In May, Chet Holmgren didn't take a shot in the second half of Game 7. Last night he got thrown to the floor, got up, and made Wemby go 1 for 13. Wrote up why that matters.

Some guys get traded. Dame just took a long road trip. 542 days after tearing his Achilles, Damian Lillard came home and hit 6 threes for 25 points in a 124-83 rout of the Suns. His first game as a Blazer in 1,309 days. Ja Morant added 8 assists in his debut next to him.

Yaxel Lendeborg picked the wrong guy to jaw with on opening night. Since the rookie got into it with Luka, the Lakers have outscored Golden State 49-20. It was 102-68 after three quarters. Luka had 28, 8 and 7 through three, and Walker Kessler didn't miss a shot in his Lakers debut: 22 points on 11 for 11, with 10 dunks. Some players get louder when you poke them. Luka just gets colder.

486 days after tearing his Achilles in the Finals, Tyrese Haliburton didn't ease back in. 23 points, 12 assists, 5 for 5 at the line. Down 9 early in the 4th, he and Siakam scored 25 in the quarter to win 123-120. The comeback didn't end at rehab.

Kim Mulkey was in the building to watch her old LSU star, and Angel Reese made sure it was worth the trip. Dream 97, Valkyries 71. Atlanta leads the WNBA Finals 2-1 and is two wins from the first title in franchise history. Reese finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals and two threes. Rhyne Howard chipped in 16 with 5 steals. When it ended, she went looking for her college coach. Some bonds outlast the jersey.

Everybody packed Kaseya Center to watch Giannis. Anthony Edwards made it his night instead. 45 points, 10 rebounds, 9 of 17 from three in Miami's home opener. The NBA says no Wolves player has ever hit more threes in a season opener. Giannis had 21 at the half on 8 of 10 shooting. After that it was all Ant, and he had plenty to say to the Heat bench along the way. Minnesota was up 24 in the fourth. Not the welcome party Miami planned.

Country music just lost one of its truest voices. John Anderson, the Hall of Famer behind "Swingin'," "Straight Tequila Night" and "Seminole Wind," has died at 71, his family announced tonight. Five No. 1 hits, more than 40 charting singles, and a voice nobody could copy. He was at the Hall of Fame's Medallion Ceremony in Nashville just this past Sunday. No cause of death has been released. Rest easy, John.

Opening night of a Texas rivalry, and Tari Eason didn't make it out of the first quarter. He shoved PJ Washington to the floor. Officials went to replay and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2, an automatic ejection. Eason's whole game is edge and energy. You want that from him, just not when it leaves Houston a man short before the night even gets going.

Adam Sherifi wasn't serving his own agency's warrant Tuesday night. He showed up to back up Canton police, and he never came home. Officials say the man they came for was already wanted for aggravated assault on a peace officer. Shots came from inside the house around 10:22 p.m. The Van Zandt County deputy, 31, died at the scene. Canton officer Christopher Watson was hit in the right arm and flown to Plano for surgery. The suspect was found dead inside. Sherifi leaves a wife and three kids, including a newborn.

Luka didn't post a hype video. He bought a full page in the LA Times and put his name on a title promise. The line that jumps out: "No excuses. No nights off." He hasn't played a game that counted since a hamstring injury on April 2 knocked him out of the Lakers' whole playoff run. He also took the entire roster to Slovenia this summer, everyone except one rookie, per The Athletic's Dan Woike. First night of the post-LeBron era is Steph and the Warriors at 7 PM PT. You can't hide from a promise you printed.

Nine games into year 12, Connor McDavid is somehow still getting better. 20 assists in 9 games. Gretzky, Lemieux and LaFontaine each needed 10. 26 points, a point in every game, and Tuesday he fed Bouchard's birthday OT winner. His pace: 242 points. Gretzky's record is 215.

This is what courage looks like when nobody planned on being a hero. Ebro Ahmed, 27, was standing outside a St. Paul corner store Monday when a school bus rolled past with its doors open and the driver having what looked like a seizure. He sprinted after it, jumped on, got it into neutral and pulled the parking brake. 18 Battle Creek Middle School kids were aboard. None were hurt. "Even if I were to die, it would still be worth it," he told ABC News.

Arsenal lost Bukayo Saka nine minutes in and still wouldn't leave Munich beaten. Saka pulled up with a thigh injury, no contact. Eze came off the bench and scored. Kane set up Davies, then buried a penalty to put Bayern up 2-1. Declan Rice answered in the 82nd from a tight angle. Final: 2-2. That's backbone. xitter.cf/1degreeshift_co/status…

Some battles never show up on an injury report. Kristaps Porzingis is seriously weighing retirement as POTS symptoms drag on for nearly two years, per ESPN. The Warriors are already exploring trades. He's "not with team" for tonight's opener. Health first. The game can wait.

Andy Reid has coached a lot of great players. He still called Allen Bailey "one of my favorite players." Bailey, who spent 8 seasons on the Chiefs defensive line, died Tuesday at just 37. His family believes it was natural causes. Reid summed him up in one line: "He gave you an honest down every snap." That's the kind of thing a coach only says about a guy who earned it. Prayers for his wife and family.

Maryland just paid nearly $10 million to admit the plan didn't work. Mike Locksley is out after eight seasons, the first head coach fired this college football season. The Terps are 2-5, 0-4 in the Big Ten, and haven't beaten a Power Four team since last September. He finishes 39-54. He did give them three straight winning seasons and bowl wins from 2021 to 2023. But when it goes this wrong, the man in charge owns it, and Locksley said as much himself. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim takes over as interim during the bye week. usatoday.com/story/sports/nc…

Wemby had the worst shooting night of his career and never stopped working. That's the part the rest of the league should worry about. 1-for-13 from the field in the opener. He still finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. OKC won 116-104 behind SGA's 32, but a guy who keeps battling at the rim and on the glass when nothing falls isn't staying cold for long.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't take nights off, and that's the most underrated thing about him. 141 straight games with 20+ points after tonight's opener in San Antonio. Wilt Chamberlain's old record was 126 and stood since 1963. SGA already had 28 late in the third while Wemby started 0-for-12 on the other end. Consistency like that is a choice he makes every single night.

Chet Holmgren came into San Antonio looking for Wemby, and he never blinked. He drove right into Victor Wembanyama's body for a tough bucket early, got swatted later, then came right back and blocked Wemby at the rim. Halftime: Thunder 65, Spurs 44 in the West finals rematch. Wemby is 0 for 7 from the field, OKC is 10 for 14 from three, and Chet has 10. That's how you start a rivalry season.