Top Stories on October 11: Klay Thompson's Debut in Dallas, Thrilling WNBA Finals Match, and Exclusive Training Camp Coverage

Shooter’s roll. Klay Thompson’s first preseason bucket as a Maverick? You guessed it – a 3.

THE LINEUP

What’s inside today’s edition?

All Stars: Klay’s Dallas debut and a clash between titans took center stage on Thursday

Fire From 3: A party from downtown fueled a handful of standout performances

Historic Comeback: Lynx rally from 18 down to stun Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals

PG’s Philly Debut: Paul George’s first game as a Sixer headlines Friday’s five-game slate

Inside The Gym: What does an NBA practice look like days before the season begins?

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A Friday full of hoops…

Five games get underway today, highlighted by Paul George’s Sixers debut against Anthony Edwards and the Wolves (7 ET, League Pass).

The NBA family is also celebrating International Day of the Girl today before the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend begins on Saturday in Springfield, MA.

Test your knowledge on the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 – featuring Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, Michael Cooper, Seimone Augustus and more – on NBA Play.

1. KLAY’S DALLAS DEBUT & A STAR-STUDDED SHOWDOWN

Jazz 107, Mavericks 102: In his first game as a Maverick, Klay Thompson tallied 10 points and three assists while going 3-of-5 from deep in 18 minutes of play, but the Jazz got the win behind Lauri Markkanen’s 26 points and seven boards. | Stats

Markksman: Markkanen knocked down four 3s for Utah, which got 14 points apiece from Keyonte George and John Collins31 For 3: Fittingly, Thompson – who is fourth among all active NBA players with 2,481 3-pointers – recorded his first bucket with Dallas on a triple, and he connected with Dereck Lively II (4 pts, 3 reb, 2 blk) for a pretty dish-and-dunkKlay On His Dallas Debut: “I was nervous for like four days. I haven’t been that nervous I don’t think since the 2015 Finals Game 1 … I finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing … It literally felt like my rookie season all over again.”More Mavs:

Daniel Gafford (15 pts, 7 reb), Kyrie Irving (12 pts), Jaden Hardy (12 pts), Olivier Maxence-Prosper (10 pts) and Spencer Dinwiddie (10 pts) also finished in double-figures for Dallas with Luka Doncic getting the night off

Lakers 107, Bucks 102: Giannis Antetokounmpo (20 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk – including the chasedown above) only needed one half to stuff the stat sheet in his preseason debut but LeBron James (11 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), Anthony Davis (11 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk) and the Lakers rallied for their first preseason win. | Stats

Stars Shine: Giannis (20 mins) and LeBron (16 mins) put on a show in the 1st half, highlighted by the Greek Freak throwing down a ‘Statue of Liberty’ slam (one of two on the night) and King James dropping a behind-the-back dimeBobby Buckets: Bobby Portis went a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and 8-of-9 from the field for a game-high 23 pointsRui & A Rook:

Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 14 points, while first-round pick Dalton Knecht added 13 points and eight boards

2. FIRE FROM 3 FUELS STANDOUT PERFORMANCES 

Pacers 129, Cavaliers 117: Bennedict Mathurin went off for 25 points and five 3s in just 19 minutes to power the Pacers past Jarrett Allen (13 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 Statue of Liberty dunk) and the Cavs for their first preseason dub. | Stats

Pacers On Same Page: Myles Turner added 12 points for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam each recorded seven points and four assists, highlighted by this slick dime from HaliburtonCavs Contributions:

 Ty Jerome (15 pts, 8 ast, 4 reb) led Cleveland with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley inactive

Hornets 119, Grizzlies 94: Brandon Miller buried six triples on his way to a game-high 22 points – including 16 in the 1st quarter – and the Hornets pulled away from the Grizzlies, who were without Ja Morant. | Stats

Hornets Buzzing: Tre Mann added 19 points for Charlotte, who was without LaMelo Ball, while the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s Draft, Tidjane Salaun, notched 13 points and five reboundsGrizzly Den:

Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 17 points and their No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey (10 pts, 5 reb, 1 blk) joined him in double-figures along with Jay Huff (15 pts), Jaylen Wells (12 pts) and Santi Aldama (10 pts)

Thunder 117, Breakers 89: With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and the rest of OKC’s primary rotation getting the night off on the second leg of a back-to-back, Adam Flagler (25 pts, 5 3s), rookie Dillon Jones (23 pts) and Ousmane Dieng (20 pts) stepped up to lead the Thunder to a win. | Stats

All OKC: Jones, this year’s 26th overall pick, added 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals, while Dieng posted a near triple-double with 10 boards and eight dimes

3. LYNX MATCH LARGEST COMEBACK IN WNBA FINALS HISTORY

The Minnesota Lynx kept coming back.

When New York built an 18-point lead early in the 2nd quarter of Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals, the Lynx went on a 23-7 run to make it a two-point game early in the 3rd quarterWhen New York pushed the lead back to 15

with five minutes left in the 4th, the Lynx responded with an 18-2 run, capped off by a four-point play by Courtney Williams to give Minnesota its first lead of the game with 5.5 seconds left

A last-second foul gave New York’s Breanna Stewart a chance to win it at the line, but she hit one of two free throws to send the game to OT.

