Day 2: Game winners, blowouts, and much more the NBA is back!
Tags: Mavs, NBA, Celtics, 76ers, Basketball

Celtics 122 v. 121 Bucks

After blowing a 17 point lead in the 4th Jayson Tatum put up a prayer over Giannis with the clock running down and the Celtics down by 1. Spoiler alert it banked in. Then Giannis got fouled on the other end and missed the second free throw. There was no crowd how could he miss?

Ok yes Tatum hit the game winner but in clutch situations at the end of the game why do the Celtics just run Tatum iso every possession? why don’t they run an actual offense? especially when Jaylen Brown was the best player on the floor yesterday. Come playoff time the Tatum iso will not work. Jeff Teague was a good addition to the team as he scored 19 pts off the bench shooting a 100% from 3.

76ers 113 v. 107 Wizards

Russell Westbrooks triple double debut for the Wizards was ruined by Embiid and the 76ers last night. In the end this game was decided by the Wizards lack of defensive rotation in the 4th. There was a possession where they left Ben Simmons and Embiid open with the game on the line. Simmons had a wide open dunk to seal the game.

Philly’s 3 pt shooting is expected to be better this year as they add Seth Curry and Danny Green but last night they shot 28.6% from 3 with their starters combining to make 2 3pt shots total. They still won the game because Embiid looked much more comfortable on the offense with the new floor spacing and they played good defense.

Kings 124 v. 122 Nuggets

This game can be summed up by saying that both teams were drunk last night. It was just careless basketball on both sides of the floor. Fittingly it ended with a Buddy Hield tip in after Harrison Barnes miss in OT.

The Kings actually looked like a competent team last night. Fox, Hield, and Barnes did their thing scoring 20+ each but the real surprise was their bench with Corey Joseph scoring 15 on 60% shooting and Haliburton scoring 12 pts with some clutch shots near the end.

An APB was sent out for Jamal Murray last night as he was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile Michael Porter showed up to play scoring 24 pts on 60% shooting. jokic did his thing as usual.

Suns 106 v. Mavs 102

After a rusty start by both teams the Suns came out on top. Even though the Mavs inched closer at the end CP3 and Devin Booker took care of business and started off the Suns season with a win.

Even with Chris Paul starting off rusty the Suns the have some nice young players who can hoop. Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Langston Galloway made sure that the Suns kept the lead till the duo of CP and Booker came in and put the finishing touches.

The loss of Seth Curry is huge for the Mavs as they shot 24% from 3 last night and Luka went 0–6. Until Porzingis returns most of the offensive load rests on Luka so when Luka is not efficient on the floor the Mavs struggle.

Spurs 131 v. 119 Grizzlies.

You wont hear this from the media but Derozan dropped 28 pts 9 ast and 9 reb to ruin Ja Morants career night of 44 points. As much as I hate to say this the deciding factor in this game was free throw shooting. The Grizzlies only made 11 of their 18 while the Spurs made 25 of their 29 creating a 14 pt difference.

The Spurs not surprisingly have put together a competitive team together with Derozan and Aldridge supported by Murray and Lonnie Walker. They simply played efficient basketball. Their bench also contributed as everyone on the bench had a +13 or above.

Jazz 120 v. 100 Trailblazers

Charles Barkley might have to start a GoFundMe after betting 100k on the Blazers winning the West. The Blazers were simply killed last night. Dame didn’t have a point at half meanwhile the Jazz were draining shots from all over the floor. The Jazz abused the Blazers at the board with 59 rebounds compared to the Blazers 40.

Pelicans 113 v. 99 Raptors

JJ Reddick put on a shooting Clinic as the Pelicans shot the Raptors out of the game. The Pelicans shot 52.5% from the field and 45.2% from 3 compared to the Raptors 42.7% and 30.4%. The Pelicans can potentially be a serious threat in the West depending on if Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson can deliver in the clutch and close out games.

Hawks 124 v. 104 Bulls

Trae Young started where he left off last season lighting up the Bulls with 37 pts on 12 SHOTS. Shooting 5–6 from 3 and 10–12 overall. The bulls also started where they left off last season shooting 23% from 3 and 41% from the floor.

The Hawks have an insane amount of fire power on offense. If they can figure out what they want to do on defense they could be a potential threat in the East.

Timberwolves 111 v. 101 Pistons

Both of these teams were very rusty and were shooting 3s like they were playing in the YMCA. The Pistons shot 23% and the Timberwolves shot 27% as they both took 76 3s combined.

Putting that aside the deciding factor was free throws The Pistons made just 3 of their 8 free throws and Timberwolves made 24 of their 28 free throws.

Cavs 121 v. 114 Hornets

The young Cavs guards both showed good promise last night as they combined for 49 points on 56% shooting. Terry Rozier took the pick of Lamelo personally last night as he dropped 42 points on 65% shooting in the loss.

Pacers 121 v. Knicks 107

With 4 of their starters scoring in double figures and Sabonis doing a little bit of everything the pacers are a solid teams with many scoring options. Their only problem is that they don’t have one guy they can give the ball to to take them home in the clutch. RJ Barrett showed great promise as a second year player scoring 26 pts on 73% shooting giving the Knicks some hope for their future.

Magic 113 v. Heat 107

After their recent championship run the Miami Heat started this season with a loss. Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon simply played better than Bam and Butler last night. The Heat are tired as they got a very short break after the end of the finals so they get a pass this game.