{"id":324878,"date":"2025-10-06T17:17:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T17:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/324878\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T17:17:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T17:17:29","slug":"starting-5-oct-3-opening-worldwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/324878\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5, Oct. 3: Opening worldwide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Maxey vs. Brunson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Philly vs. New York.<\/p>\n

A classic matchup opened the NBA preseason on Thursday, nearly 7,000 miles around the world in Abu Dhabi \u2026 followed by the Pelicans playing 9,000 from home Friday morning.<\/p>\n

\"Tyrese<\/p>\n

5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0<\/p>\n

Oct. 3, 2025<\/p>\n

Knicks Win In Abu Dhabi: New York defeats Philly to open NBA preseason<\/p>\n

First Game In Australia: NBA x NBL Melbourne Series opens with Pelicans vs. Melbourne United<\/p>\n

Lakers Preview: Luka Don\u010di\u0107 begins his first preseason as a Laker tonight<\/p>\n

Suns Preview: Devin Booker leads a new-look Phoenix squad looking to rise<\/p>\n

WNBA Finals Tip Tonight: Aces & Mercury begin first-ever best-of-seven Finals<\/p>\n

BUT FIRST \u2026 \u23f0<\/p>\n

Celebrating the game\u2019s pioneers\u2026<\/p>\n

\"NBA<\/p>\n

Honoring The Pioneers: On Thursday, the NBA announced that going forward, February 1st will be known as NBA Pioneers Day<\/a> \u2013 celebrating the achievements of Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel \u201cSweetwater\u201d Clifton and Earl Lloyd, the league\u2019s first Black players \u2013 and will feature the first annual NBA Pioneers Classic between the Bucks and Celtics in 2026.<\/p>\n

New Fantasy Game: Yahoo introduced High Score as its new default fantasy basketball scoring format this season. Learn more about this new and easier way to play fantasy hoops. | How to play<\/a> | Draft Strategy<\/a><\/p>\n

Key Signings As Training Camps Open: Restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors<\/a> agreed on a two-year deal, which led to Golden State finalizing deals with Al Horford<\/a>, Seth Curry and De\u2019Anthony Melton.<\/p>\n

In the East, Quentin Grimes signed<\/a> a one-year qualifying offer to return to Philadelphia and make him an unrestricted free agent next summer, while Nikola Jovi\u0107 signed<\/a> a four-year rookie extension to remain in Miami.<\/p>\n

1. NBA PRESEASON OPENS WITH KNICKS WIN OVER SIXERS IN ABU DHABI<\/p>\n

\"Karl-Anthony<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen and heard from the players at Media Day. We\u2019ve seen practice clips from the opening days of training camp. And now, games are back with the preseason officially tipping off in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Knicks 99, Sixers 84: New York earned the first dub of the year behind a balanced effort led by Miles McBride<\/a>, who had 12 points, five boards and three steals off the bench, while Karl-Anthony Towns (11 pts), Mikal Bridges (10 pts) and Jordan Clarkson (9 pts in his Knicks debut) combined to add 30 more. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Game Changing Run: Leading by 10 at the half, the Knicks broke the game open in the 3rd quarter, closing the frame on a 26-10 run to lead 81-57. The run was fueled by New York\u2019s bench as new coach Mike Brown sat his starters in the 2nd half
\nPhilly Duo: With Joel Embiid and Paul George sidelined (after getting in some pregame buckets<\/a>), it was Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe who led the way for the Sixers with 14 points apiece
\nFirst Impressions: Edgecombe showed off his complete game<\/a> in his preseason debut \u2013 driving to the basket, pulling up from three, dropping three dimes \u2013 including an alley-oop to Adem Bona \u2b07\ufe0f \u2013 and earning praise for his defense<\/a> from coach Nick Nurse<\/p>\n

\"VJ<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s game \u2013 the first of seven preseason contests to be played outside the United States this month in an effort to grow the game \u2013 saw appearances from celebrities<\/a>, influencers and NBA legends.<\/p>\n

Run It Back: The Knicks and Sixers will meet again on Saturday (11 a.m. ET, NBA TV) to close out the fourth annual NBA Abu Dhabi Games before returning to the U.S. to continue their preparations for the upcoming season \u2013 which is now just 18 days away.<\/p>\n

2. NBA X NBA MELBOURNE SERIES OPENS WITH FIRST NBA GAME IN AUSTRALIA
\n\"NBA<\/p>\n

Layne Murdoch Jr.\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Pelicans 107, Melbourne United 97: As the NBA came to Australia, the Pelicans held off a spirited effort from Melbourne United, earning the victory in a competitive game that made some history on the way. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

