By MARK KENNEDY, Associated Press Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The union representing Broadway’s musicians reached a tentative labor agreement with commercial producers on Thursday, averting a potentially crippling strike that would have silenced nearly two dozen musicals.

The American Federation of Musicians Local 802 — which represents 1,200 musicians — had threatened to strike if they didn’t have a new contract by the morning, after going into mediation Wednesday.

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Early Thursday, the union said it had struck a tentative deal that includes wage increases and contribution increases to the health fund.

“This three-year agreement provides meaningful wage and health benefit increases that will preserve crucial access to healthcare for our musicians while maintaining the strong contract protections that empower musicians to build a steady career on Broadway,” AFM Local 802 President Bob Suttmann said in a statement.

The 23 shows that could have gone silent ranged from megahits like “Hamilton” and “The Lion King” to newcomers like “Queen of Versailles” and “Chess,” which are still in previews. Plays would not have been automatically impacted.

It was the second Broadway labor deal in less than a week. Labor tensions had already seemed cool after Actors’ Equity Association — which represents over 51,000 members, including singers, actors, dancers and stage managers — announced a new three-year agreement with producers over the weekend.

Members of both unions had been working under expired contracts. The musicians’ contract expired on Aug. 31, and the Equity contract expired Sept. 28.

The health of Broadway — once very much in doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic that shut down theaters for some 18 months — is now very good, at least in terms of box office. It has been a long road back from the days when theaters were shuttered and the future looked bleak, but the 2024-2025 season took in $1.9 billion — the highest-grossing season in recorded history, overtaking the pre-pandemic previous high of $1.8 billion during the 2018-2019 season.

The unions pointed to the financial health of Broadway to argue that producers could afford to up pay and benefits for musicians and actors. Producers, represented by The Broadway League, had countered that the restored health of Broadway could be endangered by potential ticket price increases to accommodate the demands.

The most recent major strike on Broadway was in late 2007, when a 19-day walkout by stagehands dimmed the lights on more than two dozen shows and cost producers and the city millions of dollars in lost revenue.

On Wednesday, three U.S. senators from New York and New Jersey — Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker and Andy Kim — wrote to both sides, urging them to “participate in good faith negotiations and continued communication.” The senators noted that Broadway supports nearly 100,000 jobs and is “an essential cornerstone in the economic well-being of surrounding businesses and sectors, including hospitality, retail and transportation.”

Today is Thursday, Oct. 23, the 296th day of 2025. There are 69 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 23, 2001, Apple released the iPod. An estimated 450 million iPod devices were sold before the line was discontinued in 2022.

Also on this date:

In 1915, an estimated 25,000 women marched on Fifth Avenue in New York City in support of women’s suffrage.

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In 1942, during World War II, Britain launched a major offensive against Axis forces at El Alamein (el ah-lah-MAYN’) in Egypt, resulting in an Allied forces victory.

In 1944, the Battle of Leyte (LAY’-tee) Gulf began; the largest naval battle of World War II resulted in a major Allied victory against Japanese forces, paving the way for the retaking of the Philippines.

In 1956, a student-sparked revolt against Hungary’s Communist rule began; as the revolution spread, Soviet forces entered the country, ending the uprising on November 4.

In 1983, 241 U.S. service members, most of them Marines, were killed in a suicide truck-bombing at the U.S. Marine Corps barracks at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon, while a near-simultaneous attack on French barracks in Beirut killed 58 paratroopers.

In 1987, the U.S. Senate rejected the Supreme Court nomination of Robert H. Bork, 58-42.

In 1989, 23 people were killed in an explosion at a Phillips Petroleum chemical complex in Pasadena, Texas.

In 1995, a Houston jury convicted Yolanda Saldivar of murdering Tejano singing star Selena; Saldivar was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole and remains in prison.

In 2002, Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theater and took about 800 hostages, demanding that Russian forces withdraw from Chechnya. Russian special forces raided the theater on Oct. 26; most of the rebels and 120 hostages were killed.