Down four in the final minute of OT, it was New York’s turn for a comeback as it got back-to-back steals and layups from Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones to tie the game with 28 seconds leftMinnesota then got the ball to Collier

– the leading scorer in this year’s Playoffs – who hit a tough turnaround fadeaway over Jones to put the Lynx up two with 8.8 seconds left

On New York’s final possession, Stewart had a driving layup attempt that missed to seal Minnesota’s come-from-behind 95-93 win – matching the 1999 Liberty (on “The Shot” by Teresa Weatherspoon to stun the Comets) for the largest comeback in Finals history.

The Liberty fell to 0-6 all time in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals as they pursue their first-ever WNBA titleThe winner of Game 1 has gone on to win the Finals

74% of the time (20-of-27), including each of the past six seasons dating back to 2018

The Lynx had three 20+ point scorers as Williams (23 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), Kayla McBride (22 pts, 4 ast, 4 3s) and Collier (21 pts, 8 reb, 6 blk) combined for 66 points.

Collier joined Lisa Leslie (2001) as the only players to post 20+ pts, 8+ reb and 5+ blk in a Finals game and the fourth player – along with Leslie, Brittney Griner (2014) and Sylvia Fowles (2016) – with 5+ blocks in a Finals game

Jonquel Jones (24 pts, 10 reb) led the Liberty, while Stewart (18 pts, 9 reb, 6-21 FG) and Sabrina Ionescu (19 pts, 4 stl, 8-26 FG) combined for 37 points on 29.8% shooting.

Leonie Fiebich (17 pts, 5 3s) set the record for 3s made by a rookie in a Finals game

Game 2 of the best-of-five Finals will be Sunday (3 ET, ABC). Prior to Game 1, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert announced that the league will expand to a best-of-seven Finals beginning next season.

4. FRIDAY FOCUS: PG’s PHILLY DEBUT TIPS OFF 5-GAME SLATE

Five more preseason games tip-off Friday, headlined by Paul George’s potential Sixers debut against one of the top favorites out West.

76ers at Timberwolves (7 ET, League Pass): After missing Philly’s preseason opener on Monday, George is expected to play tonight as the 76ers square off against Anthony Edwards and the Wolves.

The GMs On PG: In the NBA GM survey, George was voted the player acquisition most likely to make the biggest impact this season, receiving 60% of the votesThe GMs On Ant: In the same survey, Edwards was voted the league’s best shooting guard (33% of votes) and most athletic player (45%)What About The Teams? Philly netted out as the third-highest-ranked team in the East, according to the GM survey, while Minnesota ranked second in the WestYoung Wolves To Watch: Minnesota’s two 2024 first-round picks, Rob Dillingham (21 pts, 4 ast) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (14 pts, 5 ast), combined for 35 points in last Friday’s win over the LakersSixers Spotlight:

Philly’s 2024 first-rounder, Jared McCain, joined offseason additions Reggie Jackson and Guerschon Yabusele, as well as All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, as the team’s leading scorers in their preseason opener with 15 points apiece

At the same time, Alex Sarr and the Wizards will face Scottie Barnes and the Raptors in a rematch of last week’s NBA Canada Series, followed by three more matchups out West.

Raptors at Wizards (7 ET, NBA TV)Kings at Warriors (10 ET, NBA TV)Pistons at Suns (10 ET, League Pass)Trail Blazers at Clippers

(10:30 ET, League Pass)

5. ON THE GROUND: ALL-ACCESS AT NBA PRACTICE

Only 11 days until the 82-game marathon begins. Regular season tip-off (Oct. 22) is less than two weeks away, and teams are locking in around the league, from Florida to California.

Ever wonder how NBA players prepare for the 6+ month grind? Get a behind-the-scenes look as our all-access team takes you inside the gym for practice with three teams — the Magic, Lakers and Warriors.

Paolo Doin’ Work: After earning his first All-Star selection in his second season, Paolo Banchero looks ready to take another leap in Year 3Private Property: Wendell Carter Jr. owns the Magic weight room, literallyQB1?

A trick shot that you have to see to believe: Cole Anthony uncorks a perfect spiral from across the gym and — nothing but net

Out West, the Lakers offered a glimpse into a day in the life of LeBron James and company at the UCLA Health Training Facility, while Steph Curry and the Warriors prepped in the Bay.

Year 22 Prep: How do you prepare for a record-tying 22nd season in the NBA? LeBron’s workout routine will help answer thatL.A. Staying Loose: The Lakers had some fun too, with James practicing his left-handed free throws and Anthony Davis sizing up a through-the-legs dunkBuckets In Bulk: How many shots can Steph splash in 28 seconds? (Spoiler: A lot)Boogie In The Bay:

A new dance move from Curry, or a subtle way of calling himself for a travel?