Lendeborg and Steph Honor Nellie in 124-98 Rout of Lakers; Haliburton, Lillard Eye Returns Tonight

Tuesday's preseason slate had a tribute, a comeback and a few rookies who look ready.

At Chase Center, the Warriors honored the late Don Nelson on "Nellie Night" and beat a short-handed Lakers team 124-98. This year's No. 11 pick, Yaxel Lendeborg, had 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting, and Steph Curry, who played for Nelson as a rookie, scored 16 with five assists in 14 minutes. Golden State debuted a yellow "Nellie" patch for the season. Nelson, who died in August at 86, ranks second all-time with 1,335 coaching wins, per NBA.com.

In Utah, Darryn Peterson scored a game-high 23 for the Jazz, but Denver won 117-106 behind Aaron Gordon's 18; Nikola Jokic added six points, five assists and four rebounds in 16 minutes. Brooklyn rolled Charlotte 124-90 as Michael Porter Jr. hit 4 of 6 threes for 16 and Julius Randle scored 13 in his Nets debut. And New Orleans erased a 24-point deficit to beat Oklahoma City 116-110, with Bennedict Mathurin scoring 13 and Jeremiah Fears adding 12.

Tonight could be bigger. Tyrese Haliburton could make his preseason return when Indiana hosts Minnesota at 6 p.m. CT on NBA TV, and Damian Lillard's Blazers visit Golden State at 9 p.m. CT, with Ja Morant possibly making his first appearance for Portland. Both stars missed all of last season after Achilles tears suffered 56 days apart.

More around the league on the NBA. Radio question: which comeback are you more excited to see, Haliburton or Lillard?

Sources: NBA.com — Starting 5, Oct. 7; NBA.com — Warriors 124, Lakers 98 recap; San Francisco Chronicle — Lendeborg helps Warriors drub Lakers; Crescent City Sports — Pelicans erase 24-point deficit.