Today’s Birthdays:

Film director Philip Kaufman is 89.
Advocate and humanitarian Graça Machel is 80.
Film director Ang Lee is 71.
Jazz singer Dianne Reeves is 69.
Country singer Dwight Yoakam is 69.
Activist and philanthropist Martin Luther King III is 68.
Author and commentator Michael Eric Dyson is 67.
Film director Sam Raimi is 66.
Comedic musician “Weird Al” Yankovic is 66.
Rock musician Robert Trujillo (Metallica) is 61.
Racing driver and paracyclist Alex Zanardi is 59.
CNN medical reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta is 56.
TV personality Cat Deeley is 49.
Actor Ryan Reynolds is 49.
TV personality, author and political commentator Meghan McCain is 41.
R&B singer Miguel is 40.
Actor Emilia Clarke is 39.
Actor Margaret Qualley is 31.
Actor Amandla Stenberg is 27.

Minnesota’s point guard position is its biggest question mark this season.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte Divincenzo (0) and Portland Trail Blazers guard Blake Wesley (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Molly J. Smith)

Which means Timberwolves coach Chris Finch may have decisions to make at that spot on a nightly basis.

He showed his first cards in a 116-112 victory Wednesday in Minnesota’s season opener in Portland, both with who started at the spot, and who came in late.

Donte DiVincenzo was Minnesota’s starting point guard in a bit of a surprising move. Mike Conley was the Timberwolves starting floor general for most of last season and throughout the playoffs. In both preseason games he played, Conley was on the floor for tip off.

Finch said he’d been thinking about the lineup change “for a little while,” adding the move was made “in consultation with everybody, Mike included.”

“Mike was all for it, as you’d expect him to be,” Finch told reporters. “He’s a team-first guy.”

That’s exactly how Conley handled the same move when Finch made it in the middle of last season for a six-game stretch before DiVincenzo went down with a toe injury.

Included in that stint was a game against Memphis in which DiVincenzo tallied 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and a game against Golden State where DiVincenzo finished with 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

That, Finch felt, was DiVincenzo’s best basketball of the season.

“We’re fortunate to have a guy of Donte’s caliber to be able to slot into the starting lineup. Certainly a starting-caliber player,” Finch said.

DiVincenzo is Minnesota’s most prolific 3-point shooter outside of Anthony Edwards. And Finch said he also injects pace into the game.

Finch said the move was in no way an indicator of Conley’s training camp or who the Wolves think the 38-year-old is as a player at this point in his career. Finch said bringing Conley in off the bench is “the best way to maximize his minutes.”

Finch said it’s now easier to play Conley for longer stints, have him finish quarters and even get him more time on the floor alongside DiVincenzo.

“It’s a lot easier to manage Mike’s impact and minutes of the game over a 36-minute span than it is over a 48-minute span,” Finch said. “It allows us to get to different lineup combinations, maybe maximize things around him and Rudy (Gobert) and other lineups.”

Both DiVincenzo and Conley struggled with Portland’s high-pressure defense in Wednesday’s opener. Minnesota finished with 19 turnovers, six of which belonged to DiVincenzo.

So, to open the finale frame, Finch went to another reserve guard. No, not second-year point guard Rob Dillingham. It was Bones Hyland who checked into the contest.

Hyland, who re-signed with Minnesota in September, played eight minutes in the fourth quarter, tallying two points, two rebounds and an assist while aiding in the Wolves’ comeback.

Finch called Hyland’s number because “that’s someone I felt could handle (the ball) out there and could stand up to some of the (Blazers) drives.”

Asked if the decision to not turn to Dillingham — the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft who played ahead of Hyland throughout the preseason — was matchup related, Finch merely cited his flexibility of rotations and substitutions.

“It’s early on still. As you see, I’m going to leave myself the license to go anywhere I want with the guys,” Finch told reporters. “That includes who we might start, who we might finish with, who we play along the way. Everybody has to stay ready. Everyone is going to contribute to winning here. We’re not going to single anyone out … individually for reasons that they didn’t play.”

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Portland figures to tout one of the best defenses in the NBA this season.

The Blazers are flush with perimeter defenders, highlighted by Toumani Camara — an All-NBA Defense honoree from last season. They have massive shot blocker Donovan Clingan patrolling the paint.

Roll it all together and you have what was a disastrous combination for Minnesota’s offense to try to combat in recent seasons. And Wednesday’s season opener was no exception for many of the Wolves.

Minnesota struggled against the heavy ball pressure, occasionally failing to even get the ball past half court. The Wolves turned the ball over 19 times in an effort that was reminiscent of their Western Conference Finals failings against Oklahoma City.

But Minnesota managed to escape Wednesday’s opener with a come-from-behind, 116-112 victory.

