Are you ready for the MVP’s encore? Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets begin their 2024-25 journey in mere hours with Media Day at Ball Arena. Watch live at 11 a.m. ET.

THE LINEUP 🏀

What’s inside today’s edition?

New-Look Nuggets: Jokic & Denver enter 2024-25 with a new supporting cast

Denver’s Road: The Nuggets don’t need to look far to find competition out West

MVP Itinerary: What were the highlights of Jokic’s busy summer?

W Closeout Games: Collier’s record night boosts Lynx, plus Sun reach sixth straight semis

W Finals Rematch: Inside the history of the Liberty & Aces’ budding rivalry

Breaking: But before we get started, the NBA family waves goodbye to former MVP Derrick Rose, as the electrifying PG just announced his retirement after a 16-year career.

1. NEW-LOOK NUGGETS PREPARE FOR 2024-25 

Preseason hoops is just around the corner. And another recent champion takes center stage Thursday.

Following the 2024 champion Celtics’ Media Day on Tuesday, the 2023 champion Nuggets host theirs today in Denver.

The two teams opened training camp Wednesday, and in eight days, they’ll meet in Abu Dhabi for the first preseason game of the 2024-25 campaign, followed by another matchup on Oct. 6.

• Oct. 4: Celtics vs. Nuggets (NBA League Pass, Noon ET)
• Oct. 6: Celtics vs. Nuggets (NBA League Pass, 10 a.m. ET)

After winning its first-ever title in 2023, Denver went 57-25 last year, matching a franchise high for regular-season victories and finishing tied for the best record in the Western Conference.

The team’s milestone win mark was fueled by none other than Nikola Jokic, who put together a historic season to claim his third Kia NBA MVP (after receiving the honor in 2020-21 and 2021-22).

• How Historic Was It? In 2023-24, Jokic became the second player in NBA history to have at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 700 assists in a season, joining Oscar Robertson (1961-62)
• No Joke Numbers: Jokic also finished second in the NBA in both double-doubles (68) and triple-doubles (25), 10th in points (26.4), fourth in rebounds (12.4) and third in assists (9.0) per game

But Jokic and the Nuggets’ quest to repeat as champions fell short in the Western Conference Semifinals with a Game 7 loss to Anthony Edwards and Timberwolves.

Now, the former champs enter the 2024-25 season looking to reclaim their stake atop the sport. But, their roster will look slightly different after a series of offseason moves.

• Murray Extended: In September, Denver signed its star point guard Jamal Murray to a four-year extension, partnering him with Jokic (2027-28 player option) for the foreseeable future
• Departures: But Denver lost defensive standout Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Magic) and 13-year vet Reggie Jackson (76ers) in free agency. Last season, the two combined for 20+ points an outing, with 10.1 and 10.2 ppg, respectively
• Additions: In response, the team signed Russell Westbrook (11.1 ppg in 2023-24) and Dario Saric (8.0 ppg in 23-24) in free agency, while selecting Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II (No. 22 pick) in the Draft

2. DENVER’S ROAD: FAMILIAR FOES

How difficult is Denver’s road out West?

Despite tying their franchise win record last regular season, the Nuggets lost the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference to the Thunder (57-25) in a tiebreaker. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves (56-26) finished one game back before ousting Denver in the Playoffs.

And guess what? Both OKC and Minnesota accompany Denver in the Northwest Division and each team bolstered its lineup this season.

• OKC Adds Depth: After becoming the youngest team to earn the No. 1 seed, OKC flipped Josh Giddey for defensive star Alex Caruso and signed Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency
• Wolves Land Young Talent: Following their second Western Conference Finals trip in franchise history, the Wolves traded with the Spurs in the Draft to land Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham with the No. 8 pick and then added Terrence Shannon Jr. (No. 27) later in the first round
• The division is rounded out by an up-and-coming Blazers squad and the Jazz, who will look to build around their recently signed star, Lauri Markkanen

Outside of the Northwest Division, more contenders lurk in the West, which saw 11 of its 15 teams finish .500 or better and boasted five of the league’s seven 50+ win teams, including the Western Conference champion Mavericks.

To compete in such a crowded conference, Denver relied on its lineup of Jokic, Murray, Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon, who played 958 regular-season minutes together last season – the most for any lineup in the last six seasons.

But with KCP now in Orlando — and Reggie Jackson in Philly — the Nuggets will look towards its supporting cast to step up.

• Could Christian Braun blossom into a starter after averaging 7.3 ppg in his sophomore season while logging 20.2 minutes per game?
• Could Peyton Watson solidify himself as a premier defender in Year 3 after leading the team in blocks (88) and finishing third in defensive rating? (109.7, min. 30 games played)
• Could Russell Westbrook’s energy boost an offense that finished 23rd (19.4 ppg) in transition?
• Could we see a sophomore jump from 2023 first-round pick Julian Strawther in the backcourt alongside veteran Justin Holiday?

3. JOKIC’S SUMMER ITINERARY

How would you spend your summer after winning a third Kia NBA MVP award?

If you’re Nikola Jokic, you play more basketball.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jokic reminded fans why he’s one of the best players on the planet, pushing USA Men’s Basketball to the brink of elimination in the semifinals before leading Serbia to a bronze medal.

