Nothing but Servant. The Lakers rookie took over and claimed an OT dub in Phoenix.

THE LINEUP 🏀

What’s in today’s edition?

Great tandems: A pair of duos from the West lit up last night’s scoreboard in style

Bulk buckets: Even more big names dropped big numbers on Thursday’s seven-game slate

Friday Final: Two big matchups headline the final day of the 2024-2025 preseason

LP look-in: Players to watch out for tonight on NBA League Pass

W Finals: Will Friday’s Game 4 produce a first-time champion, or a decisive Game 5?

BUT FIRST… ⏰

Tonight the preseason finale…

The 2024-2025 NBA preseason concludes on Friday with a slate of seven games, including a pair of nationally televised games with Ja Morant and the Grizzlies hosting the Heat (8 ET, NBA TV) before the Lakers take on the Warriors (10:30 ET, ESPN2).

Game 4 of the WNBA Finals also starts tonight While the Liberty look to claim their first-ever title, while the Lynx hope to force a winner-take-all Game 5 (8 ET, ESPN).

1. GREAT TANDEMS: A FEW DUOS GO OFF

Lakers 128, Suns 122 (OT): Dalton Knecht scored 20 straight Lakers points – including a pair of 3s in the final minute of regulation to force OT and three more in the extra five minutes – to lead the Lakers to a comeback victory. | Statistics

• Find the hot hand: In the final 6:23 of the game, Knecht made five 3s, an and-1 layup and three free throws as the Suns had no answers to stop him.
• Double 35s: Knecht (10-18 FG, 8-13 3P, 7 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) and Anthony Davis (14-28 FG, 4-9 3P, 10 reb) each scored 35 points for Los Angeles. LeBron had the night off, but stood up and cheered on the rookie and the vet
• Setting suns: Devin Booker (22 points, 3 3s), Kevin Durant (19 points, 8 reb, 8 ast) and Bradley Beal (13 points, 4 ast) combined for 54 points for the Suns in their preseason finale

Rockets 129, Spurs 107: Jalen Green (30 points, 7-13 3P) and Alperen Sengun (21 points, 10 reb) went off, combining for 51 points to propel the Rockets past Stephon Castle (16 points, 4 reb, 3 ast) and the Spurs , which gave Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul the evening off. | Statistics

• Explosion: Green dropped 19 points in the second half, and Amen Thompson (18 pts, 6 reb), Fred VanVleet (15 pts, 5 ast), Dillon Brooks (12 pts, 7 reb) and Jabari Smith Jr. (11 pts, 9 reb) ) joined him and Sengun in double figures

Mavericks 109, dollars 84: Kyrie Irving (14 points, 6-7 FG) and Klay Thompson (11 points, 6 reb, 3-7 3P) sparked a 16-2 Mavs run to end the first half, giving Dallas a 54- 38 which had never been reached before was given up for the first dub of the preseason. | Statistics

• Shifting gears: Gary Trent Jr. scored a team-high 12 points for the Bucks, who rested Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, while Luka Doncic also sat for Dallas

2. MORE BUCKET-GETTERS, BONUS HOOPS & THIS ⬇️

Pacers 121, Hornets 116 (OT): It took Brandon Miller just one half to score a game-high 20 points, highlighted by five threes and one breathtaking jam. But Myles Turner (18 pts, 7-10 FG), Tyrese Haliburton (14 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) and the Pacers rallied from 16 down to steal an overtime win. | Statistics

• Indy Late Game Heroics: Ben Sheppard (14 points) knocked down an and-1 triple with 3.9 seconds left to send the game to OT, where Enrique Freeman (15 points, 5 reb) scored nine of the Pacers’ 15 points to earn the to secure victory

Nuggets 132, Timberwolves 126: Denver ended the preseason with its first win behind Julian Strawther’s game-high 33 points and five 3s off the bench. Jamal Murray added 25 points, five dimes and five threes. | Statistics

• Young wolves: With their usual starters off for the evening, Luka Garza (29 pts, 9 reb), Daishen Nix (17 pts, 5 ast) and rookie Rob Dillingham (15 pts, 7 ast and some must-see handles) led Minnesota, that closed the preseason at 2-3

Thunder 104, Hawks 99: While the Hawks rested their core lineup, Kobe Bufkin shined with a game-high 31 points while going 7-for-14 from deep, but it wasn’t enough to stop Chet Holmgren (15 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast) and the Thunder, who finished the preseason at 4-1 | Statistics

• Thunder step up: Isaiah Joe (16 points, 4-8 3P) and Ousmane Dieng (15 points, 8 reb) carried OKC in the second half, while Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6 points, 4 reb, 3 stl) and OKC’s primary rotation last two quarters off

Clippers 113, Kings 91: The Clippers improved to 2-0 in the Intuit Dome as they raced past the Kings – leading by 27 points at halftime – and never looked back. Jordan Miller (21 points, 8-11 FG) and Amir Coffey (18 points, 3 3s) combined to score 39 points for LA, which played without James Harden. | Statistics

• Rayless: The Kings – who were without De’Aaron Fox – finished the preseason at 0-5 and will look for their first win in the season opener against Minnesota on Thursday with DeMar DeRozan
• De’Aaron and DeMar Mic’d Up: Listen to Fox and DeRozan take command of the court during Kings practice ahead of last night’s game

3. FRIDAY FINAL: PRE-SEASON CLOSES ON NATIONAL PODIUM

How about seven more games tonight? Pre-season concludes on Friday with another packed programme, headlined by four star-studded squads taking to the national stage.

Grizzlies Heat (8 ET, NBA TV): After their respective stars, Jimmy Butler and Ja Morant, were plagued by injuries last year, both the Heat (3-1) and Grizzlies (3-1) will look to cap off their promising preseason with a fourth win.

