The NBA season officially kicked off Tuesday night. There were a couple of high-profile games to reel fans back in. Additionally, there is a great slate of games tonight. This NBA roundup will bring you up to speed with everything happening across the league.
Warriors defeat Lakers 121-114
These are not your Grandpa’s Golden State Warriors. Well, maybe they are actually. They look better than last season as they put up a great effort to start the season 1-0. The Warriors were led by Steph Curry who had 21 points and a triple-double.
Jordan Poole was a pleasant surprise for the Warriors adding 20 points to the mix. The 2019 first-round draft selection started at shooting guard for the Warriors in place of the injured Klay Thompson. That is good news for them as they are hoping to survive in Thompson’s absence and be a championship contender when he returns. The Warriors won the Championship in 2018 and have been struggling with injuries since. Damion Lee, Nemanja Bjelica, and Andre Iguodala all came up big for the Warriors down the stretch scoring double digits in the game.
The Lakers had an amazing performance from Lebron James and Anthony Davis. They scored 34 and 33 points respectively. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t enough. Outside of those two, no one scored in double digits. For example, newly acquired Russell Westbrook only added 8 points in his Lakers debut.
Milwaukee Bucks defend title against Nets 127-104
The Milwaukee Bucks continued to build on the 2020 NBA Championship with an opening day win over the Brooklyn Nets. While the Nets are a favorite, they are currently playing without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving made a decision to decline vaccination and his future with the Nets is uncertain.
Giannis Antetokounmpo started the season off strong dropping 32 points. Sidekick Kris Middleton did his part scoring 20 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.
One of the biggest surprises for the Bucks is the newly acquired, Grayson Allen. He is starting at shooting guard and scored 10 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. This is looking to be an excellent value pickup for the Bucks early on.
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Thanos Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of Giannis played 12 minutes and scored 6 points in what looks to be an increased role this season.
The Nets got an expected world-class performance from Kevin Durant. He accumulated a double-double with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Also, James Harden ended the night with 20 points and Patty Mills was their second-leading scorer with 21 stepping up in the absence of Irving.
Ben Simmons drama heating up
An NBA roundup isn’t complete without a little drama. It doesn’t look like Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers are not going to have a happy ending. The 76ers suspended Simmons after a situation at practice yesterday because of his behavior.
Ben Simmons is committed to doing everything he can to get out of Philadelphia. Earlier this month we reported that 6 teams have shown interest in trading for Ben Simmons. Those teams were the Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, and San Antonio Spurs. It will be interesting to see if more teams throw a low ball offer to Philadelphia now that it is looking like they have very little chance to remedy the situation.
Tonight’s NBA matchups
Because opening night only had two games, there is a great slate of games tonight. The following teams open their NBA seasons.
- Indiana Pacers @ Charlotte Hornets
- Chicago Bulls @ Detroit Pistons
- Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks
- Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors
- Cleveland Cavaliers @ Memphis Grizzlies
- Houston Rockets @ Minnesota Timberwolves
- Philadelphia 76ers @ New Orleans Pelicans
- Orlando Magic @ San Antonio Spurs
- Oklahoma City Thunder @ Utah Jazz
- Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings @ Portland Trailblazers
Lastly, stay tuned for the next NBA roundup.
