NBA News: Notes, news, stats and quotes

A quick look at news, notes and what’s making headlines around the league.

Three Points

1. CURRY COOKING:Stephen Curry has picked up where he left off last season. Curry’s 53-point performance in Saturday’s victory over the Pelicans -- including a third quarter in which he outscored New Orleans 28-26 -- was one point short of his career high and raised his season average to 39.3 points in 33.0 minutes during Golden State’s 3-0 start. The reigning Kia NBA MVP is the first player to score at least 118 points through three games since Michael Jordan in the 1989-90 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Curry will look to stay hot Monday as the Warriors play host to the Grizzlies in the second game of NBA TV’s doubleheader (10:30 p.m. ET). The opener features the 3-0 Thunder visiting the Rockets (8 p.m. ET).

2. GOING TO TOWNS:Karl-Anthony Towns’ historic start has helped Minnesota open 2-0 with two road victories. The No. 1 pick in NBA Draft 2015 presented by State Farm finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in his regular-season debut and 28 points and 14 rebounds to go with four blocks in his second game. Those performances make the 19-year-old the youngest player in NBA history to record double-doubles in his first two career games and the fourth player in the last 40 seasons (along with Hall of Famers Artis Gilmore, David Robinson and Dikembe Mutombo) to have at least 42 points and 26 rebounds in his first two games, according to Elias. Towns and the Timberwolves play their home opener against Portland on Monday (8 p.m. ET, NBA LEAGUE PASS), Minnesota’s first game at Target Center since Flip Saunders’ passing.

3. MOTORING:The Pistons are one of the NBA’s five 3-0 teams -- a stark contrast to last season, when they lost their first three games en route to a 5-23 start, before playing .500 basketball over their final 54 games (27-27). Stingy defense and strong rebounding have offset Detroit’s 38.7 percent shooting as a team, with Andre Drummond averaging a league-high 16.3 rebounds (along with 18.7 points) and anchoring a D that has yet to allow more than 94 points in a game. A home victory against Indiana on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., NBA LEAGUE PASS) would give the Pistons their first 4-0 record since the 2008-09 season and keep them unbeaten ahead of a six-game road trip against all Western Conference teams.

Weekly Primer

What to watch for around the NBA this week (all times Eastern):

Monday, Nov. 2: LeBron James enters the Cavaliers’ road game against the 76ers (7 p.m., NBA LEAGUE PASS) needing 21 points to reach 25,000 for his career. James, 30, is set to become the youngest player in NBA history and the 20th overall to accomplish the feat. Five active players are in the 25,000-point club: Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

Tuesday, Nov. 3: The first two point guards taken in NBA Draft 2015 presented by State Farm -- D’Angelo Russell of the Lakers (No. 2 pick) and Emmanuel Mudiay of the Nuggets (No. 7 pick) -- meet for the first time in the regular season (10:30 p.m., NBA TV). Both 19-year-olds have opened their rookie seasons as starters.

Wednesday, Nov. 4: The Clippers and Warriors renew their rivalry at Oracle Arena in the second game (10:30 p.m.) of ESPN’s doubleheader, which starts with the Cavaliers’ visit to the Knicks (8 p.m.).

Thursday, Nov. 5: Rookie NBA coaches Billy Donovan of the Thunder and Fred Hoiberg of the Bulls match wits in Chicago (8 p.m., TNT).

Friday, Nov. 6: Two veteran point guards settling in with new teams -- Houston’s Ty Lawson and Sacramento’s Rajon Rondo -- square off as the Rockets visit the Kings (10:30 p.m., ESPN).

Saturday, Nov. 7: Stephen Curry leads the Warriors into Sacramento to play a Kings team that includes his younger brother, Seth (10 p.m., NBA LEAGUE PASS). The Curry brothers have never faced each other in the NBA. … The Rockets and Clippers meet for the first time since Houston’s dramatic victory in the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals (10:30 p.m., NBA LEAGUE PASS).

Sunday, Nov. 8: The Raptors wrap up a four-game road trip and the Heat open a seven-game homestand in Miami (6 p.m., NBA LEAGUE PASS), where Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan of Toronto take on Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade of the Heat in an intriguing backcourt matchup.

Stats & Stuff

1. Sunday’s victory against the Celtics made the Spurs’ Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker the winningest trio in NBA history. The three players have 541 victories together, one more than Boston’s Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

2. Duncan on Sunday became the 14th player to reach 26,000 career points.

3. Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the only teammates in NBA history to score at least 40 points in the same game multiple times, according to Elias. Durant (43 points) and Westbrook (48 points) did it for the third time in Friday’s 139-136 double-overtime victory at Orlando.

4. Blake Griffin has scored 96 points during the Clippers’ 3-0 start, the second-highest total for a player through three games in franchise history, per Elias. World B. Free scored 105 points in the first three games of the 1979-80 season, when the team played in San Diego.

5. Rick Carlisle and Dwane Casey both won Sunday to become the winningest coaches all time for Dallas and Toronto, respectively. Carlisle passed Don Nelson with his 340th victory with the Mavericks. Casey moved ahead of Sam Mitchell with his 157th win with the Raptors, who are off to a 3-0 start this season.

6. Jeff Ayres (Idaho Stampede), Jimmer Fredette (Westchester Knicks) and Perry Jones III (Iowa Energy) were the first three players selected Saturday in the 2015 NBA Development League Draft. Click here for the complete list of selections. The NBA D-League tips off its 15th season Nov. 12.

7. New York's Carmelo Anthony needs three points for 21,000 in his career. He ranks 33rd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

What They're Saying

Chris Bosh, Heat forward: “Each day that you’re healthy, each day that you have a chance to do things that you really love, especially if you’re living out your dream, that’s a good day.”

Dan Devine, Yahoo! Sports: “As great as [Stephen] Curry was last year, and as much as he's shown us during his rise from stud shooter to sport-changing legend, it looks like he's reached an even higher level. ... With each passing night -- and every jaw-dropping, highlight-filled, record-setting performance -- it becomes ever clearer that the imprint Stephen Curry's leaving on the game is indelible and undeniable. ”

Madalyn Mendoza, mySA.com: “The heart of the Spurs family shined through last week as the entire team quietly paid a visit to the Wounded Warriors Family Support Center at Brooke Army Medical Center for lunch, conversation and basketball.”

Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: “Few players have been so giving with their money, notoriety, resources and time as [two-time NBA MVP Steve] Nash. … Most of Nash’s philanthropy and community work is done out of sight. What defines his connection to those he helps is how he talks comfortably to ill children. His interest and concern makes each interaction feel special.”

— NBA News is a newsletter produced by the NBA Communications Group.