The season starts tonight.

And Jamal Murray’s here to help us start things off right.

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THE LINEUP
October 24, 2023 | 7-min read

• West powers headline openers
• Opening night all-time records
• Preseason: What we learned
• Inside Jamal Murray’s new job
• Ultimate Preview: Get up quick

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“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. “

• Jamal Murray on Nikola Jokic. More in Section 3

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1. WEST POWERS HEADLINE OPENING NIGHT

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
• 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

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, with stories everywhere.

• 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
• 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 Bay: The Suns’ superstar will play at Chase Center with fans in attendance for the first time since he left Golden State in 2019.
• 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

We’ll be behind the scenes at both games. Get the NBA App to come with us.

1. OPENING NIGHT BY THE NUMBERS

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 six have come in a team’s season opener. 

And only one of those six 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

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 five 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

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)

1. JAMAL MURRAY ON NARRATING ‘BRING IT HOME’

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 VO.

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. 

1. 13 (QUICK) THINGS WHAT WE LEARNED

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 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
  • 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

Miss anything from the preseason? Need to put off writing that email a little longer? 

Got you:

• Best Plays of Preseason
• Top Dunks of Preseason
• Biggest Blocks Of Preseason
• Silkiest Assists of Preseason

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1. THE ULTIMATE SEASON PREVIEW

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 to breakthrough season
• NBA season set to begin with ring night in Denver, and a slew of challengers for title

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