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[GET THE STARTING 5](   THE TIP ⏰ Tonight’s Games (Opening Night) 📺 [Lakers-Nuggets](, 7:30 ET, TNT 📺 [Suns-Warriors](, 10 ET, TNT What Else Today? 💍 DEN Ring Ceremony, 7 ET, TNT 🏆 DEN Banner Raising, 7 ET, TNT ▶️ [Bring It Home]( Final Episode Mic'd Up In Lakers-Nuggets 🎤 LeBron James 🎤 Jamal Murray Wednesday's Games 📲 [Rockets-Magic](, 7:00 ET, NBA App 📺 [Celtics-Knicks](, 7:00 ET, ESPN 📲 [Wizards-Pacers](, 7:00 ET, NBA App 📲 [Hawks-Hornets](, 7:00 ET, NBA App 📲 [T-Wolves-Raptors](, 7:30 ET, NBA App 📲 [Pistons-Heat](, 7:30 ET, NBA App 📲 [Cavaliers-Nets](, 7:30 ET, NBA App 📲 [Pelicans-Grizzlies](, 8:00 ET, NBA App 📲 [Thunder-Bulls](, 8:00 ET, NBA App 📲 [Kings-Jazz](, 9:00 ET, NBA App 📺 [Mavericks-Spurs](, 9:30 ET, ESPN 📲 [Blazers-Clippers](, 10:30 ET, NBA App   THE LINEUP 🏀 October 24, 2023 | 7-min read [Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray dive into the pool after the Nuggets' 2023 title] Diving into a new season like... | NBAE - West powers headline openers 💪 - Opening night all-time records 📊 - Inside Jamal Murray’s new job 🏆 - Preseason: What we learned 📚 - Ultimate Preview: Get up quick 🏀   1. WEST POWERS HEADLINE OPENING NIGHT 💥 [Nikola Jokic, guarded by LeBron James, in last year's Western Conference Finals] The Lakers & Nuggets meet to start a new season in Kia NBA Tip-Off 2023. | NBAE via Getty Images The 2023 Western Conference Playoffs came down to 4 teams – the Nuggets, Suns, Lakers and Warriors. All 4 tip things off in 2 epic matchups on opening night. We start in Denver, where last season’s closers play in this season’s opener. [Lakers at Nuggets, 7:30 ET, TNT]( - Ring Night: Before the 2023-24 season can officially begin, the Nuggets raise their 1st-ever championship banner and get their rings prior to tip-off (7 ET, TNT) - Rematch: The Nuggets eliminated the Lakers in the Western Conference semis. It was a sweep, but also the [closest average margin of victory]( in the Nuggets' run (6 ppg) - Jamal Murray became the 1st player ever to average [30+ points on 50/40/90]( shooting in a Conference Finals series, while Nikola Jokic became the 4th to average a triple-double (joining Jason Kidd, Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain) - Back for More: After becoming the [NBA’s all-time leading scorer]( last season, LeBron [returns for season 21](. Shaun Powell says the Lakers [have all the pieces]( of a contender, which could mean an [11th Finals]( and a 5th ring for LeBron [Stephen Curry and Chris Paul match up] These 2 are now teammates, going up against Paul's former Suns team in the Dubs' opener. | NBAE via Getty Images [Suns at Warriors, 10 ET, TNT]( NBA GM’s [picked the Nuggets]( as the top team in the West. The Lakers came in 3rd. 2nd and 4th? The Suns and Warriors, in that order. They square off in the late game. - CP3 to the Bay: After playing the past 3 seasons in Phoenix, Paul’s [quest for his 1st ring]( continues in Golden State and will likely bring a new role as a reserve. In a preseason win over the Kings, [Paul came off the bench]( for the first time in his NBA career (outside of an All-Star Game). The result: 13 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB in 30 MIN - Durant Back in the Bay: The Suns’ superstar [will play at Chase Center]( with fans in attendance for the first time since he left Golden State in 2019 - Beal to the desert: In one of the biggest moves of the summer, the Suns acquired Bradley Beal from Washington, [forming a big 3]( with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker - New-Look Suns: There are high expectations in Phoenix after what [Booker and KD did together]( in last year’s playoffs. Now add Beal and new head coach Frank Vogel to the mix, it could be a big year for the Suns. Note: Beal & Booker are [both listed as questionable]( for tonight - Another Finals Run: Can the Warriors make it back to the NBA Finals for the 7th time in 10 years during the Steph-Klay-Draymond era? Golden State has 4 players that will be [at least 34 come playoff time](, so health will be key   2. ALL-TIME OPENING NIGHT RECORDS 📊 [Anthony Davis on the night he scored 50 for the Pelicans in their 2016 opener] AD dropped 50 to open the Pelicans' 2016 season, 1 of 6 times a player's scored 50 in an opener. | NBAE via Getty Images While some players need a few games to get into a rhythm, a few lock in from Night 1. Of the 587 50+ point games in