The reason? Its best player may have leveled up … again.

Anthony Edwards has been bothered in the past by good perimeter defenders backed by quality rim protectors. If you could take away his airspace beyond the arc and challenge him at the bucket, where could the star guard find his offense?

The answer hit Edwards in the face in last season’s playoffs, where he watched Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander repeatedly torch Minnesota’s quality defense from the mid-range.

Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts after his three point basket against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Oct. 22, 2025 in Portland, Oregon.(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

This is where he would gain his new ground.

Up until this point in his career, Edwards was a non-threat in the area between the paint and the arc. A year ago, he made just 37.6% of his shots from the mid range, while only attempting 2.7 such shots a game.

So he dedicated his offseason to the previously undiscovered area of the floor with the same ferocity he attacked the 3-pointer the summer prior.

But would this pay the same dividends as the triple — one of basketball’s highest-valued shots?

It did on Night 1, and sure looks like it may when it matters most.

Edwards rendered Portland’s stout defense moot. He scored 41 points — a new franchise record for the most scored in a season opener.

When the Blazers dropped back in coverage as Edwards came off a screen, he buried 5 of 10 triple tries. He attacked the bucket, going 4 for 9 at the rim and 8 for 8 from the free-throw line.

But the scoring performance went from good to great because of his new offensive weapon. Edwards went 5 for 7 on mid-range attempts in Portland, with the fifth make serving as the game clincher.

“Me and (assistant coach Chris Hines) been working countless hours,” Edwards said on Minnesota’s postgame radio show. “We can’t keep count of how many times we’ve been going to the gym dog tired, third or fourth workout of the day and pushed through it, man. It’s starting to pay off. It’s very fun.”

And very promising for the team’s long-term outlook.

Minnesota’s late-game offense stunk a year ago. It was one of the main sources of angst throughout a rocky regular season. Frankly, the Timberwolves clutch-time offense hasn’t been good at any point during the Chris Finch-Anthony Edwards era, and the star guard has deservedly shouldered plenty of the blame.

There is no magic elixir to consistently scheme easy buckets in the final minutes of contests. End-of-game outcomes are determined by the best players making plays, often out of isolation. On-demand late-game scoring is perhaps the sport’s most valuable trait.

There is a video cutup that has frequented social media over the last year featuring all of Edwards’ missed shots at the end of close games.

The guard took 13 shots in the final minute of games last season in which the Wolves were tied or trailing by one or two points. He made three of them. Nine of those attempts came from 3-point range, and only one went in.

The problem in those situations was the guard never developed a go-to spot from which to fire. Last year, opponents would crowd Edwards around the arc at the ends of games. Rather than go toward the bucket, he’d create an inch of space via a stepback that left him to rise up 27 feet from the hoop.

There were times where the ensuing shot attempt didn’t touch the rim.

The sweet spot late for the game’s best in often the mid-range, the space on the floor defenses are designed to surrender.

Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts after beating the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Oct. 22, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Five players in the NBA last season shot 51% or better on 50-plus shot attempts in the clutch  — the final five minutes of the game when the margin is within five points. All five of those players shot 43.5% or better from the mid range on the season.

It has to be a tool in your belt when the pressure is at its highest and the defense is stacked up to stop you.

In the final 10 seconds Wednesday, with Minnesota leading by two and needing a bucket to put Portland out to pasture, Edwards sized up Camara — his college teammate at Georgia — on the wing, took a hard step toward the rim, then stepped back for a 20-foot jumper.

Cash, victory.

Edwards re-entered Wednesday’s game with 7 minutes, 30 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. He scored 10 points in the final from on a perfect 4 for 4 shooting. Two of those makes came from deep. The other two were a pair of mid-range jumpers.

Said Wolves forward Julius Randle in his on-court, positive game television interview: “Ant took us home.”

In the way in which everyone had always hoped he would. There was nothing more Camara could do in those closing moments. Edwards now has nearly every option available to him offensively, making him virtually unguardable.

Those are the players capable of winning scoring titles and MVP awards and pushing their team through any situation, any opponent en route to a championship.

That was Edwards’ end game this offseason. Game 1 was a massive step in that direction.

If a charged up, tenacious Portland defense couldn’t contain the guard — not early, not late, not ever — what hope does the rest of the league have?

And, perhaps more importantly, what hope does it give Minnesota?