A Close-Run Contest:\u00a0Melbourne United stuck with New Orleans all night long, cutting the lead to four with 4:10 remaining. But they would get no closer, as the Pelicans reserves stood tall
\nZion Rises High:\u00a0Zion Williamson (15 pts) was bouncy and efficient in his preseason debut, including starting this fast break with a rebound and ending it with a soaring alley-oop jam<\/a>
\nDashing To The Future:\u00a0Dash Daniels, brother of Pelicans wing Dyson Daniels and a top prospect for the 2026 NBA Draft, had 9 points for Melbourne United, showing promise against NBA talent<\/p>\n

\"Jordan<\/p>\n

Layne Murdoch Jr.\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Ahead of the first-ever NBA game played in Australia, the Pelicans held an open practice<\/a> that included some fan interactions<\/a> and guest appearances from NBA legends Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen before heading out to explore some of the wildlife Down Under.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is like a dream<\/a> \u2026 I\u2019m a Pels fan till I die.\u201d \u2013 said an Australian fan, who has been following the Pelicans for a decade, after meeting his idol, Zion Williamson
\nPelicans \ud83e\udd1d Koalas & Kangaroos<\/a>: Jordan Poole checked an item off his bucket list when the team visited the Werribee Open Range Zoo to see everything from kangaroos to emus, koalas and snakes
\nNew Hardware For Jose<\/a>: Before WWE holds a premium live event in Australia next weekend, they were in Melbourne to present a custom WWE Pelicans championship belt to Jose Alvarado<\/p>\n

After today\u2019s game against Melbourne United, the Pelicans will face South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday night (11:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV) to close out the first-ever NBA x NBL Melbourne Series.<\/p>\n

3. LAKERS OPEN FIRST PRESEASON WITH LUKA ON BOARD
\n\"LeBron<\/p>\n

Adam Pantozzi\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Tonight, in Palm Desert, California, the Lakers and Suns will meet in the preseason opener for both teams (10 ET, NBA TV).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first of six preseason games for the Lakers, who enter their first full season<\/a> with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and LeBron James sharing the court and their second under head coach JJ Redick, who has challenged his team to follow three principles this year:<\/p>\n

Championship habits
\nChampionship communication
\nChampionship shape<\/p>\n

To help emphasize his last point, Redick joined his players for their final six full-court sprints to close practice on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Don\u010di\u0107 on Redick\u2019s principles: \u201cIt\u2019s not just physical shape, it\u2019s mental shape, too. Both are very important. We\u2019re doing it in practice. It was great. Everybody\u2019s in great shape. Everybody\u2019s running a lot, so it\u2019s been great so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marcus<\/p>\n

Adam Pantozzi\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

After finishing third in the West last season \u2013 via tiebreakers over the Nuggets and Clippers, who also finished at 50-32 \u2013 the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs by the sixth-seeded Wolves.<\/p>\n

In the offseason, the Lakers achieved their primary goal by agreeing to a three-year extension with Don\u010di\u0107 that keeps the five-time All-NBA First Teamer in purple and gold through 2028.<\/p>\n

They also added former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton to help on the frontline, former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart in the backcourt and Jake LaRavia on the wing.<\/p>\n

Tonight, we\u2019ll see the first Lakers preseason action for Don\u010di\u0107, Ayton and LaRavia, while Smart (Achilles tendinopathy), James (glute nerve irritation) and rookie Adou Thiero (knee) will not play.<\/p>\n

Uncharted Territory: As LeBron becomes the first player to ever play a 23rd season, the Lakers are being cautious as they ramp him up for the regular season \u2013 and what they hope will be a deep Playoff run
\n\u201cThe love of the game is still high<\/a>,\u201d James said at Media Day. \u201cThe love of the process is even higher. That\u2019s what continues to push me to play this game.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. BOOKER LEADS NEW-LOOK SUNS INTO PRESEASON OPENER<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Devin<\/p>\n

Barry Gossage\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

As he enters his 11th season after being drafted by the Suns with the 13th pick in the 2015 Draft, Devin Booker has seen peaks and valleys during his tenure in The Valley.<\/p>\n

First Five Years: Missed the Playoffs each year, enduring sub-.500 seasons of 23, 24, 21, 19 and 34 wins
\nFinals Breakthrough: The Suns snapped a 10-year Playoff drought with a run to the Finals in 2021, but fell to the Bucks in six games
\nEarly Playoff Exits: Phoenix was unable to return to the championship stage, being eliminated in the West Semis (2022, 2023) and the first round (2024) over the next three seasons
\nMissing The Postseason: Entering 2024-25 with high expectations around the big three of Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Suns were unable to find consistency all season long, finishing 36-46 and outside the Play-In field<\/p>\n

