How special was Thursday night?
In just two games, we saw the 26th night in NBA history with multiple 50+ point games.The reigning MVP dropped a career-high 55 in OKC’s 2nd straight 2OT win.Aaron Gordon couldn’t miss, splashed 10 3s and put up a career-high 50 points.But it was Steph Curry who did the honors of closing things up, catching fire and calling ‘night-night.’
5 stories in today’s edition 🏀
Oct. 24, 2025
An Instant Classic: Another 2OT win for OKC in Indy rematch, another SGA milestone
Splash Back: Steph surges late to lift the 2-0 Dubs over a red-hot Aaron Gordon & Nuggets
New Delivery: Classic Celtics-Knicks rivalry launches new era on Amazon
40-40 Clash: Ant Edwards, Luka Dončić set to duel after high-scoring debuts
Tonight On League Pass: Must-watch Wemby, Sengun lead a 10-game slate
But first … ⏰
Last night’s scores and today’s slate …
Prime Time: The NBA on Prime debuts with a star-studded doubleheader. The action tips in NYC with the Knicks hosting the Celtics (7:30 ET) before heading to L.A. as the Wolves visit the Lakers (10 ET).
One Week Away: Group Play in the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup tips off on Halloween for the first of five straight Fridays with NBA Cup doubleheaders on Prime.
Welcome Back: The NBA’s return to NBC averaged 5.61 million viewers during Tuesday’s doubleheader – making it the most-watched October opening night in 15 years
1. Finals rematch delivers drama
Should we have expected anything different?
In their first meeting since Game 7 of the NBA Finals, naturally the Thunder-Pacers rematch was a back-and-forth thriller that came down to the wire and needed an extra 10 minutes – and a career game from the defending scoring champ – to determine a winner.
Thunder 141, Pacers 135 (2OT): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander erupted for a career-high 55 points (15-31 FG, 23-26 FT) on Thursday and the defending champion Thunder needed each one to survive a double-overtime rematch with the Pacers. | Recap | Clutch Moments
Déjà Vu: On Opening Night, OKC needed double overtime to fend off Houston. Two days later, it was another 2OT instant classic for the Thunder as they became the first team in NBA history to open a season with consecutive double-OT games
Unfamiliar Territory: Over 105 total games last season (regular+postseason), OKC played in just two single OT games – a loss to Minnesota in the regular season and a loss to Denver in the West Semis. Now, they’ve already doubled their OT total from last season
2nd Time Ever: Thursday marked the first time since 1980 (Bullets vs. Sonics) that the first matchup in a Finals rematch went to 2OT
While the MVP led the way for OKC with his fifth career 50-ball – tying Russell Westbrook for the most in Thunder history – SGA got plenty of help from Ajay Mitchell (26 pts off the bench), Aaron Wiggins (23 pts, 5 3pm) and Chet Holmgren (15 pts, 12 reb) in the win.
Party Of 4: Shai (90 pts) became only the fourth player in NBA history to total at least 90 points in the first two games of a season. He joins Wilt Chamberlain (106 pts in 1962, 105 in 1961), Anthony Davis (95 in 2016) and Michael Jordan (91 in 1986)
Playing without three key pieces from their Finals run – Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell are injured, Myles Turner is with the Bucks – and losing Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) after the 1st half, the Pacers showed the same grit and determination that had them one win from a title in June.
Do The Math: Bennedict Mathurin led Indy with 36 points – tying Reggie Miller for the second most points in a season opener in team history – capped by a slick up-and-under move to force 2OT
Pascal On Point: Pascal Siakam went back and forth with SGA in the 1st half and sent the game to OT with a clutch bucket with 6.5 seconds left in the 4th before finishing with 32 points and 15 boards
2. Steph heats up, sparks Warriors’ rally for OT win
With five minutes left in the 4th quarter, Steph Curry had 22 points as the Warriors trailed by seven.
Then it happened. A Curry heater. And everything changed.
