5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Nov. 1, 2025
Luka Magic: Three 40-point gems, two stars in sync, one historic heater
Opening & Closing: Chicago stays perfect, Kawhi beats the buzzer – again
Every Point Matters: Two more thrillers came down to the final shot on the first Cup Night
Roundup: Raptors earn big win, Hawks soar & Book gets buckets
Mexico City Game: A pair of young stars go global tonight on Peacock
BUT FIRST … ⏰
An international Saturday on Peacock…
The NBA Mexico City Game 2025 caps a six-game Saturday slate as Cooper Flagg and the Mavs face Cade Cunningham and the Pistons on Peacock (10 ET | Tap to Watch).
1. ANOTHER LUKA MASTERPIECE, ANOTHER ALL-TIME MARK
Grant Burke/NBAE via Getty Images
“I expect the best version of Luka.”
Those were the words of Lakers coach JJ Redick at Media Day, discussing Dončić’s renewed energy and transformative offseason.
Three games into his season, Dončić hasn’t just delivered his best – he’s matched history’s best.
Lakers 117, Grizzlies 112 (West B): On Opening Night, he dropped 43. Three days later, 49. And after a three-game absence, Dončić picked up right where he left off, pouring in 44 along with 12 boards and 6 dimes to rally the Lakers past the Grizz, opening Cup Play at 1-0. | Recap
- The Start: Luka’s latest eruption began with 13 in the 1st quarter. But when the Lakers found themselves down 14 at the half, he entered a new dimension
- The Surge: Dončić went off in the 3rd, breaking ankles, splashing triples and willing the Lakers back with an 18-5 opening run before closing the quarter with 35 pts, 9 reb and 5 ast
- The Swing: To hit 40? “Target practice,” for his sixth 3 of the night, flipping that 14-point deficit into an 11-point lead – and a Lakers win
- The Signature: Only one other player has opened a season with three straight 40-point games – Wilt Chamberlain in 1961 and 1962
Syncing Stars: Entering his first full season with Los Angeles, Luka’s historic start has been as much about balance as buckets.
Amid Dončić’s three-game absence, Austin Reaves stepped up for the Purple & Gold, dropping a career-high 51 points, followed by 41 and then a game-winner on Wednesday.
Tonight, the duo found their rhythm together. Dončić led the way, but Reaves complemented him seamlessly – especially when it mattered most – scoring 14 of his 21 points in the 2nd half to fuel the comeback.
- “It’s just playing the right way,” said Reaves on sharing the load with Luka. “He’s got the capability to put the team on his back – and he did that tonight.”
Winning Results: After becoming the first player with back-to-back 40/10/5 games last week, Dončić extended the streak to three last night, as he and Reaves powered L.A. to its fourth win in five games.
- “That’s the whole point — trying to help the team win,” said Luka postgame. “Sometimes it’s scoring, sometimes it’s other things … just trying to figure out how to win the game.”
2. CLOSING TIME IN LA, OPENING SHINE IN CHICAGO
The first Cup Night of 2025 saw three thrillers come down to the final shot – and once again, the Klaw called game.
Clippers 126, Pelicans 124 (West B): After trailing by 17 in the 3rd, Zion Williamson scored 15 of his 29 points in the 4th to rally the Pels, capping it with a pair of game-tying free throws with 9.6 seconds left.
But then – Kawhi time. With no timeouts, Derrick Jones Jr. raced the ball up the floor, only to run into a wall of Pelicans. That’s when he found a curling Leonard, who took one dribble, pumped and splashed the game-winning Tissot buzzer-beater to send the Intuit Dome into a frenzy. | Recap
- Superstar Sizzle: Leonard finished with a season-high 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals, leading the Clips to their third win in four games alongside James Harden (24 pts, 14 ast)
- Clutch Klaw: It’s Leonard’s ninth go-ahead or game-winning bucket in the final five seconds since 2013 – tied for the second-most in that span – and his third career Tissot buzzer-beater
- Tissot Touch: That includes a friendly hop off the rim from last March and, of course, his all-time kiss off the iron in 2019
- But this one was nothing but net
The last time the Bulls were 5-0, Space Jam ruled the box office and the 90s Bulls dynasty was chasing its fifth championship.
That is, until last night.
Bulls 135, Knicks 125 (East C): Josh Giddey paired a career-high 32 points with 10 boards and 9 dimes to hold off Jalen Brunson (29 pts, 7 ast) and the Knicks, lifting Chicago to 5-0 for the first time since 1996-97. | Recap
- Balanced Buckets: Averaging the most assists in the NBA (30.6), Chicago kept the ball spinning as Nikola Vučević (26 pts) and Ayo Dosunmu (22 pts) led seven more Bulls with 8+ points
- Dime Time: With 31 assists last night, Chicago’s up to 153 on the year – its most ever through five games
- Giddey Up: That starts with Giddey, averaging a career-best 8.0 dimes per game
- “Whatever the game calls for on any given night, I am ready for that challenge,” said Giddey postgame. “I love leading this group … it’s a really unselfish team and we all love playing with each other.”
