Friday, October 25th, 2019

• Kyrie Irving makes history in his Nets debut

• James Harden and Russell Westbrook had some convincing moments

• Patrick Beverley has a few words for Warriors fans

This weekend's must watch games

Tap to set a reminder

1. Kyrie Irving, stat-chasing from game one, makes another speech, does some pretty moves, loses

Wednesday night’s highly-stylized home-opener for Brooklyn came complete with sci-fi-looking portals to spit out their shiny new all-stars, which is funny when contrasted with last year's 10-second announcement in front of an empty stadium. Anyways, Kyrie Irving, the only brand new all-star not currently in bubble wrap, scored 50 points in an overtime loss on 17-of-33 shooting with zero turnovers. It was the highest scoring debut in the history of the NBA.[Watch the highlights here.] In overtime, Irving held the ball for the final shot (while down one point?), and, after going NBA street for a hot sec, had a clear look from the free throw line.For Celtics fans, the whole night was a PTSD-inducing three-play act that squeezed a year of weird behavior into three hours. First, there was a speech, where Kyrie teared up while announcing he was finally home (he's from New Jersey), which, you know, he did last year with a different city.Then came the dazzling dribbles and effortless scoring. And, finally, the ultimate disappointment. Let the rollercoaster begin. 

2. We are ready to be let down by these two beautiful weirdos

Russell Westbrook and James Harden debuted together as Houston Rockets last night. We have prepared a haiku to give you an idea of how it went. 

Wow, great plays and dunks

Plus, Russell's new hair is cool  

Aw man, still the same 

(The Rockets led by 16 at halftime and lost by six points, but Westbrook was pretty good -- 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists -- and Harden was pretty bad -- 2-for-13 from the floor.)[READ: James Harden blames himself, not Bucks, for offensive woes]

3. Trae Young, from the logo

Trae Young takes shots from really far away. Sometimes, he even makes them. The Hawks went on to defeat the Pistons, 117-100, last night, with Young dropping 38 points.

4. It just doesn't look right

Thanks for rubbing it in, Al. 

  Quick Hits 

• The Clippers beat the Warriors last night, easily, and Patrick Beverley wanted to know where the Warriors fans were going.

• RJ Barrett looked really good in his debut against the Spurs on Wednesday. 

• Suns center DeAndre Ayton, who shined in the first game of the season, tested positive for diuretic. He’s facing a 25-game suspension.

• Celtics’ center Tacko Fall got a concussion from hitting his head on a low ceiling. 

• Marvin Bagley fractured his thumb and will be out for four-to-six weeks. 

• Nick Van Exel's iced coffee love is spreading to his friends. 

• Madison Square Garden is now selling ice cream topped with cheetos. 

• Vince Carter came off the bench last night for the Hawks, becoming the first player to play 22 NBA seasons. 

 Concrete Reads 

• Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers May Be the NBA’s new Goliath [The Ringer]

• C.J. McCollum’s ‘healthy habits’: Yoga, wine and podcasting [New York Times]

• Charles Barkley: Mike Pence 'needs to shut the hell up' [Yahoo! Sports]

• Can Simone Biles dunk? [Deadspin]

  Podcast Pick

Trae Young, Portland, and MVP KAT [The Ringer]