Warriors 137, Nuggets 131 (OT): Curry scored 20 of the Warriors’ final 30 points over the last five minutes of regulation and overtime as Golden State rallied for the win, spoiling a brilliant game from Aaron Gordon, who had career-highs of 50 points and 10 3s. | Recap | Thrilling Finish
Steph finished with 42 points and six 3s – including a 34-footer with 23 ticks left to tie the game, force overtime and send the Bay into a frenzy
Reactions: New teammate Al Horford prefers this view of a Curry heater, while longtime teammate Draymond Green wasn’t surprised: “He loves the show… Any time there’s a show to be put on, he’s going to do it.”
Jimmy Butler III added 21 points for Golden State, including the dagger 3 to make it a six-point game with 41 seconds left in OT. He was one of seven Warriors in double figures in the win
Gordon posted the 7th 50+ point game in a season opener and the first with 10+ 3s. He joined Elgin Baylor (1959), Wilt Chamberlain (1962), Michael Jordan (1986, 1989), Anthony Davis (2016), and Kyrie Irving (2019) in the 50-point opener club
Nikola Jokić (21 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast) posted his fourth career triple-double in a season opener, tying Oscar Robertson for the most in NBA history, while Jamal Murray added 25 points and 10 assists
Noah Graham & Ezra Shaw/NBAE via Getty Images
Scoring Spree: Gordon’s 50 marked the fifth 40+ point game in this year’s season openers – setting a new NBA record for the most such performances, topping the previous mark of three set in 2020.
Gordon: 50 points (season opener franchise record)
Luka Dončić: 43 points (3rd highest season opener in franchise history)
Anthony Edwards: 41 points (season opener franchise record)
Tyrese Maxey: 40 points (ties season opener franchise record)
Victor Wembanyama: 40 points (season opener franchise record)
3. Prime Video era debuts with playoff rematch at MSG
Boston. New York. Two rivals in … basically everything.
There’s no exception for the Celtics and Knicks. Tonight’s meeting between the two marks the 499th all-time between the storied franchises.
Despite all the history they share, there’s still a first on the horizon.
The longtime rivals will clash (7:30 ET, Prime Video) in a Playoff rematch at Madison Square Garden. Their early-season showdown will be the first-ever NBA game available on Amazon’s streaming platform.
Double Trouble: OG Anunoby (24 pts, 14 reb) and Karl-Anthony Towns (19 & 11) registered double-doubles in New York’s season-opening victory over Cleveland
All About Balance: But they weren’t alone – Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride all scored 15 or more as part of an 11-man rotation which put depth on display
“We have guys that can play,” said coach Mike Brown. “We’d like to play as many as we can, and we want everybody to be ready in case their number is called at any time.”
A New Tempo: The Knicks have played a quicker brand of basketball from the get-go, with a pace of 105 after finishing at 97.6 last year, good for 26th in the league
One More Pass: Ball movement also ensured there was less burden on Brunson, who held the ball for an average of 6.8 minutes Wednesday in comparison to 8.6 mpg in 2024-25
Boston’s own season opener wound up a narrow loss to Philadelphia. Leading by nine points with under four minutes remaining, the Celtics were unable to close it out on their parquet.
Green Genes: A season ago, they were the league’s most successful squad in that regard, owning a clutch win percentage of 68.6% and 24 such wins, tying for fourth-most
Missing Piece: Jayson Tatum played a paramount role there – he topped the team in points, rebounds, assists and field goal attempts in clutch situations
Usual Suspects: Still, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White both had their say Wednesday, tallying 25 points and four assists apiece in 35+ minutes played
Tonight, they’ll hit the same hardwood they walked off of when last season came to a close, seeking a different result
4. Dončić vs. Edwards closes out Prime’s debut doubleheader
In the nightcap of the first Prime Video doubleheader, we have a clash of two superstars just entering the prime of their careers – Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Los Angeles’ Luka Dončić (10 ET, Prime).
The duo posted the two of the top three highest-scoring season-opening games of the 2025-26 campaign, with Luka dropping 43 points 12 boards and nine dimes against the Warriors, while Ant put up 41 points, seven rebounds and five 3s, the last of which put the Wolves up for good.