The offseason brought major changes \u2013 Durant was traded to Houston, Beal was bought out and waived \u2013 but Booker remains the cornerstone. He will be the driving force, looking to lead a new-look Suns squad back into postseason contention.<\/p>\n

Booker: \u201cAlthough we didn\u2019t get it done in \u201821, I was able to see it go from the bottom almost to the top. It wasn\u2019t easy, but just understanding that it\u2019s an everyday grind and it starts right now\u2026 I have unfinished business here<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jalen<\/p>\n

Barry Gossage\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Booker will try to finish that business with a new collection of young teammates, including Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach, who were all part of the Durant trade as well as Mark Williams, who was acquired from Charlotte.<\/p>\n

Brooks and Maluach should make their Suns debuts tonight, while Green and Williams will not play due to injuries. The Suns also have a new voice on the sidelines as first-year head coach Jordan Ott makes his debut as well.<\/p>\n

After last season\u2019s model fell short of its goals, can a young group built around a foundational player in Booker help Phoenix rise once again?<\/p>\n

5. ACES, MERCURY TIP OFF WNBA FINALS TONIGHT ON ESPN<\/p>\n

\"WNBA<\/a><\/p>\n

The stage is set for the 2025 WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV.<\/p>\n

The Matchup: The second-seeded Las Vegas Aces will face the fourth-seeded Phoenix Mercury in the first-ever best-of-seven series in WNBA history to decide the league\u2019s 29th champion.<\/p>\n

Finals Schedule<\/p>\n

Game 1: Mercury at Aces (Friday, Oct. 3, 8 ET, ESPN)
\nGame 2: Mercury at Aces (Sunday, Oct. 5, 3 ET, ABC)
\nGame 3: Aces at Mercury (Wednesday, Oct. 8, 8 ET, ESPN)
\nGame 4: Aces at Mercury (Friday, Oct. 10, 8 ET, ESPN)
\nGame 5: Mercury at Aces (Sunday, Oct. 12, 3 ET, ABC)*
\nGame 6: Aces at Mercury (Wednesday, Oct. 15, 8 ET, ESPN)*
\nGame 7: Mercury at Aces (Friday, Oct. 17, 8 ET, ESPN)*<\/p>\n

*If necessary<\/p>\n

How They Got Here<\/p>\n

Aces (30-14 Reg. Season, 5-3 Playoffs): Las Vegas entered the Playoffs on a 16-game win streak, but went the distance in both Playoff rounds to return to the Finals following a one-year absence
\nMercury (27-17 Reg. Season, 5-2 Playoffs): Phoenix defeated last year\u2019s two Finalists \u2013 the defending champion Liberty and runner-up Lynx \u2013 in the first season of their new-look squad following the retirement of Diana Taurasi and departure of Brittney Griner<\/p>\n

\"Alyssa<\/p>\n

What\u2019s At Stake<\/p>\n

Aces: Making their third Finals appearance in last four seasons (fifth overall), and seeking third title in franchise history (2022, 2023)
\nMercury: Making their first Finals appearance since 2021 (sixth overall), and seeking fourth title in team history (2007, 2009, 2014)<\/p>\n

Three Key Storylines<\/p>\n

Clash of MVP Finalists: Las Vegas\u2019 A\u2019ja Wilson (league leader in points and blocks) won her record 4th MVP while Phoenix\u2019s Alyssa Thomas (league leader in assists and triple-doubles) finished third in the voting. Both stars are the centerpiece of their respective teams on both ends of the court
\nStrength vs. Strength: The Aces enter the Finals as the top offense in the postseason (108.9 OffRtg, 87.0 ppg), while the Mercury tout the top defense (92.2 DefRtg, 75.9 ppg allowed)
\nHome Court Advantage: The Aces will host four games this series (1, 2, 5 & 7 \u2013 if the latter two are necessary). In the regular season and Playoffs combined, they\u2019ve gone 21-6 at home, including a 14-1 mark in their last 15 home games. The Mercury are 14-11 on the road this season, including a 2-1 mark in the Playoffs
\nWant More? Dive into the full series preview<\/a> for more key storylines, players to watch and X-factors that could swing the series<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Maxey vs. Brunson.\u00a0 Philly vs. New York. A classic matchup opened the NBA preseason on Thursday, nearly 7,000…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3768],"tags":[798,52207,7,304,52206,6,50537,1136,191,3810,3806,52205],"class_list":{"0":"post-324878","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-knicks","8":"tag-798","9":"tag-2025-wnba-finals","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-knicks","12":"tag-knicks-defeat-sixers-in-abu-dhabi","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-nba-starting-5-newsletter","15":"tag-new-york","16":"tag-new-york-knicks","17":"tag-newyork","18":"tag-newyorkknicks","19":"tag-october-3"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115328362089475767","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}