29-10-14 Daily Zap

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