Lonzo Ball makes a triumphant return and an instant classic in the W Finals, Oct. 17 starting 5

1,006 days since his last NBA game, Lonzo Ball only needed 43 seconds to score his first bucket in his return.

THE LINEUP

What’s inside today’s edition?

Chicago Shine: Lonzo’s inspiring comeback, Julius Randle’s Wolves debut & a star-stuffed stat sheet

More Ball: Wednesday’s five-game slate delivered a handful of must-see highlights

The Sabrina Shot: Ionescu’s deep 3 with one second left has NY one win from the title

Marquee Matchups: TNT’s doubleheader fuels a jam-packed Thursday slate

League Pass Lineup: Five Thursday games featuring rising stars and budding rivalries

BUT FIRST … ⏰

As we were saying …

Seven games tip off tonight, highlighted by a doubleheader on TNT

: Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks visit the 2024 Western Conference champs in Dallas (7:30 ET), followed by LeBron James and the Lakers traveling

 to Phoenix to face Kevin Durant and the Suns (10 ET).

1. BALL IS BACK, RANDLE DEBUTS & STARS SHINE

For the last 2.5 seasons, Lonzo Ball watched his team from the sidelines as he rehabbed a left knee injury that required three surgeries, including both meniscus and cartilage replacements.

But on Wednesday, for the first time since Jan. 14, 2022, Ball rose from the bench and walked to the scorers’ table. He was checking into his first NBA game in 1,006 days.

Once Ball stood up, the Chicago crowd — and his teammates — followed, giving the former No. 2 overall pick a standing ovation as he took in the moment he’d been working toward for 33 months. Forty-three seconds later, he took his first shot — and splashed.

Ball finished with 10 points, one assist, one board, one block and one steal in his return, while Coby White scored a game-high 23 points to lift the Bulls over Anthony Edwards (16 pts, 3 ast, 3 reb), Rudy Gobert (13 pts, 17 reb) and the Wolves, 125-123. | Stats

No Signs Of Rust: Ball, who was on a 16-minute restriction, shot 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 from downtown“It felt a lot better playing than watching, I’ll tell you that much,” said Ball. “I can’t really put into words how it felt to be out there … It was definitely a moment that I’ll never forget.”Game Ball:

Go inside the Bulls locker room as White presents Lonzo with the game ball

Bulls Boost: Zach LaVine followed White with 19 points plus five boards and four assists, while Nikola Vucevic and Talen Horton-Tucker turned in 17 points apieceWolves’ New Stars Shine: Julius Randle notched 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in his Wolves debut, while his former Knick teammate Donte DiVincenzo added 17 points and five dimesMore Minny Scorers:

Josh Minott posted a team-high 18 points for Minnesota, which saw Jaden McDaniels (12 pts, 5 ast) and Luka Garza (11 pts) also finish in double figures

2. MORE BALL: OOPS, BUZZER-BEATERS & A GERMAN CROSSOVER

76ers 117, Nets 95: Kelly Oubre Jr. dropped a game-high 18 points in the 1st half to help build Philly a 62-56 lead, and the Sixers didn’t look back to top Cam Thomas (17 pts, 2 ast) and the Nets. | Stats

The Poster Of Friendship: Oubre shot 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and even dunked on his own teammate, KJ Martin, before greeting him with a hugSixers Spotlight:

Tyrese Maxey (7 pts, 5 ast, 16 min) led the 76ers in assists, while rookie Jared McCain (9 pts, 7 reb) knocked down three triples before exiting the game after taking a hard fall

Pistons 108, Cavaliers 92: With Cade Cunningham (6 pts, 4 ast, 7 min) and the Pistons’ starters seeing limited action, Simone Fontecchio (18 pts, 5 3s) stepped up to lead Detroit past the Cavs. | Stats

Standouts: Jarrett Allen (19 pts, 8 reb), Donovan Mitchell (13 pts, 4 ast) and Evan Mobley (10 pts, 4 reb) led Cleveland in scoring, while Detroit rookie Ronald Holland II (8 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk) had a busy night on both ends

Heat 120, Hawks 111: After beating the Spurs on Tuesday, the Heat picked up their second win in two days behind big nights from Jimmy Butler (game-high 24 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 first-half buzzer-beater) and Tyler Herro (19 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), who combined for 43 points. | Stats

Heating Up: Haywood Highsmith (16 pts) joined Butler and Herro in double figures while Bam Adebayo added seven points, seven boards and three assistsHawk Eyes:

Jalen Johnson (21 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast,

1 poster jam

) led Atlanta in scoring, and Trae Young chipped in 10 points and seven dimes while this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, took the night off

Trail Blazers 111, Ulm 100: In an NBAxBundesliga crossover, Scoot Henderson (game-high 23 pts, 6 ast, 5 reb) and Deni Avdija (18 pts, 3 ast) powered the Blazers past Noa Essengue (20 pts, 8 reb) and Ratiopharm to improve to 2-1 this preseason. | Stats

3. SABRINA’S LOGO 3 PUTS LIBERTY ONE WIN AWAY FROM TITLE

With the game tied at 77 and under 11 seconds to play, the Liberty got the ball to Sabrina Ionescu and let her go to work.

She dribbled down the clock, took a hard dribble to her left, a side step to clear space and rose up from just inside the Minnesota Lynx half-court logo.

