“Curry! Insane!”

The night before Halloween, Steph and Luka dueled in the Bay.

Western Powers: Warriors use historic comeback to beat Lakers, Mavs hand Rockets first loss

Beastly East: Wizards lock down defensively to open Emirates NBA Cup action

Grizzlies Feasting: A look at Cameron Boozer’s playmaking as the Grizzlies seek to go to 6-0

Fearsome Facts: Five early-season takeaways, including the value of a double-digit lead

A Bag Full Of Treats: NBC’s Jamal Crawford discusses Luka’s brilliance, Derrick Rose and sharing the backcourt with greatness

BUT FIRST … ⏰

We have seven games for you on this spookiest of holidays, including an NBA TV doubleheader featuring Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers and the Grizzlies’ attempt to remain undefeated.

The best two words in sports: Game 7. Which team will be crowned a champion for the first time as Gabby Williams and the Golden State Valkyries host Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center in San Francisco (8 ET, USA/Peacock/CNBC)?

Celebrating NBA Pioneers: On Oct. 31, 1950, Earl Lloyd stepped onto the court and into history as the first Black player to play in an NBA game, becoming a Pioneer in the NBA. Fellow NBA Pioneers, Chuck Cooper made his debut for the Boston Celtics on Nov. 1, and Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton made his debut on Nov. 4 for the New York Knicks. |

1. CURRY LEADS WARRIORS’ COMEBACK, KYRIE, COOP PUSH DALLAS TO CUP-OPENING WIN

The Lakers led 38-15 after one.

The Warriors won the second quarter 38-15.

Historic comeback in the Bay.

Warriors 112, Lakers 95: After Golden State fell behind early, Stephen Curry (31 pts, 8 3PM) hit a vintage flurry to lead the Dubs back and outdo Luka Dončić (37 pts) and the Lakers. | Recap

• The Don: Luka put up 21 points, 5 3PM and 5 assists in the first quarter, becoming the first player in NBA history to record multiple career quarters with 20+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ 3PM
• Flipping The Script: Coming into today, no team in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55) had ever trailed by 23+ at the end of the first quarter and then come back to tie or take the lead at halftime
• A Human Highlight: In the win, Curry passed Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 18th on the all-time scoring list and joined LeBron James as the only players 38 or older to put up 30+ PTS, 5+ AST, and 8+ 3PM in a game

It’s been more than a year since we’ve seen Kyrie at his best.

Friday night, he gave us a treat, leading the Mavericks over the undefeated Rockets to open the Emirates NBA Cup.

Mavericks 116, Rockets 111: Kyrie Irving (35 pts, 16 in the 4th, 9 ast) and Cooper Flagg (33 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast) dominated as Dallas overcame an eight-point 4th-quarter deficit to seize a game that featured nine lead changes and 10 ties. | Recap

• Teen Scream: Flagg is now the second teenager to average 25+ ppg through the first five games of an NBA season, joining LeBron James

76ers 98, Knicks 93: The reigning Emirates NBA Cup and NBA champions came back from 14-down to take a 90-89 lead with 1:32 to go, but LeBron (20 pts, six in the 4th) and the Sixers responded and closed out the victory. | Recap

• Guards On The Attack: Tyrese Maxey (27 pts) led Philly in scoring, while Anfernee Simons (21 pts on 7-for-11 FGA) was big off the bench
• A King’s Garb: This young fan rocked his LeBron costume

Heat 145, Pacers 125: Giannis Antetokounmpo (31 pts on 19 FGA, 18 reb, 10 ast) put up a monster triple-double, aided by Bam Adebayo (27 pts) and Davion Mitchell (15 pts, 11 ast), and defeated Indiana. | Recap

• Sparking The Heat: Giannis is the first Heat player to put up 30/15/10 on 65% or better shooting in franchise history
• Splash Time: Klay Thompson (25 pts, 7 3PM) went off for his best game of the young season

2. WIZARDS SQUASH HORNETS, MAGIC TRAP RAPTORS

Wizards 95, Hornets 79: Anthony Davis (25 pts, 13 reb) and Trae Young (21 pts, 9 ast) paced Washington, which held Charlotte to a season-low 79 points in the Wizards’ best defensive showing since March 9, 2015. | Recap

• The Rook Can Cook: AJ Dybantsa finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds in his home debut