NBA history, only 6 have come in a team’s season opener. And only 1 of those 6 has come on the opening night of the NBA season: Michael Jordan’s 54-point performance against Cleveland in 1989. Here’s the full list: - 56 points: Wilt Chamberlain, [Warriors vs. Pistons]( (Oct. 23, 1962) - 54 points: Michael Jordan, [Bulls vs. Cavaliers]( (OT) (Nov. 3, 1989) + - 52 points: Elgin Baylor, [Lakers vs. Pistons]( (Oct. 18, 1959) - 50 points: Kyrie Irving, [Nets vs. Timberwolves]( (OT) (Oct. 23, 2019) - 50 points: Anthony Davis, [Pelicans vs. Nuggets]( (Oct. 26, 2016) - 50 points: Michael Jordan, [Bulls at Knicks]( (Nov. 1, 1986) + opening night of the NBA season [Bill Russell huddles with the Celtics] The great Bill Russell owns the season opener record for rebounds, with 36. Twice. | NBAE via Getty Images Season Opener Records - 36 Rebounds: Bill Russell, [Celtics at Pistons]( (Oct. 18, 1968) & [Celtics vs. Royals]( (Oct. 16, 1965) - 19 Assists: John Stockton, [Jazz vs. Nuggets]( (Nov. 3, 1989) - 10 Steals: Clyde Drexler, [Rockets vs. Kings]( (Nov. 1, 1996) - 12 Blocks: Nate Thurmond, [Bulls vs. Hawks]( (OT) (Oct. 18, 1974) - 10 3-Pointers: Terry Rozier, [Hornets at Cavaliers]( (Dec. 23, 2020) Champions and Season Openers History is on the Nuggets’ side tonight: teams have a record of 60-16 (.789) in their 1st game after winning the NBA championship. Here’s how the last 5 defending champs have fared: - 2017-18 champion Warriors: [Won next season’s opener 108-100]( vs. Thunder - 2018-19 Raptors: [Won 130-122]( (OT) vs. Pelicans - 2019-20 Lakers: [Lost 116-109]( vs. Clippers - 2020-21 Bucks: [Won 127-104]( vs. Nets - 2021-22 Warriors: [Won 123-109]( vs. Lakers [The Jazz share a laugh on the bench.] The Jazz own the NBA's longest active win streak in season openers, at 6. | NBAE via Getty Images How important is winning the season opener for a team’s championship hopes? Teams that went on to win the title are 56-21 (.727) in their season opener. Knowing that stat, it makes sense that the Spurs and Celtics have the 2 highest winning percentages in season openers in league history. Here’s the top 5: - Spurs: 34-13 (.723) - Celtics: 47-30 (.610) - Raptors: 17-11 (.607) - Trail Blazers: 32-21 (.604) - 76ers: 44-30 (.595) With the season openers for all 30 teams happening over the next 3 days, which of these season-opener streaks will hold? - Longest active winning streak: Jazz (6), Timberwolves (4), Hawks (4) - Longest active losing streak: Lakers (6), Rockets (5), Mavericks (3)   3. JAMAL MURRAY ON NARRATING ‘BRING IT HOME' 🏆 [Jamal Murray speaks into the microphone for his Bring It Home narration] Jamal Murray in the booth. | NBAE Last June, Jamal Murray connected with the world when he stood on the championship podium and spoke, tears in his eyes, about battling back from injury to win his first title. This summer, the Nuggets' star guard brought his experience -- and a lot of emotion -- to a new role: narrator for Bring It Home, the docuseries inside the Nuggets' run. We caught up with Murray after recording to hear what went into his voiceover work. There were a lot of emotions that went into this. You just want to get the perspective right. Basketball is a lot of emotions and a lot of preparation. You have to think about things a certain way to keep the kind of edge, that competitive spirit. As athletes, we use certain wordings as a trigger to kind of get ourselves going. You have to kind of put [words] to your thinking of what was going on at that moment for people on the outside to understand. That was the goal going through the script. There’s a lot of video that you don’t see of us playing. Or certain moments in the huddles, or certain moments in the games that may have been a game-changing point in the series. You just try to capture those little bits and pieces and try to put it all together. What stood out for me when I was narrating was the part of me and Jokic on the bench. That’s where our chemistry first developed. That’s where we first grew that trust from when we played in the Hoop Summit in our high school days. So some of the stuff that we were running, we are running now. For us to have that chemistry from the start, I think it’s a huge advantage for us to go against everybody in the league. There could have been a lot of guys that could have done this, so I am just thankful for the opportunity. If we can do it again and go back-to-back, let’s try another script.   4. 