The 28-footer splashed through the net with one second left, sealing a 15-point comeback win and a 2-1 series lead for the Liberty, who are now one win away from their first WNBA title. | See the basketball world react

“I’m built for this moment.” – Sabrina on her game-winner“She’s worked really hard for this moment

and once she put it up there I was like ‘Oh it’s gonna go in.’” – Breanna Stewart on Sabrina

Stewart fueled much of the Liberty comeback, scoring 22 of her game-high 30 points in the 2nd half, while adding 11 boards and four blocks. She now owns two of the three 30-10 games in WNBA Finals history, while teammate Jonquel Jones has the other.

But this game will long be remembered for Sabrina’s clutch 3, which enters the conversation for the biggest shot in Liberty history – a title long held by Teresa Weatherspoon and her half-court game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 2 of the 1999 Finals – simply known as “The Shot.”

Weatherspoon’s shot capped off an 18-point comeback win for the Liberty on the road – the largest comeback in WNBA Finals history (matched by the Lynx in Game 1) – and is the longest go-ahead field goal in the last 10 seconds of a WNBA Finals gameIonescu’s shot capped off a 15-point comeback win for the Liberty (the third largest in Finals history) and also came on the road, and is now the second-longest go-ahead field goal in the last 10 seconds of a WNBA Finals gamePassing The Torch:

During the NBA TV postgame show,

T-Spoon said she was willing to pass the title

of “biggest shot in Liberty history” to Sabrina on one condition: “I’m absolutely okay with it. Just go get that thing, you’ve got one [win] to get.”

In their sixth WNBA Finals appearance, the Liberty will play their first closeout game since the single-game Finals in the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997. Can New York finish the job and win that elusive first WNBA championship in Game 4 in Minneapolis (8 ET ESPN)?

The Lynx – led by Napheesa Collier, who set the WNBA record for most points in a single postseason (249) in Game 3 – will try to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season and send the series back to Brooklyn for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Sunday.

4. THURSDAY DOUBLEHEADER: CONTENDERS CLASH

The second-to-last day of the 2024-25 preseason delivers a packed seven-game slate, highlighted by a star-studded doubleheader on TNT.

Bucks at Mavericks (7:30 ET, TNT): Could we see Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson on the floor together for the first time in the Mavs’ preseason finale as they host Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Deer in Dallas?

Dallas Duo: While Irving (1 game played) and Thompson (2 gp) made their preseason debuts last Thursday, Doncic has yet to suit up for Dallas due to a left calf contusionBest Vs. Best? The matchup could feature two of the best players at their position, according to the NBA GM Survey, as Doncic was voted the league’s best point guard (37% of votes), while Antetokounmpo was voted the top power forward (77%)Scoring Spotlight: Through two preseason games, Giannis is averaging 22.0 ppg — tied with Coby White for the most in the NBA — while Jaden Hardy leads Dallas with 16.3 ppgMavs All-Access:

Go courtside for Mavs training camp where Luka gets the best of Dereck Lively II on the defensive end and playfully lets him hear about it

Lakers at Suns (10 ET, TNT): In a matchup featuring two of the league’s greatest scorers, LeBron James and the Lakers will visit the Valley to face Kevin Durant and the Suns for an early regular season preview.

Rematch: In its first preseason game on Oct. 6, Phoenix beat Los Angeles 118-114, with Devin Booker (12 pts) and Bradley Beal (11 pts) combining for 23 points in the 1st halfJust The Beginning: This is the second of four October matchups between Los Angeles and Phoenix. They’ll meet in eight days for a regular-season bout on Oct. 25 and then face off again on Oct. 28What The GMs Think: According to the GM Survey, the Lakers’ level of success this season is the toughest to predict among all 30 teams (17% of votes), while the Suns’ is the fourth-hardest to predict (10%)Rooks On A Roll:

Los Angeles’ No. 17 overall pick, Dalton Knecht (13.8 ppg), is second on the team in scoring through four games, while the Suns’ No. 28 overall pick, Ryan Dunn (11.0 ppg), joins Durant (15.0), Beal (13.3) and Booker (11.0) as Phoenix’s top scorers

5. LEAGUE PASS LINEUP: YOUNG STARS & BUDDING RIVALS

Thursday also boasts five games on NBA League Pass, including a Texas duel featuring two of the league’s most promising young bigs, a playoff rematch and the Clippers’ second-ever game at the Intuit Dome.

Hornets at Pacers (7 ET, League Pass): After leading the league with 123.3 ppg last season, the Pacers (1-2) are posting a preseason-high 125.0 ppg, while Charlotte (2-2) is tied for the second-most made 3s per game (16.8). Who will outpace who in each team’s final exhibition?

Spurs at Rockets (8 ET, League Pass): A potential matchup between two of the top international bigs in the game in San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama (21.4 pts, 10.6 reb, 3.9 ast, 3.6 blk in 2023-24) and Houston’s Alperen Sengun (21.1 ppg, 9.3 reb, 5.0 ast in 2023-24).

Nuggets at Timberwolves (8 ET, League Pass): A rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals and an early season lookahead. After ousting Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in seven games in last year’s Playoffs, Anthony Edwards and the Wolves will host the 2023 champs tonight before doing so again in two weeks on Nov. 1.

Hawks at Thunder (8 ET, League Pass): With two games under his belt, Zaccharie Risacher is Atlanta’s second-leading scorer (16.0 ppg) and shooting 44.4% from deep. Can he stay hot against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and the Thunder?

Kings at Clippers (10:30 ET, League Pass): Sacramento’s new trio of De’Aaron Fox (15.8 ppg), Domantas Sabonis (15.5) and DeMar DeRozan (14.0) lead the Kings (0-4) in scoring, while James Harden leads the Clips (3-1) in points (12.8) and assists (6.8). Which team will cap their preseason with a win?