• Masterclass: In the Bronze Medal Game, Jokic (19 pts, 12 reb, 11 ast) notched the fifth triple-double in Olympic history to secure the hardware, marking Serbia’s third-ever Olympic medal in men’s hoops
• Pure Bliss: Jokic and his teammates were all smiles — and cheers — after taking home bronze

The Joker’s summer didn’t stop there. He pulled out his full bag of tricks at Goran Dragic’s farewell charity game, “Night of the Dragon,” alongside Luka Doncic, Dirk Nowitzki and other NBA legends.

• Jokic’s Got Bunnies: Yup. Watch the Joker throw down an off-the-glass oop to himself at Dragic’s farewell game
• Silky Sidestep: Jokic shows off the touch by splashing a ridiculous one-legged sidestep 3

Jamal Murray was also hooping on the international stage, as Denver’s star point guard represented Canada at the Olympics. Meanwhile, other Nuggets spent their time working out together, or just chilling — from climbing the steps at Red Rocks to hitting the links.

• Red Rocks Stair Climb: “My legs are cooked.”
• Nuggets Go Boxing: Jump into the ring with Peyton Watson and other Nuggets as they work on their jabs
• Tour Bound: PJ Hall, Christian Braun and Hunter Tyson check out the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado

4. WNBA PLAYOFFS: COLLIER TIES SCORING RECORD AS LYNX, SUN ADVANCE

Lynx 101, Mercury 88 (Lynx win series 2-0): Napheesa Collier’s career-high 38 points from Game 1 lasted a total of three days before she surpassed it by tying the WNBA Playoff scoring record with 42 points (14-20 FG, 2-3 3P, 12-14 FT) in Minnesota’s win over Phoenix to complete the two-game sweep and advance to the semifinals against Connecticut.

• Elite Company: Collier’s 42 points tied Breanna Stewart (2022) and Angel McCoughtry (2010) for the highest-scoring Playoff game in league history and set a Lynx franchise record, topping Maya Moore’s 40 in 2015 – also against Phoenix
• One Of One: While she is tied for the single-game record, Collier’s 80 total points in Games 1 and 2 are the most over any two-game stretch in WNBA Playoff history, besting the previous mark of 72 by A’ja Wilson
• Three Straight 30s: Going back to last year’s Playoffs, Collier has three consecutive games with 30+ points, matching Wilson for the longest such streak in Playoff history
• Standing Ovation: The Target Center crowd in Minnesota saluted Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi as she checked out of the game in the closing minutes. The league’s all-time leading scorer has yet to announce a decision about her future

Sun 87, Fever 81 (Sun win series 2-0): Connecticut closed the game on a 12-4 run – highlighted by Marina Mabrey’s dagger 3 with 46 seconds left – to defeat Indiana 87-81 in Game 2 and sweep the Fever in the opening round. Alyssa Thomas followed up her Game 1 triple-double with a 19-point, 13-assist performance.

• Six Straight: The Sun not only have the longest active playoff streak at eight consecutive appearances, this marks their sixth straight trip to the Semifinals. The Sun have reached the Finals twice in that time (and four times in franchise history) but still seek their first title
• More History: Caitlin Clark (25 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast) became the first rookie and the youngest player (22 years, 247 days) to post at least 25-5-5 in a Playoff game. Aliyah Boston added 16 pts and 19 reb for Indy in their 2024 finale

5. 2023 FINALS REMATCH IN 2024 WNBA SEMIFINALS

When the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces meet on Sunday (3:00 p.m. ET, ABC) in Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinal series, it will be the 13th time these teams have met in the past two seasons.

• 2023 Regular Season: The teams split the regular season series 2-2 with the home team winning all four games
• 2023 Commissioner’s Cup Championship: The Liberty handed the Aces their first home loss of 2023 (after Vegas opened the season 15-0 at home) to raise the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Trophy and prevent the Aces from repeating as champs of the in-season competition
• 2023 WNBA Finals: The teams held serve through the first three games of the best-of-five series — with Vegas winning Games 1 and 2 at home and New York winning Game 3. However, just as the Liberty won the Commissioner’s Cup in Vegas, the Aces won the WNBA title in New York, prevailing 70-69 in Game 4
• 2024 Regular Season: The Liberty swept the three-game season series with the Aces, with two of the wins coming on the road in Vegas. New York is the only team that the Aces have yet to beat this season. Now, they need to beat them three times in five games to keep their hopes of a three-peat alive

This series will have no shortage of starpower as both teams boast multiple All-Stars and award winners.

• Half Of Team USA: The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game featured the US Women’s Olympic team taking on fellow WNBA All-Stars. Six of the 12 players in red, white and blue were either Aces (A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young) or Liberty (Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu)
• And One More: In case that wasn’t enough representation, Liberty center Jonquel Jones of the Bahamas suited up for Team WNBA 

The key matchup to watch has to be Wilson vs. Stewart – the two most dominant forwards in the WNBA. And they have the hardware to prove it.

• Since Wilson entered the W in 2018, A’ja and Stewie have won a combined five WNBA MVPs (Stewart in 2018 and 2023; Wilson in 2020, 2022 and a unanimous pick in 2024) and three Finals MVPs (Stewart in 2018 and 2020; Wilson in 2023)
• That’s two players combining to win eight of the 13 regular season and postseason MVP awards over the past seven seasons