13 (QUICK) THINGS WE LEARNED ✅ [What are some things that jumped out this preseason?] What'd you learn in preseason? Reply to this & let us know. | NBAE Mayyyybe it’s the coffee kicking in. Maybe it’s the opening night vibes. But did this preseason have a little extra kick to it? Coming out of training camps, here’s a few things we learned: - Victor Wembanyama seems like he could legit [show us something we’ve never seen]( in basketball every single night - And… Chet Holmgren’s [not far behind]( - Steph Curry’s clutch gene [is still there](, even in the preseason - The Suns’ Big 3 [could be scary](: in just 17 minutes on the floor together, they had a [129.7 Offensive Rating & +29.7 Net Rating]( - Dame & Giannis have been giving off [buddy vibes]( all preseason, and are just beginning to understand how [great they can be]( The person doing this is 7-foot-4. | NBAE - The new-look Celtics are gonna be a force on both ends, and if [Payton Pritchard](’s preseason is any indication … may be deep-deep - LeBron & the (also) new-look Lakers look ready to ball, if the [hyper-competitive preseason matchup]( with the Dubs was any indication - Ant Edwards is soaring [into 2023-24](, after a breakout FIBA performance (and a 5-0 Wolves preseason) - This rookie class goes deep. From Brandon Miller to Scoot to the Thompson Twins, to Houston’s Cam Whitmore (who finished +53 in 89 minutes), [this class looks special]( [Tyler Herro was one of the preseason's top performers] Tyler Herro had a hot hand all preseason. | NBAE - Jordan Poole, who just [put up 41 in 3 quarters](, could be electric in Washington - Luka’s Only 24 (!): Ok, sure, we knew this one – [but his trip to Real Madrid](, where he signed at the age of 13, served as a reminder of how much he’s already accomplished - Tyler Herro looks locked in coming off of injury, finishing the preseason [3rd in the league]( in scoring - Trae, coming off an early exit for the Hawks last year, [does]( [too]( How about you? Respond to this with what you learned - we’ll share some favorites. And in case you missed anything from the preseason (or just need to put off sending that email a little longer), got you covered. - [Best Plays of Preseason]( - [Top Dunks of Preseason]( - [Biggest Blocks Of Preseason]( - [Silkiest Assists of Preseason](   5. THE ULTIMATE SEASON PREVIEW 🏀 [NBA.com launched the Ultimate Season Preview going into the 2023-24 season] 30 teams. 10 stories each. [Enjoy](. | NBAE With so many storylines heading into the new season, it can be hard to keep track of everything. That’s where the [2023-24 Ultimate Preview]( comes in, packed with 10 key stories for each team. [Headlines]( like… - Could international stars [dominate the Kia MVP chase]( again? - These players could lead the [2023-24 scoring title chase]( - Why offensive efficiency should [continue to rise in 2023-24]( - Phoenix’s trio of Durant, Beal and Booker [has put the West on notice]( - In-Season Tournament brings a [new dimension to the start of the season]( - Cavs eager to learn from their 1st-round playoff loss, [eye breakthrough season]( - NBA season set to begin with ring night in Denver, and a [slew of challengers for title]( [Kevin Durant smiles with the Suns] Kevin Durant could crack into the NBA's all-time top 10 in scoring this year. | NBAE Milestone Watch: Here are 4 of the [22 key milestones]( that could be reached in 2023-24: - LeBron James becoming the 1st player to reach 40,000 points - Kevin Durant entering the top 10 in career scoring - Russell Westbrook becoming the 1st player with 200 triple-doubles - Steph Curry becoming the 1st player with 3,000 3-pointers Fantasy Advice: The RotoWire team has advice on how to get that Week 1 W with [waiver wire pickups]( and a [start/sit guide]( Power Rankings: Dropping every Monday throughout the season, John Schuhmann lets you know where your team stands. [Here’s the full list entering Week 1](   See ya tomorrow. The games count now. Don't have the NBA App? [Download it here](. Want to share this with a friend? Tap the Forward button. Got this forwarded your way? [Tap here to subscribe](   This email was sent to: {EMAIL} [Click here to unsubscribe]( National Basketball Association [645 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022](#) The NBA identifications are the intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams. © 2023 NBA Properties, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use](