Celtics 125, Bulls 111: Payton Pritchard (30 pts on 17 FGA) starred off the bench, aiding Jayson Tatum (26 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) in overcoming a solid performance from Caleb Wilson (23 pts, 6 3PM). | Recap

• Boston On A Run: Since the start of the 2023-24 season, the Celtics are 10-2 versus Chicago
• A Hauser Halloween: Sam Hauser and his son were in the spirit, arriving dressed as Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story

Pistons 110, Nets 94: Cade Cunningham (20 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and Ron Holland II (18 pts, 4 stl) kept this stalwart Pistons squad at the top of the East, denying the Nets their first win of the season. | Recap

Magic 121, Raptors 114: Franz Wagner (26 pts, 11 ast) and Desmond Bane (28 pts, 6 3PM) lifted Orlando to a road win, as the Magic shot 18-for-34 (52.9%) from 3-point range to overcome a career-high night from Scottie Barnes (41 pts, 2 stl) and Toronto. | Recap

Timberwolves 127, Clippers 101: LaMelo Ball (24 pts, 7 ast) sparked the Timberwolves to their first win without Anthony Edwards, leading six Minnesota players in double figures. | Recap

Nuggets 127, Suns 120: Jamal Murray (39 pts) went supernova, putting up 15 points in the third quarter to lead Denver over Phoenix. | Recap

• Braun Brawn: Christian Braun (31 pts, 7 3PM) set a new career high in scoring and threes in the win

3. LEAGUE PASS: BOOZER, GRIZZ LOOK TO CONTINUE HOT START

Cameron Boozer and the undefeated Grizzlies are in rare territory, seeking to match their franchise record, set in 2014-15, with a 6-0 start against the Kings (8 ET, League Pass).

They’ve delivered on both sides, putting up the sixth-best ORTG (116.8) and fifth-best DRTG (104.9) in the Association, limiting opponents to a stingy 10.2 fast break points per game in the process.

• Nothing But Net: The Grizzlies are first in the league in 3-point percentage, shooting 39.9% from deep, and second in free-throw percentage (84.7%)
• Boarding: Memphis is first in rebounds per game (50.8), third in offensive boards (14.6), and fifth in second-chance points per game (17.6)

The craft and hustle have been evident, including from their prized rookie.

Boozer’s playmaking has shone in the early going, including in Thursday’s 124-103 win over the Trail Blazers, when he became the second-youngest player in NBA history to amass a triple-double.

He’s second among rookies with 6.2 ast and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.82) — a neat trick for a 19-year-old power forward.

Check out how Boozer reads the angles of the game.

Darius Acuff Jr. has been a force of his own for Sacramento, putting up two 30+ point games in his first five outings. Which rook will shine Saturday?

We also have an NBA TV doubleheader, as Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers look to keep rolling against the Hornets (6 ET) before the Rockets look to stay unbeaten as well against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder (8:30 ET).

4. 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE START OF THE SEASON

NBA.com’s John Schuhmann has the numbers you need to know about this early NBA season, including a look at the value of a double-digit lead, which Cade Cunningham and the Pistons overcame by rallying from 22-down in the first game of the campaign.

“Last season (regular season, Play-In and playoffs combined), teams were:

• 615-23 (.964) when leading by at least 20 points.
• 1,145-354 (.764) when leading by at least 10 points.

“So, even 10-point leads are significant. Of course, 10 or 20-point leads don’t mean quite as much as they did 25 years ago.

“Over the first five seasons of play-by-play data (1996-97 through 2000-01), teams had a winning percentage of .807 when leading by double-digits and .972 when leading by at least 20 points.”

of Schuhmann’s takeaways, including a look at the specific value of knocking down an above-average percentage of 3-pointers, on NBA.com.

5. JAMAL CRAWFORD ON LUKA, D ROSE & MORE

20-year NBA veteran and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford has thoughts about Luka Dončić’s inimitable game, playing with Stephon Marbury and Chris Paul, facing Derrick Rose and Nikola Jokić, and much more in this week’s mailbag.

What makes Luka so difficult to defend? – from Blake in Provo, UT  

“We always talk about pace, but the thing that’s special about Luka is that his pace can make you go his pace as a defender. You’re at the mercy of whatever he wants to do. It doesn’t matter if you’re more athletic or you’re stronger. He’s going to put you in such a trick bag that you’re going to be uncomfortable, or you’re gonna say, ‘Well, that was good defense, but he made a tough shot.’ But for him, he’s so at peace with his game that he’s just unbothered.” |