, 10 pm, NBA App
📱 Nuggets-Clippers, 10 pm, NBA App
📺 Suns-Lakers, 10 pm, NBA TV
THE LINEUP 🏀
Finals MVP A’ja Wilson (R) and coach Becky Hammon share a moment after the Aces won the W crown for the second straight year — something that hadn’t been done since 2002. | NBAE via Getty Images
WNBA FINALS: ACES GO BACK TO BACK 🏆🏆
Finals MVP A’ja Wilson (R) and coach Becky Hammon share a moment after the Aces won the W crown for the second straight year — something that hadn’t been done since 2002. | NBAE via Getty Images
Without their starting point guard Chelsea Gray. Without their starting center Kiah Stokes.
Playing in an arena they had not won in 3 tries this season.
The Las Vegas Aces prevailed with a gritty 70-69 win over the New York Liberty to win the 2023 WNBA Finals, 3-1.
LAST NIGHT: STEPH CALLS GAME 💦
Knew it from the release. | NBAE
The last time Steph Curry faced the Kings, he dropped 50 points on the road in Game 7 to end Sacramento’s season.
Fast forward 5 months, and he’s still haunting the Dubs’ NorCal rival.
Jordan Poole put himself in rare company Wednesday. | NBAE via Getty Images
Jordan Poole exploded for 41 points – tied for the most by a Wizard in a preseason game this century – in Washington’s 131-106 win over New York.
Here’s what you need to know from the other 2 games:
More games to keep an eye on Wednesday night:
Reminder: Lineups change quickly in the preseason. Stay up to date at the NBA App.
3. WEST CONTENDERS TANGLE IN FINAL TUNE-UP ⭐️
Can the Suns challenge the Nuggets in the West? | NBAE via Getty Images
NBA GMs picked two teams above all others to challenge Denver in the West: the Suns and Lakers.
They meet Thursday (10 ET, NBA TV) to close out their preseason, before both teams play on opening night — L.A. vs Denver at 7:30 pm ET, Phoenix vs. Golden State at 10 pm ET (both on TNT).
Ant Edwards and Austin Reaves, coming off starring roles for USA Basketball. | NBAE via Getty Images
Thursday also features 2 of the stars of Team USA’s FIBA World Cup team: L.A.’s Austin Reaves and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, with Ant’s Wolves taking on the Bulls (8 pm ET, League Pass)
More games to follow on Thursday:
Reminder: Lineups change quickly in the preseason. Stay up to date at the NBA App.
JOKIC SCOUTING HORSES GOES VIRAL. WHAT’S NEXT? 🐴
Nikola Jokic’s love of horses and horse racing is well documented – he even rode in on a trotter when the Nuggets surprised him with a visit to Serbia to present him his 2022 MVP trophy.
But seeing Jokic scouting horses on his mobile phone as the Nuggets were getting ready for practice in the 1st episode of Bring It Home was on another level.
One of our favorite clips from Episode 4, dropping today? Three veterans, with 43 years of experience and 0 titles between them up to that point, just letting loose. Stay tuned.
A few more fun moments from around the league this week:
5. A NEW LEVEL OF PARITY? 📊
Last season saw both postseason races famously, epically come down to the wire – with 26 of 30 teams still in the hunt in the final month, and most of the West up for grabs in the final week. The parity only continued in the Playoffs.
The league also saw something that hasn’t happened in at least a quarter-century.
Stat To Know: Net Rating. Never heard of it? It’s simply your PTS per 100 possessions minus the PTS you give up. If you score 120 points per 100 and give up 110, your NetRtg is 10. It was first tracked in 1996-97.
Back to the milestone. Take a look at that chart above. That dramatic drop you see for the 2022-23 season? Here’s what it means.
These are all indicators that the disparity between the best teams in the league and those near the bottom of the standings was closer than ever last year.
So, as a new season begins, with “this is our year” vibes across the league – will we see something similar in 2023-24?
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The 1st quadruple-double. Boston 3 party. Early impressions of CP3/Poole. 5 players on All-Star cusp. WNBA Finals Game 4.
Starting 5: Oct. 16, 2023
New York squanders an early lead before storming back with a vengeance to hand Las Vegas its 1st home loss of the season.
The Starting 5 daily newsletter for Oct. 17, 2023
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