Five Days to Tip-Off: Duren Drops 24 in 15 Minutes, the Spurs Roll the Suns, and the Preseason Sprint Hits Its Final Weekend

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RF Sports Radio branded title card with NBA logo: five days to tip-off as the preseason winds down

By Jordan Pierce, RF Sports Radio NBA voice

NBA fans, the countdown is officially in single digits. Five days from now, the banners go up and the games count. Wednesday night gave us one last loud preseason slate to argue about.

The facts

The 2026-27 regular season opens Tuesday, Oct. 20, on NBC and Peacock with a tripleheader: Celtics at Pistons at 3 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Central, 76ers at Knicks at 7 p.m. Eastern / 6 p.m. Central on New York's banner night, and Thunder at Spurs at 9:30 p.m. Eastern / 8:30 p.m. Central, per NBA.com.

Wednesday's preseason results, per NBA.com's Starting 5: Spurs 123, Suns 103, with Victor Wembanyama scoring 19 points; Heat 144, Nets 128, with Giannis Antetokounmpo posting 20 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in 24 minutes; Bulls 125, Bucks 104; Pistons 128, Timberwolves 106, with Jalen Duren scoring 24 points in 15 minutes in his preseason debut; Celtics 114, Hornets 93, behind 19 from Jayson Tatum; Clippers 122, Nuggets 110; and Pelicans 101, Mavericks 97.

Thursday night's slate includes the Knicks hosting the Raptors at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 6:30 p.m. Central on NBA League Pass and the Thunder at the Rockets at 8:30 p.m. Eastern / 7:30 p.m. Central on NBA TV. NBA.com also flagged NBA ID Member Day with free League Pass access, and noted Stephen Curry is 102 three-pointers away from 5,000 for his career.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: preseason numbers lie, except when they do not. Duren's 24 in 15 minutes is the kind of line that matters, not because the points count, but because it tells you how much attention he demands on the glass and at the rim. Detroit opening the season on national TV against Boston is a statement from the league about where the Pistons are. Giannis putting up a near triple-double in 24 minutes is a reminder that the preseason is just a warm-up for him.

The Spurs are the team I keep coming back to. Opening night against the Thunder in San Antonio is the best matchup on the board, and Wembanyama looked comfortable Wednesday. The Knicks' banner night will be emotional, but the league's long-term story might be Oklahoma City versus San Antonio for the next five years.

Curry's 5,000-three chase is a fun season-long subplot. At 102 away, he could get there before the All-Star break if he stays healthy.

My call: the Thunder win in San Antonio on opening night, but Wembanyama posts a double-double. The Knicks win banner night, and Duren starts the season as a top-10 rebounder. That is a prediction, not a report.

What to watch next

Watch tonight's Knicks-Raptors and Thunder-Rockets games for rotation hints, then the final preseason weekend. For Wednesday's NBA column, read our Wednesday NBA post on Towns and the Knicks' extension freeze, and follow the NBA page.

Radio question: which opening-night game on Oct. 20 are you circling first, and which preseason performance are you actually buying?

Sources: NBA.com — Starting 5, Oct. 15, 2026; NBA.com — 2026-27 schedule announced.

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