Your Must-See Sports Headlines for Today, October 23

Getty Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors shoots the ball as Brandon Ingram and Jahlil Okafor of the New Orleans Pelicans defend.

Welcome to the roundup of must-see sports news from Tuesday, featuring the NBA season kicking off with the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors notching big wins and the Washington Nationals claiming Game 1 of the World Series over the Houston Astros.

All this and more as we get you up to speed with the sports world on this Wednesday!


Raptors Get Championship Rings, Beat Pelicans in Overtime

Life after Kawhi Leonard is starting out on the right foot for the Toronto Raptors, who were able to comeback and best the New Orleans Pelicans 130-122 in overtime on Tuesday night in the first game of the NBA season.

Fred VanVleet scored a career-high 34 points, while Pascal Siakam fouled out after collecting 34 points and 18 rebounds in the contest.

“Pascal and Freddy, they are the young core, they are the guys who will carry this thing on,” said Raptors veteran guard Kyle Lowry, who had 22 points, including some clutch buckets from the line down the stretch. “I’m so happy for those guys to go out and perform like tonight. We’ll see them grow all year.”

Before the game, the Raptors unveiled their championship banner and giant championship rings after knocking off the Golden State Warriors in six games in last year’s NBA Finals.

And don’t worry: Drake got his own ring that was valued at $150,000 and included 650 diamonds and 16 rubies that represented “the number of playoff victories required to win the title.”

As for the Raptors rings, here are some of the details on what are being billed as the “largest NBA championship ring” ever produced, via ESPN:

  • A 1.25-carat diamond atop the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the largest single diamond in any professional sports ring
  • The front of the ring depicts the Toronto skyline and Scotiabank Arena, along with the team’s chevron logo
  • The 74 diamonds in and around the Toronto skyline represent the team’s 74 wins in the regular season and playoffs
  • Above the arena on the front of the ring are six round diamonds representing “The Six,” which rapper and Raptors global ambassador Drake popularized as another reference for the city of Toronto

The Pelicans played without star rookie Zion Williamson, who is expected to miss at least six weeks after right knee surgery. The former Duke standout and top pick in this year’s draft averaged 23.2 points in four preseason games.

Brandon Ingram scored 22 points and Josh Hart had 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead New Orleans in the loss.


Kawhi Leonard Outshines LeBron on Opening Night in L.A.

Behind 30 points from new star Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers took Round 1 in the Battle for L.A. on Tuesday night, beating LeBron James and the Lakers 112-102.

While his former team was north of the border celebrating the championship he helped them win in Toronto, Leonard was making his emotional return back home. Leonard had plenty of family and friends on hand for the game.

“All those emotions went through me again,” Leonard said. “It’s just the first game of the season, so it’s going to take the season and mistakes and success to get us on the same page.”

Leonard was the crown jewel of this year’s free agent class and his combination with Paul George on the Clippers made the team a NBA title favorite. George didn’t play on Tuesday, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but the Clippers bench was the big story. The Clippers’ reserves outscored the Lakers’ bench 60-19, led by Lou Williams’ 21 points and Montrezl Harrell’s 17.

“This bench is going to be better this year than even last year,” Clippers skipper Doc Rivers said.

The Lakers had some obvious holes in the game, but James isn’t quite hitting the panic button after one game.

“The NBA’s back and everyone’s trying to have the narrative of it’s a rivalry game and it’s a huge test,” James told reporters, “but I think both teams are not where they want to be. We have a lot of room to improve.”

Anthony Davis scored 25 points in his Lakers debut, making 9 of 14 free throws.

“It was everything I expected,” Davis said. “Very anticipated game and it was fun.”

The biggest surprise by far was Danny Green, who led the Lakers with 28 points on seven 3-pointers. It was the highest-scoring debut by a Laker in franchise history.

MORE FROM HEAVY.COM
• Lakers’ Danny Green Headlines the Good, Bad & Ugly From Clippers Loss
• LeBron James Is Still Pulling of Crazy Blocks for the Lakers in his 17th Season
• Why Kawhi Leonard Turned Down Lakers & Chose Clippers Over LeBron


World Series: Nationals Hang on for Game 1 Win Over Houston Astros

Behind a big three-hit day from Juan Soto and a stellar performance on the hill from Max Scherzer, the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros 5-4 to take a 1-0 lead in the World Series on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old Soto came up clutch as he has for most of the postseason. He homered and nailed a two-run double.

“After the first at-bat, I just said, ‘It’s another baseball game,'” Soto said in the postgame. “In the first at-bat, I’m not going to lie, I was a little bit shaking in my legs.”

Washington also got a homer from franchise pillar Ryan Zimmerman, who was the first amateur player ever drafted by the Nationals in 2005. He sent a ball over the wall in his first at bat.

“First at-bat, to hit a home run and run around the bases, you’re kind of almost floating around the bases,” Zimmerman said. “To be able to do that is obviously what you work for. Not only you sacrifice for, but I think what your family sacrifices for. That’s why you play the game, to play on the biggest stage.”

The dinger even made his manager emotional.

“I’ll be honest with you, my eyes got a little watery for him,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “He waited a long time to be in this position, and for him to hit that first home run and put us on the board was awesome.”

Scherzer pitched five innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out seven for the Nats. The loss ended Astro starter Gerrit Cole’s 19-game winning streak that stretched back 25 starts to May. He allowed eight hits and five earned runs in seven innings of work.

“I think he’s been so good for so long that there builds this thought of invincibility and that it’s impossible to beat him,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said. “So when it happens it is a surprise to all of us because we’ve watched for months this guy completely dominate the opposition.”

The Astros had a chance for a comeback in the final three innings with multiple runners in scoring position. However, they couldn’t finish the comeback.


DON’T MISS THESE STORIES: Rounding Up the Top Headlines

Emmanuel Sanders

GettyEmmanuel Sanders


WHAT’S ON TAP IN THE SPORTS WORLD ON WEDNESDAY

Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

WORLD SERIES GAME 2: Washington Nationals at Houston Astros
After taking a 1-0 lead, the Nationals turn to Stephen Strasburg (3-0, 1.64 ERA in the 2019 postseason) on the hill to keep the Astros at bay. On the other side, Houston right-hander Justin Verlander (1-2, 3.70 ERA) will step into the spotlight.
WHEN: Tonight, 8:08 p.m. ET
TV: FOX

NBA TIPOFF: Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
Two Eastern Conference contenders collide as Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers host the Kemba Walker led Boston Celtics in the season opener for both squads.
WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here for it.

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