• The new Grizzlies cubs: Desmond Bane (17.0 ppg) leads Memphis in scoring and is followed by a pair of rookies: the No. 39 overall pick, Jaylen Wells (15.3), and the No. 9 overall pick, Zach Edey (13.5), who leads the team. in rebounds (7.3 rpg) and ranks first in blocks (1.3 bpg)
• Heat Control: Although Miami won’t have its top three scorers tonight: Tyler Herro (15.0 ppg), Butler (12.8) and Bam Adebayo (11.5), First Team All-Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. is expected to be in the running. from last year (9.0) will leave
• Yes Observation? In his only preseason appearance, Morant (13 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 1 block that you must see) looked sharp in a win against the Mavs. Will we see him again tonight?

Lakers at Warriors (10:30 ET, ESPN2): After beating Los Angeles 111-97 on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Steph Curry and the Warriors will host LeBron James and the Lakers in the Bay to conclude the 2024-25 preseason.

• Golden moody: Moses Moody is averaging 15.8 ppg for the Warriors, who are 5-0 this preseason
• Dubs from deep: Golden State has five players shooting above 40% from 3 on a minimum of two attempts per game: Buddy Hield (48.4%), Lindy Waters III (47.8%), Jonathan Kuminga (47.6%), Moody (43.3%) and Brandin Podziemski (41.7%)
• LA Spotlight: Anthony Davis (21.8 ppg) and Dalton Knecht (18.0 ppg) each rank in the top 10 of all preseason scorers, while James is averaging 12.0 ppg and shooting 57.1% from 3 in three games
• JJ Mic’d Up: Enter the gym at the UCLA Health Training Facility as first-year head coach JJ Redick leads the Lakers through practice

4. LEAGUE PASS LOOK-IN: EXCELLENT POINTS TO WATCH

Friday also offers five games on NBA League Pass, including a few intriguing matchups in the East with some newly acquired stars and potential breakout performers.

Knicks at Wizards (7 ET, League Pass): The new-look Knicks’ final exhibition before wrapping up the regular season on Tuesday against the defending champion Celtics will see Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and company take on Jordan Poole and the Wizards.

• New York’s new duo: In three games with New York since being traded from Minnesota, Towns (17.0 ppg) combines with Brunson (19.7) for 36.7 ppg
• Wiz Kid: Washington’s No. 2 pick in this year’s Draft, Alex Sarr, is second on the team in points (11.3 ppg) and first in blocks (1.7 bpg), while Poole adds 10.5 ppg

Cavaliers at Bulls (8 ET, League Pass): In a matchup featuring a handful of preseason highlights, Coby White, Zach LaVine and the Bulls will host Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs in Chi-Town.

• Bulls Buckets: White is tied with Giannis Antetokounmpo as the preseason leading scorer at 22.0 ppg and is shooting 57.1% from 3. Meanwhile, LaVine is pouring in 18.0 ppg, which is also top 10.
• Cavs core: On the other hand, Mobley – who was named the second most likely player to have a breakout season in the 2024-25 NBA GM Survey – leads the Cavs in scoring (14.5 ppg), followed by Jarrett Allen (13, 0), Mitchell (12.5) and Darius Garland (11.0)
• Lonzo encore: After scoring 10 points in his first game in more than 2.5 seasons on Wednesday, Lonzo Ball will get one last tune-up before Chicago’s regular-season opener on Wednesday against the Raptors, in which he plans to play.

The League Pass promotion lasts all night long, with six more teams making their final preseason forays.

• 76ers at Magic (7 ET, League Pass)
• Birds of Prey at Nets (7:30 ET, League Pass)
• Jazz at Trail Blazers (10 ET, League Pass)

5. W FINAL GAME 4: A TITLE TONIGHT OR A GAME 5 FOR ALL?

Tonight in Minneapolis (8 ET, ESPN), one of two things will happen:

• A first-time champion will be crowned after five previous attempts to lift the WNBA championship trophy
• A four-time champion forces a winner-take-all Game 5 to continue their pursuit of an unprecedented fifth WNBA title

Thanks to Sabrina Ionescu’s 28-foot game-winning trey To win Game 3 for New York, the Liberty can capture that elusive first title with a win in Game 4 (tonight) or Game 5 (Sunday at home).

Let’s dive into a bit of history to see how these games have evolved since the WNBA went to a best-of-five finals in 2005. Of those 19 best-of-five series, seven ended in sweeps, giving us twelve series that needed a Game 4.

• Clinch In Four (41.7% of the time): The team with a 2-1 lead has won Game 4 to win the title five times, including each of the past three seasons
• The Liberty are looking for a match what the Aces did in both 2022 and 2023: capture the title with a Game 4 win along the way
• Force Game 5 (58.3% of the time): The team trailing 2-1 has won Game 4, forcing a winner-take-all Game 5 seven times, including four times in the last nine years
• The Lynx are trying to become the fifth team to not only force a Game 5, but win the series in five games. The last team to do this? The 2017 Lynx vs. the Sparks. However, the only team to win Game 4 at home and Game 5 on the road to the title is the 2007 Mercury.

No lead is safe: Every game of the 2024 finals had double-digit comebacks.

• In game 1, Minnesota not only recovered from an 18-down deficit, but also won the New York game in OT, tying the greatest comeback in Finals history
• In game 2, Minnesota came back from 17 down to make it a two-point game before New York closed the game on a 12-0 run
• In game 3, New York recovered from 15th place before clinching victory on Ionescu’s triple to complete the third-biggest comeback in finals history

Will Game 4 deliver another instant classic? And will it result in a championship celebration or a must-see Game 5 on Sunday?