Getting buckets is nothing new for Dončić and Edwards – who ranked 4th and 5th among all players in scoring last season at 28.2 ppg and 27.6 ppg, respectively.
Elite Company: Luka and Ant are two of only five players to score 9,000+ points over their first five NBA seasons since 2000. The others: LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony
Playoff Success: As both continue to chase their first title, Edwards has led the Wolves to consecutive West Finals for the first time in franchise history, while Dončić led the Mavs to the 2024 Finals and is looking to do the same in his first full season in L.A.
In head-to-head competition, there’s little separation between the two. Luka holds a 7-6 edge in the regular-season games, while they have split 10 Playoff games, alternatively eliminating each other the past two seasons (Luka won in the 2024 West Finals, Ant in the 2025 First Round).
Respect Earned: Edwards saw last year’s Wolves-Lakers series as an opportunity to measure himself against two of the game’s greats: “Luka (is) probably the best young player in the game, and Bron is the best player leaving the game, so just trying to prove I belong”
As the new season gets into full swing, the offseason work that both players put in this summer is already showing on the court.
Three Levels: After entering the NBA as an explosive driver ready to dunk on anyone in sight, Edwards developed his outside shot, leading the NBA in 3s made last season. This year? He’s worked on his mid-range game, which he used to ice the game on Wednesday
Transformative: Already one of the game’s most gifted scorers and playmakers, Luka focused on his fitness in the offseason, gearing up his body for a long season as L.A. looks to make a deep Playoff run. He logged a game-high 41 minutes in the season opener
5. On League Pass: Wembanyama, Sengun follow up dazzling debuts
The season’s first two days saw a pair of global big men representing teams from Texas put on a show in their respective season openers.
Houston’s Alperen Sengun shined despite the Rockets’ 2OT loss to OKC on Opening Night, while San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama was unstoppable in San Antonio’s win over Dallas.
Tonight at 8 ET on League Pass, both players will have a chance to put on an encore performance when Rockets host the Pistons and the Spurs visit the Pelicans.
“I needed to make a statement.”
In his first regular-season game in over eight months, Wemby didn’t just make a statement, he wrote a thesis.
In under 30 minutes on the court, he put up a 40-point, 15-rebound, 3-block masterpiece as the Spurs rolled to a 125-92 win over the Mavericks.
It wasn’t just the numbers Wemby put up, it was how he did it. He scored from the paint, from the wing, from beyond the 3-point line. He scored on drives, on stepbacks, on fadeaways and even threw in a hook shot for good measure.
Spurs G Stephon Castle: “I think he’s the best player in the league.”
Castle wasn’t the only one overwhelmed by Wemby’s performance as NBA social erupted with reactions to every game-changing play he made throughout the night.
With Game 1 of Year 3 in the books, Wemby and the Spurs go for their first 2-0 start in five years when they visit Zion Williamson, who also had a strong season opener (27 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl), and the Pelicans.
In Kevin Durant’s first game as a Rocket, the eighth leading scorer in NBA history was not the offensive engine for Houston.
Instead, it was Sengun, who led the way with his combination of scoring (39 pts, 2nd-highest scoring game of his career), shooting (career-high 5 3pm) and playmaking (game-high 7 ast) that had the Rockets going toe-to-toe with the defending champs in two overtimes.
Durant on Sengun: “I think this will be the year where he takes that step where he wants to be a star, a superstar.”
That ascent to stardom will depend on how he follows up games like he had in the season opener. His first chance is tonight against Detroit (8 ET) in Houston’s home opener.
There’s an added layer to this matchup as it will be the fourth time that the Thompson Twins – Houston’s Amen and Detroit’s Ausar – face off.
Amen holds the 2-1 edge, but Ausar won the most recent matchup. Expect more eyes on this sibling rivalry after the NBA GMs named each twin a breakout candidate for 2025-26.
Want more? A busy Friday features eight more games on League Pass.
Want to receive the Starting 5 in your inbox? Click here!
20
20
20