From October 5th, 11th: Klay's Dallas debut, an epic WNBA finals game and all-access training camp

Shooter's throw. Klay Thompson's first preseason appearance as a Maverick? You guessed it – a 3.

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THE LINEUP 🏀

What's in today's edition?

All stars: Klay's Dallas debut and a clash between the Titans took center stage on Thursday

Fire from 3: A downtown party provided some outstanding performances

Historic comeback: Lynx rallied from 18 down to impress Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals

PG's Philly debut: Paul George's first game as a Sixer tops Friday's five-game slate

In the gym: What does an NBA practice look like days before the season starts?

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BUT FIRST… ⏰

A Friday full of tires…

There are five games taking place todayhighlighted 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 Saturday in Springfield, MA.

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

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1. KLAY'S DALLAS DEBUT AND A STAR-FULL SHOWDOWN

Jazz 107, Mavericks 102: In his first game as a Maverick, Klay Thompson scored 10 points and three assists while going 3 of 5 from long range in 18 minutes of play, but the Jazz took the win behind Lauri Markkanen's 26 points and seven boards. | statistics

• Protect: Markkanen hit four 3-pointers for Utah, which got 14 points each from Keyonte George and John Collins
• 31 To 3: Fittingly, Thompson – who is fourth among all active NBA players with 2,481 3-pointers – recorded his first basket with Dallas on a triple, and he connected with Dereck Lively II (4 pts, 3 reb, 2 blk) for one pretty dish. and-immersion
• Klay on his Dallas debut: “I was nervous for about four days. I don't think I've been this nervous since the first Finals game in 2015…I finally put the uniform on, it felt great…It literally felt like my rookie season was starting 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 on the night get free

Lakers 107, Bucks 102: Giannis Antetokounmpo (20 pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Blk – including the chase above) needed just a half to fill the stat sheet in his preseason debut, but LeBron James (11 pts, 6 Reb, 3 Ast), Anthony Davis (11 pts, 8 rebs 3 blk) and the Lakers rallied for their first win of the preseason. | statistics

• Stars shine: Giannis (20 mins) and LeBron (16 mins) put on a show in the first half, highlighted by the Greek Freak with a Statue of Liberty slam (one of two on the night) and King James with a behind-the-back -Slam was highlighted -Cent back
• Bobby Buckets: Bobby Portis went a perfect 5-for-5 from distance and 8-of-9 from the field for a game-high 23 points
• Rui & A Rook: Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 14 points, while first-round pick Dalton Knecht contributed 13 points and eight points

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2. 3 FUEL FIRE – EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE

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

• Pacemaker on the 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 big dime from Haliburton
• Cavs posts: Ty Jerome (15 pts, 8 ast, 4 reb) led Cleveland while Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley were inactive

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

• Hornets buzz: Tre Mann added 19 points for Charlotte, which was without LaMelo Ball, while the No. 6 overall pick in this year's draft, Tidjane Salaun, had 13 points and five rebounds
• Grizzly Den: Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 17 points, and No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey (10 pts, 5 reb, 1 block) joined him in double figures, along with Jay Huff (15 pts), Jaylen Wells (12). points) and Santi Aldama (10 points)

Thunder 117, Breaker 89: Joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and the rest of OKC's main roster, who had the night off in the back-to-back game, were Adam Flagler (25 points, 5 3s), freshman Dillon Jones (23 points) and Ousmane Dieng (20 points ) stepped up and led the Thunder to victory. | statistics

• All OKC: Jones, this year's 26th overall pick, had 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals, while Dieng nearly had a triple-double with 10 boards and eight dimes

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3. LYNX MATCH: BIGGEST COMEBACK IN WNBA FINAL HISTORY

The Minnesota Lynx kept coming back.

• As New York built an 18-point lead The Lynx went on a 23-7 run to start the second quarter of Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals, making it a two-point game early in the third quarter
• When New York cut the lead to 15 With five minutes left in the 4th, the Lynx responded with an 18-2 run, capped by a four-point play from Courtney Williams that gave Minnesota its first lead of the game with 5.5 seconds left

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

• Four times less in the last minute of OT, Now it was New York's turn to mount a comeback as they got back-to-back steals and layups from Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones that tied the game with 28 seconds left
• Minnesota then got the ball to Collier — the leading scorer in this year's playoffs — who made a tough turnaround fadeaway on Jones, bringing the Lynx within two points with 8.8 seconds left

At New York's final possession, Stewart had a rushing layup attempt that failed to seal Minnesota's 95-93 win from behind – equaling the 1999 Liberty (on Teresa Weatherspoon's “The Shot” to stun the Comets) and the greatest comeback in Minnesota history finals.

• The Liberty fell to 0-6 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, seeking their first-ever WNBA title
• The winner of Game 1 won the final 74% of the time (20 of 27), including each of the last six seasons dating back to 2018

The Lynx had three scorers with more than 20 points 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 player to score more than 20 points, more than 8 vines and more than 5 blks in a finals game, and the fourth player – along with Leslie, Brittney Griner (2014) and Sylvia Fowles (2016) – with more than 5 blocks a final game

Jonquel Jones (24 points, 10 refs) 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 points, 5 3s) set the record for 3-pointers made by a rookie in a Finals game

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

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4. FRIDAY FOCUS: PG'S PHILLY DEBUT TIPS FROM 5 GAMES

Five more preparatory games on Friday, led by Paul George's potential Sixers debut against one of the top favorites from the West.

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

• The GMs on PG: In the NBA GM poll, George was voted the player likely to have the most impact this season with 60% of the vote
• The GMs on Ant: In the same poll, Edwards was voted the league's best shooting guard (33% of the vote) and most athletic player (45%).
• What about the teams? According to the GM poll, Philly was the third-highest scoring team in the East, while Minnesota ranked second in the West
• Young wolves to watch: Minnesota's two 2024 first-round picks, Rob Dillingham (21 points, 4 points) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (14 points, 5 points), combined for 35 points in a win over the Lakers last Friday
• Sixers Spotlight: Philly's 2024 first-rounder Jared McCain, along with offseason additions Reggie Jackson and Guerschon Yabusele and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, were the team's leading scorers in the season opener with 15 points each

At the same time, Alex Sarr and the Wizards face Scottie Barnes and the Raptors in a rematch of the NBA Canada Series last week, followed by three more matchups in the 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 a.m. ET, League Pass)

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5. ON-SITE: FULL ACCESS TO NBA TRAINING

Only 11 days left until the 82-game marathon. The start of the regular season (October 22) is less than two weeks away, and teams from across the league, from Florida to California, are participating.

Have you ever wondered how NBA players prepare? for the period from 6+ months? Go behind the scenes as our All Access team takes you into the gym to train with three teams – the Magic, Lakers and Warriors.

• Paolo does his job: After earning his first All-Star selection in his second season, Paolo Banchero appears ready for another jump in Year 3
• Private property: Wendell Carter Jr. literally owns the Magic weight room
• QB1? A trick shot that has to be seen to be believed: Cole Anthony uncorks a perfect spiral from the other side of the gym and – nothing but net

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

• Year 22 preparation: How are you preparing for a record-breaking 22nd season in the NBA? LeBron's workout routine will help answer that question
• LA stays relaxed: The Lakers also had fun: James practiced his left-handed free throws and Anthony Davis mastered a dunk through his legs
• Buckets in bulk: How many shots can Steph fire in 28 seconds? (Spoiler: A lot)
• Boogie in the Bay: A new dance move from Curry or a subtle way to label yourself for a trip?