To tip off the 2024-25 season, the reigning champs raised a record 18th title banner to the TD Garden rafters.
Then, a record number of 3s came raining down.
THE LINEUP
Oct. 23, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?
Historic Opening Night: C’s tie single-game 3-point record, LeBron & Bronny take the floor together
Boston 3 Party: On banner night, Jayson Tatum set the tone for Boston’s title defense
An Opening W: The Lakers win their season opener for the first time since 2016
Wednesday Doubleheader: A Sixers-Bucks showdown and the Clips’ housewarming party
LP Lineup: Two must-see debuts headline eight games tonight on NBA League Pass
BUT FIRST … ⏰
We’re just getting started…
Twenty teams will make their regular-season debut tonight with 10 games tipping off. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks open up ESPN’s doubleheader against Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers (7:30 ET) before James Harden and the Clippers host Kevin Durant and the Suns at the Intuit Dome (10 ET).
1. A DOUBLEHEADER TO REMEMBER: HISTORY MADE TWICE
In an opening night for the ages, the 2024-25 season tipped off with two historic moments that electrified the basketball world.
- First, the defending champion Celtics celebrated ring night in Boston by splashing 29 3s, tied for the most ever in a single NBA game, on their way to a 132-109 win over the Knicks
- Then, LeBron James and his eldest son, Bronny James, made history by becoming the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game, checking in together with four minutes left of the 1st half in L.A.’s 110-103 win over Minnesota
The historic night began with a historic 1st quarter as Boston became the first-ever NBA team to hit 10 3s in the opening frame of their first game of the season. They went on to pour in 74 1st-half points — the sixth-most in an opening game in NBA history.
By night’s end, they had tied the 2020-21 Bucks’ record (set on Dec. 29, 2020) for the most triples in a single game and written even more history while adding another chapter to the TD Garden rafters
- Opening Night Record: Boston’s 29 made 3s shattered the previous opening night record of 23, set by the Hornets in 2019
- Franchise Record: The mark also broke the Celtics franchise record of 27 made triples, set on Nov. 5, 2022
- “The banner was the highlight for me,” said Coach Joe Mazzulla. “The rafters have a life of their own in this building.”
Midway through the 2nd quarter of the Lakers’ season opener, LeBron James went to the bench and sat next to his son, Bronny. History was drawing near, and the father had some final words of advice for the son.
LeBron: “You about ready?”
Bronny: “Mm-hmm.”
LeBron: “You see the intensity right? Just play carefree though. Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard.”
LeBron and Bronny walked to the scorers’ table together with four minutes left in the 1st half, checking into the game side-by-side to make history as the first father-son duo to ever play in an NBA game.
They shared the court for two minutes and 41 seconds, which included a drive-and-kick from LeBron to Bronny for a 3-point attempt that had the Crypto.com Arena crowd on its feet, but Bronny’s triple just rimmed out.
The father-son combo will have plenty of opportunities to make plays for one another over the course of the season. But the “first moment” of them sharing the court in an NBA game is now etched in the history books.
- LeBron: “It’s always been family over everything. For me, I lost a lot of time committing to this league, being on the road at times, missing his things, Bryce’s things, Zuri’s things.
- “So to be able to have this moment where I’m working still and I can work alongside my son is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever got from the man above and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
- Bronny What He’ll Remember Most: “Just going up to that scorers’ table with my dad, checking in for the first time, that’s a crazy moment that I’ll never forget.”
- Griffeys In The House: Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr., MLB’s first father & son to share the field, were courtside — and shared a moment with the James pregame
2. TATUM TAKEOVER POWERS BOSTON 3 PARTY
Moments after receiving his 2024 championship ring, Jayson Tatum stepped forward with a message for the TD Garden crowd:
“Let’s do it again.“
Minutes into the Celtics’ title defense, he was already leading the charge.
Ignited by Tatum, who erupted for 37 points, 10 dimes, four boards and eight 3s, the Celtics rode their record-setting performance from deep to build a 74-55 lead at the half and didn’t look back, to beat Jalen Brunson (22 pts, 9-14 FG, 2 ast) and the Knicks, 132-109 | Recap
- 1st-Quarter Fire: Tatum hit four of the C’s 10 1st-quarter triples on his way to 15 points in the opening frame, helping Boston build a 43-24 lead that it never relinquished
- Class Of His Own: In the win, Tatum (14-18 FG, 8-11 3P) became the first player in NBA history to record 35+ points, 10+ assists and hit 8+ 3s while shooting at least 75% from the field in a game
- “Tonight was special,” said Tatum. “Everything I wanted and more.”
Each of Boston’s five starters buried at least three triples in Tatum, Derrick White (24 pts, 6-10 3P), Jaylen Brown (23 pts, 5-9 3P), Jrue Holiday (18 pts, 4-6 3P) and Al Horford (11 pts, 3-5 3P), and although New York (55.1%) outshot the C’s (50.5%) from the field, Boston was simply too hot from downtown.
- New York’s New Stars: Karl-Anthony Towns (12 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast) and Mikal Bridges (16 pts, 2 ast) combined for 28 points in their Knicks debut, while Miles McBride added 22 points off the bench
- Banner Night Bullseye: Boston went 17-of-32 (53.1%) from beyond the arc in the 1st half and, despite missing their last 13 attempts in an attempt to break the record, finished the game 29-of-61 (47.5%) from 3 to punctuate the title celebration
- Brown: “What an incredible night … The aura in the arena was amazing.”
3. AD LIFTS LAKERS TO OPENING NIGHT DUB
For the sixth straight season, the Lakers were part of the NBA’s Opening Night.