3. FRANTIC FINISHES: TWO GAMES, TWO HEART-STOPPERS
Five minutes and one assist stood between Joker and triple-double history.
But on Halloween night, with the Nuggets up by six, Portland played spoiler at the buzzer.
Blazers 109, Nuggets 107 (West C): A pair of Blazer blocks from Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe, and four clutch free throws from Jerami Grant shut the door on Denver and Nikola Jokić’s historic pursuit of a fifth-consecutive triple-double to open the season.
- Wish Granted: Jerami Grant (16 pts) outscored Denver by himself in the final two minutes, netting six of Portland’s final nine points
- Rising Resumé: The young Blazers have won three straight games, earning signature victories over the Warriors, Lakers, and now Nuggets
- No Joke: Jokić (21 pts, 14 reb, 9 ast) had chances at history, plus a near-miraculous game-tying bucket as time expired, but his shot at the horn rimmed out
Prime’s first NBA Cup action also came down to the final shot – and Boston survived it.
Celtics 109, 76ers 108 (East B): The Sixers were at it again. After three double-digit comebacks in their first four games, Philly nearly pulled off its biggest one yet, storming back from 24 down to make it a one-point game.
But the Celtics stood tall on the final two possessions, securing their third straight win while handing Philly its first loss. | Recap
- Sixers Surge: Trailing by 8 in the 4th, Tyrese Maxey (26 pts, 8 reb, 14 ast) and VJ Edgecombe (17 reb, 5 ast) ignited a 10-1 closing run, capped by a Maxey finger roll to cut it to 1 with 21 ticks left
- Championship DNA: But the C’s defense responded, forcing a Maxey miss and denying Philly a shot as time expired to move to 3-3 after an 0-3 start
- Stars Shine: Joel Embiid added 20 points for Philly, while Jaylen Brown posted a game-high 32 points and 6 dimes in the win
- “Grit,” said Brown on the key to victory. “We just stuck it out … and found a way to win.”
4. ROUNDUP: HAWKS SOAR, RAPTORS REBOUND, BOOK COOKS
Hawks 128, Pacers 108 (East A): In back-to-back games, Jalen Johnson (22 pts, 13 reb, 8 ast) has led the Hawks offensively in victories over teams seeking their first win of the season.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (21 pts) and Dyson Daniels (18 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl) helped fill in for an injured Trae Young (knee sprain). | Recap
Raptors 112, Cavaliers 101 (East A): After four straight losses, the Raptors responded with a statement win as Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett dropped 20 points apiece to lead Toronto past Cleveland, despite big nights from Evan Mobley (29 pts, 8 reb) and De’Andre Hunter (26 pts). | Recap
Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
Suns 118, Jazz 96 (West A): Phoenix snapped a four-game skid behind the hot hand of Devin Booker (36 pts, 9 ast, 6 3pm), who outdueled Lauri Markkanen (33 pts, 4 3pm) despite the Jazz star scoring 30+ for the fourth straight game. | Recap
5. TONIGHT: NBA MEXICO CITY GAME 2025 ON PEACOCK
Following a preseason globetrot this preseason, the NBA is going international for the first time this regular season.
Mexico City welcomes back the Mavericks and Pistons tonight, in a showdown of two of the last five No. 1 draft picks.
Mavs at Pistons (10 ET): One of eight players averaging 20+ pts and 8+ ast, Cade Cunningham and Motor City play host to versatile phenom Cooper Flagg and a Dallas team that won this Mexico City matchup in 2019.
- International Flagg: 18-year-old Coop is answering the call for the banged-up Mavs, including playing some point guard (13.4 pts, 6.2 reb, 2.8 ast)
- Mentioned With Mamba: Flagg’s best game so far (22 pts vs. TOR) placed him with Kobe Bryant as the only 18-year-olds to score 20+ points without a turnover since 1977-78
- Lock Down: Known for his offense (22.2 ppg), Cunningham’s defense is rising, with the 3rd-best DefRtg (110.5) among players averaging 35+ mpg
The NBA has made a tradition of playing in Mexico City, where a regular-season game has been played four seasons in a row and 14 times overall. Overall, Mexico has now hosted 34 NBA games, more than any country outside the US and Canada.
And there’s plenty to celebratewith the NBA’s return coinciding with Dia de los Muertos – and our all-access crew capturing it all behind the scenes.
Stateside, Steph Curry (27.0 ppg) and the Warriors look to improve to 5-2 when they face Pascal Siakam and the Pacers on NBA TV (7 ET).
Four matchups tip off on League Pass, including KD and the Rockets visiting Boston (8 ET).
- Kings at Bucks (5 ET)
- Wolves at Hornets (6 ET)
- Magic at Wizards (7 ET)
