Milwaukee Bucks @
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are back! After a ten year absence the
incredibly popular franchise returned to Charlotte. Their first game back was
against a Milwaukee Bucks side who start this campaign with a new coach, Jason
Kidd. Rookie Jabari Parker started for the Bucks and had a slow debut, shooting
just 3-9 from the field. Lance Stephenson was another new signing who failed to
impress, the former Pacers guard shot an even worse 3-12, but did manage to put
Larry Sanders on a poster for his first basket in a Hornets jersey. The Hornets
had to come back in the last quarter, and after Kemba Walker made a deep
three-pointer, the game was forced to overtime. Walker then proved again why he
was given a four year contract extension this summer after he knocked down a
jumper with five seconds left on the clock to give the Hornets a decisive lead.
Milwaukee Bucks 106 -
108 Charlotte Hornets (OT)
KEY PERFORMERS
Brandon Knight - 22 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds
Khris Middleton - 17 points, 6 rebounds
Kemba Walker - 26 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds
Al Jefferson - 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks
Philadelphia 76ers @
Indiana Pacers
Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers had
overhauls of their rosters in the off season. In fact just one player out of
the starting fives - Pacers center Roy Hibbert - started for their team last
year. And it was Hibbert who impressed as he looked to be back to top form
after a disappointing off season, grabbing rebounds on both ends of the court
and converting chances. Nerlens Noel started well, making his first two shots,
but he then went to miss his next nine attempts from the field. After a close
first half, the game started to open up in the second half as the Pacers showed
why they won the Eastern conference last year.
Philadelphia 76ers 91
- 103 Indiana Pacers
KEY PERFORMERS
Tony Wroten - 22 points, 7 assists
Alexey Shved - 18 points, 5 assists
Donald Sloan - 16 points, 10 rebounds
Roy Hibbert - 22 points, 8 rebounds
Brooklyn Nets @
Boston Celtics
Rajon Rondo surprised many people by announcing that he was
fit to play in the Boston Celtics’ season debut. The point guard started
against the Brooklyn Nets despite breaking his hand a month ago, but that
didn’t slow him down as he picked up four assists in the first six minutes of
the game. This dominance from Boston continued throughout the first half as
they scored 68 points in the first two quarters. They were helped by the Nets
who, despite playing well, did themselves no favours as Coach Lionel Hollins
and veteran forward Kevin Garnett both picked up technical fouls. Mirza
Teletovic did his best to help from the bench - he shot a brilliant 8-11 from
the field - but the Celtics finished the game with eight of their ten players
scoring double figures.
Brooklyn Nets 105 -
121 Boston Celtics
KEY PERFORMERS
Deron Williams - 19 points, 8 assists
Mirza Teletovic - 20 points, 6 rebounds
Rajon Rondo - 13 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds
Kelly Olynyk - 19 points, 6 rebounds
Washington Wizards @
Miami Heat
Losing LeBron James is never a good thing to happen to a
team but the Miami Heat were hoping they could pull themselves through a tough
off season. They hosted a Washington Wizards side who are without guard Bradley
Beal for 6-8 weeks. Chris Bosh stepped up as a leader for the Heat, showing
signs of the player that led a Toronto Raptors team to the playoffs during his
stint there. Dwyane Wade started slowly and after tussling for the ball with
fellow veteran Paul Pierce had to head to the locker room with a calf injury.
When he returned to court he helped the Heat pull out a lead in a tight game.
His 21 points were enough to help get the Heat off to a winning start to their
season.
Washington Wizards 95
- 107 Miami Heat
KEY PERFORMERS
John Wall - 16 points, 11 rebounds
Paul Pierce - 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
Chris Bosh - 26 points, 15 rebounds
Norris Cole - 23 points
Atlanta Hawks @
Toronto Raptors
Two playoff contenders met north of the border hoping to get
their season off to a good start, and both teams will be relatively happy with
their performance. A tight game all the way through, the Raptors capitalised on
victory in the second and third quarters to give them the win. Although DeMar
DeRozan and Kyle Lowry struggled with their shooting - they were 7-27 combined
- their teammates helped out a lot. As a team The Raptors shot 82% from the
free throw line (Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan both attempted ten shots
from the charity stripe),with seven of their players scoring double figures. One
man who didn’t struggle with his shooting was the Hawks Kyle Korver, reliable
as ever from the three-point line shooting 6-7 and getting 20 points.
Atlanta Hawks 102 -
109 Toronto Raptors
KEY PERFORMERS
Paul Millsap - 13 points, 10 rebounds
Al Horford - 12 points, 13 rebounds
Jeff Teague - 20 points, 8 assists
DeMar DeRozan - 15 points, 11 rebounds, 6 steals
Amir Johnson - 16 points, 10 rebounds
Kyle Lowry - 11 points, 10 assists
Chicago Bulls @ New
York Knicks
New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher made his managerial
debut at the Madison Square Gardens last night, but had a hard initiation test
against the Chicago Bulls. There were plenty of debutants, and even a couple of
rookies, and it was the Bulls’ new forward Pau Gasol who stole the show. The
Bulls’ frontcourt rotation worked a treat with Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and
Nikola Mirotic all putting in a good shift. Throughout the night, fans kept an
eye on the returning Derrick Rose, playing his first NBA game in nearly a year.
He got through the game injury free but there were still worries from the fans
and the Bulls’ bench every time he hit the floor.