And for the first time in that run, they came away with a win, defeating the Timberwolves 110-103 in a game that saw a piece of NBA history for the James family, the head coaching debut of JJ Redick and a monster game from Anthony Davis. | Recap
- AD Dominates: Davis (36 pts, 16 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk posted his 15th game as a Laker with 35+ points and 15+ rebounds – tying Wilt Chamberlain for the fourth-most in team history. The Lakers are 13-2 in those games
- Game-Changing Run: After Julius Randle made his first bucket as a Timberwolf (a 3-pointer with 11:14 left in the 2nd quarter to put Minnesota up 26-24), the Lakers used a 21-3 run in the span of five minutes to seize control of the game
- History Made: On a night when LeBron and become the first-ever father-son duo to play in an NBA game together, LeBron’s (16 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk) Season 22 opener saw Bron get UP… then close the night with a father-son handshake
- Ant-Man Not Enough: Anthony Edwards (27 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 5 3s) led the way as the Wolves trimmed a 19-point deficit down to four early in the 4th quarter before the Lakers closed the door
- New Wolves: Randle (16 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast) and Donte DiVincenzo (10 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl) combined for 26 points in their Minnesota debuts, while the recently extended Rudy Gobert posted a double-double (13 pts, 14 reb)
- JJ Gets W & A Shower: Coach Redick is now 1-0 as an NBA head coach and was celebrated in the locker room by a water bottle shower from his players
4. WHAT TO WATCH: BEASTS IN THE EAST & INTUIT DOME PREMIERE
The hoops are just heating up.
The second night of regular-season action brings a can’t-miss doubleheader on ESPN, beginning with an Eastern Conference clash between two contenders before the new-look Clips face the star-studded Suns in their new home.
Bucks at 76ers (7:30 ET, ESPN): In Game 1 of Year 2 together, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will lead the Bucks against Tyrese Maxey and the revamped Sixers, with both teams hungry to bounce back from a first-round Playoff exit in 2023-24.
- Star Sixers Out: After signing with the Sixers this summer in free agency, Paul George’s Philly debut is on hold as both he and Joel Embiid will miss tonight’s game with left knee injuries
- Tyrese Takeover: On his way to earning the Kia 2023-24 Most Improved Player award and his first All-Star selection last season, Maxey averaged a career-high in points (25.9), assists (6.2), rebounds (3.7) and steals (1.0)
- Number To Know: In three games against the Sixers last season, Antetokounmpo (28.3) and Lillard (26.7) combined for 55.0 ppg while leading the Bucks to three wins
Suns at Clippers (10 ET, ESPN): Can James Harden and the rebranded Clippers celebrate their first regular-season game at the Intuit Dome with a win against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the Suns?
- Home Premiere: After sharing the Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers for 25 years, tonight will mark the Clips’ first regular-season game in their own home arena – the Intuit Dome
- Suns Trio: 2024-25 marks Durant, Booker and Beal’s second season together as a trio. Last year, the three stars shared the court for 41 games, where Phoenix went 26-15 before losing to Minnesota in the first round of the Playoffs
- Harden Heat: LA — which lost to Dallas in the first round of the 2024 Playoffs — took last year’s season series versus Phoenix 3-1 and went 2-0 with Harden, who averaged 20.5 ppg and 10.5 apg while shooting 63.6% from 3 but will be without Kawhi Leonard tonight
5. LEAGUE PASS LINEUP: TOP PICK’S DEBUT & JA’S RETURN
Two of the most highly anticipated debuts of the season take place tonight on NBA League Pass in an eight-game slate featuring the first pick’s first NBA game and Ja Morant’s long-awaited return.
Nets at Hawks (7:30 ET, League Pass): On Day 2 of the season, this year’s No. 1 overall pick and19-year-old wing, Zaccharie Risacher, will make his NBA debut for Atlanta in front of its home crowd.
- Top Pick Promise: Risacher was Atlanta’s second-leading scorer this preseason at 16.0 ppg — which trailed only Dalton Knecht (18.0 ppg) among all rookies — and shot 44.4% from 3
- Trae Time? Coming off back-to-back seasons with 25+ ppg and 10+ apg — a mark only two other players have achieved in NBA history — Trae Young will look to keep stuffing the stat sheet in 2024-25
- Fresh Nets: After dealing Mikal Bridges to the Knicks this summer, Brooklyn will be led by Cam Thomas (career-high 22.5 ppg in 2023-24) and Ben Simmons, who is playing in his first regular-season game since suffering a back injury on Feb. 26
Grizzlies at Jazz (9 ET, League Pass): In his first regular-season action since going down with a shoulder injury on Jan. 5, Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant will make his return against Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz.
- Ja’s Impact: Before his 2023-24 season was cut short, Morant averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 boards in nine games for the Grizz, who went 6-3 with their star guard in the lineup but 21-52 without him
- Jazz Jump? After notching four wins in the preseason, Utah — which signed Markkanen to a long-term deal this summer — will look to improve on its 31 wins in 2023-24
The action rolls on throughout the night, including an in-state rivalry between the Magic and Heat (7:30 ET) before closing with Steph Curry and the Warriors’ season debut in Portland (10 ET).
- Pacers at Pistons (7 ET, League Pass)
- Magic at Heat (7:30 ET, League Pass)
- Cavaliers at Raptors (7:30 ET, League Pass)
- Hornets at Rockets (8 ET, League Pass)
- Bulls at Pelicans (8 ET, League Pass)
- Warriors at Trail Blazers (10 ET, League Pass)
