NBA League Pass surfing is back! + Victor Wembanyama debuts and early Bulls

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How are the Bulls already in trouble? It’s been one game.

Early Takeaways

I missed scrolling League Pass so much

We are so back. After Tuesday night’s two-game appetizer, the NBA threw us into the pool’s deep end on Wednesday night, with a 12-game slate. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a full opening night in the NBA without League Pass having a rough start. It took about 20 to 30 minutes after tip-off for my account to work, but we were soon surfing the NBA.

Here are my favorite takeaways from the first full night (and yes, we’ll get to Victor Wembanyama’s debut in a separate section):

• Hornets redemption: I put the Hornets last in the Power Rankings, guaranteeing their 116-110 opening-night win over the Hawks. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray combining for 7-of-33 shooting was a tough strategy.
• The Wizards’ defense: The Pacers had the highest-scoring season-opener by any team since 1990, a 143-120 win over Washington. Take the over in Wizards games this season.
• KP’s revenge game: The Knicks nearly survived an 11-of-44 shooting night from the Jalen Brunson–Julius Randle combo. Kristaps Porziņģis dropped 30 in his Celtics debut, including nine straight in the game’s final 2:34 to close the 108-104 win.
• 1995 NBA Finals revenge game: This summer, the Rockets spent hundreds of millions of dollars to put veterans around their young core. The Magic did not. Orlando beat Houston 116-86.
• Cavs survive Cam: Every point by Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus (both 27 for both) helped Cleveland overcome Cam Thomas’ 36-point explosion off the bench. Jacque Vaughn can’t possibly keep Thomas off the court, right? Cleveland won 114-113, and Ben Simmons had 10 rebounds, nine assists and four points.
• Jimmy Butler is a blessing: Cade Cunningham cooked early en route to a 30-point performance, but he missed a 3-pointer that could have won the game. Miami won 103-102 at home, but let’s be honest. This is the real highlight:

Next up: Time to tag in Shams!

The Latest From Shams

All-NBA guards collab

The Kings and Warriors had a thrilling seven-game playoff showdown last season that eventually went Golden State’s way. Now, two stars from that series are teaming up.

Sacramento All-Star De’Aaron Fox is finalizing an endorsement deal with Curry Brand, league sources tell me. With the deal, Fox will become the first NBA player to sign with Steph Curry’s signature line at Under Armour, a venture that launched in 2020.

As far as Curry and Fox’s budding on-court rivalry goes, we won’t have to wait long to see them square off: Tomorrow night, the Warriors visit the Kings, who are looking to build on last year’s 48-win campaign, and Sacramento heads to Golden State five days later.

Updates from Philly

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