Chicago Bulls 104 -
80 New York Knicks
KEY PERFORMERS
Pau Gasol - 21 points, 11 rebounds
Taj Gibson - 22 points, 8 rebounds, 10-12 shooting
Derrick Rose - 13 points, 5 assists
Amar’e Stoudemire - 12 points, 8 rebounds
Minnesota
Timberwolves @Memphis Grizzlies
The Minnesota Timberwolves are many people’s “league pass”
team this season, and it’s easy to see why, with a young exciting roster that
includes both the 2013 and 2014 number 1 picks. They started off well with new
addition Thaddeus Young scoring early on from Ricky Rubio’s assists. Key to the
win was the Grizzlies dominance in the paint, as they outscored their opponents
58-34. The game could have gone either way right until the end, with the teams
being tied up with just over two minutes left on the clock. But Marc Gasol
capped a career night with a twenty-footer which all but sealed the game,
giving the Grizzlies their first opening day win since 2000. Anthony Bennett
and Andrew Wiggins both played and neither player really showed why they were
the top picks of their respective drafts, Bennett finishing with 8 points,
while Wiggins struggled with just 6.
Minnesota
Timberwolves 101 - 105 Memphis Grizzlies
KEY PERFORMERS
Thaddeus Young - 26 points
Ricky Rubio - 12 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds
Marc Gasol - 32 points, 9 rebounds
Zach Randolph - 25 points, 13 rebounds
Detroit Pistons @
Denver Nuggets
Another coach making a debut at a new team was Stan Van
Gundy who took his Detroit Pistons to visit a Denver Nuggets side who are
finally fully fit after an injury plagued 2013-14 campaign. Van Gundy’s
influence seemed to be working on the errant Josh Smith who scored 15 of the
Pistons’ first 21 points. The Pistons couldn’t pull away though, losing the
first quarter by two and then tying the next two periods. This was mainly due
to World Cup winner Kenneth Faried who had a massive night for his team. In the
end it came down to the final period, and the Nuggets were able to squeeze out
a win.
Detroit Pistons 79 -
89 Denver Nuggets
KEY PERFORMERS
Andre Drummond - 11 points, 9 rebounds
Josh Smith - 25 points, 5 rebounds
Kenneth Faried - 22 points, 17 rebounds
Timofey Mozgov - 13 points, 11 rebounds
Houston Rockets @
Utah Jazz
The Houston Rockets became the only team in the league with
a 2-0 record, spoiling Quin Snyder’s NBA coaching debut in the process.
Commissioner David Stern was in the crowd and watched a surprisingly close game
to start with, the first quarter ending 27-27. James Harden started slowly but
soon got going, linking up well with his pick and roll partner Dwight Howard
which gave the Rockets a lead. Trey Burke led a comeback though, the Jazz going
on a 10-0 run to bring the game within touching distance. Eventually the
Rockets performance from outside was too much for the Jazz, scoring 14
three-pointers, with Kostas Papanikolaou adding four of his own.
Houston Rockets
104-93 Utah Jazz
KEY PERFORMERS
Dwight Howard - 22 points, 10 rebounds
James Harden - 18 points, 10 assists
Derrick Favors - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks
Gordon Hayward - 8 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists
Golden State Warriors
@ Sacramento Kings
Steve Kerr was the only new coach to get his career off to a
winning start, and it was mainly due to his backcourt duo of the Splash
Brothers - Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. They combined for 43 points, with
Curry adding ten assists. Perhaps the biggest decision Kerr made was to start
Harrison Barnes over Andre Igoudala at the small forward position. Igoudala
still played 29 minutes but will now surely be a contender for Sixth Man of the
Year. DeMarcus Cousins was easily the best player for the Kings but couldn’t
help as much as hoped as he was in foul trouble for most of the game.
Golden State Warriors
95 - 77 Sacramento Kings
KEY PERFORMERS
Stephen Curry - 24 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 assists
Draymond Green - 12 points, 10 rebounds
DeMarcus Cousins - 20 points, 11 rebounds
Rudy Gay - 14 points, 9 rebounds
Los Angeles Lakers @
Phoenix Suns
The Los Angeles Lakers are now the only team with a 0-2
record after falling to the Phoenix Suns on the road. The Lakers never really
contended, conceding 39 points in the third quarter. Kobe Bryant scored 19 in
the first half - which matched his total for the whole game against the Rockets
- but sat for the entirety of the fourth quarter, with the game seemingly out
of reach. The Suns’ backcourt rotation worked well with Eric Bledsoe, Goran
Dragic and Isaiah Thomas combining for 57 points, before Bledsoe was ejected
from the game after kicking the scorers’ table. The Lakers looked like they
could have used some help in the frontcourt with Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer
not performing well. Unfortunately it is rumoured that Julius Randle will miss
the remainder of the season due to a broken leg.
Los Angeles Lakers 99
- 119 Phoenix Suns
KEY PERFORMERS
Kobe Bryant - 31 points
Ed Davis - 14 points, 9 rebounds
Eric Bledsoe - 16 points, 9 assists
Isaiah Thomas - 23 points
Oklahoma City Thunder
@ Portland Trail Blazers
Despite Russell Westbrook leading the team, the absence of
Kevin Durant proved too much for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook nearly
shot more times than the rest of the Thunder starting five combined (he had 26
attempts while Ibaka, Jones, Adams and Roberson had 28). He also got to the
foul line plenty of times, and was effective when he shot from the charity
stripe, sinking 15 of his 16 attempts. However, Westbrook couldn’t do it alone
and a team effort from the Trail Blazers gave them the W. Six of Portland’s
team scored double figures, with LaMarcus Aldridge and Wes Matthews combining
for 49 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder
89 - 106 Portland Trail Blazers
KEY PERFORMERS
Russell Westbrook - 38 points, 6 assists
Serge Ibaka - 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks
Robin Lopez - 11 points, 10 rebounds
LaMarcus Aldridge - 27 points
