The weekend kicked off with a busy night of NBA basketball, including the Cleveland Cavaliers improving to 3-0 after another impressive all-around performance by LeBron James, the Chicago Bulls looking good without too much from Jimmy Butler or Dwyane Wade, and the San Antonio Spurs easily handling the poor New Orleans Pelicans, off to a 3-0 start as well.
Atlanta Hawks 104 Philadelphia 76ers 72: The Hawks didn’t hit threes, but held the Sixers to just 35% from the field. Paul Millsap led the way with 17 points and got help from the only long range threat in this game, Kyle Korver, scoring 15. Meanwhile, the only thing the Sixers could feel happy with is Joel Embiid, scoring 14 points in 15 minutes, looking like a player it was worth waiting for.
Boston Celtics 104 Charlotte Hornets 98: The Celtics turned a close game into an easier one with an 8-0 run in the fourth, overall enjoying a huge game from Avery Bradley, taking over for once with 31 points, leaving Isaiah Thomas with “only” 24. Roy Hibbert didn’t play and Nicolas Batum continues to struggle, so it was all up to Kemba Walker, whose 29 points weren’t enough on a bad shooting night from outside.
Memphis Grizzlies 104 New York Knicks 111: The fans chanted overrated to Mike Conley, as if it’s his fault the NBA salary cap works in a certain way. Joakim Noah was a lot more involved to lead the team with 7 assists, while Kristaps Porzingis finished with 21 and Carmelo Anthony helped out scoring 20. Marc Gasol led Memphis with 20 points.
Orlando Magic 99 Cleveland Cavaliers 105: The Magic have lost three games to start out the season, the Cavs have won all 3. LeBron James scored 23 points and was one assist shy of a double double, while Kyrie Irving having an off night efficiency wise didn’t harm them, still scoring 20 points. The Magic seem confused right now more than anything about who does what, led by Evan Fournier with 22 points.
Indiana Pacers 101 Chicago Bulls 118: The Pacers looked tired on the second night of a back-to-back, unable to keep up with the Bulls from the second quarter onward. The Bulls were led by sharpshooting Doug McDermott scoring 23 points, Rajon Rondo had 13 assists and the Butler-Wade combo finished with 30 points on 62.5% from the field combined, not required to do too much.
Brooklyn Nets 108 Milwaukee Bucks 110: The Bucks got a tired Nets team without Brook Lopez, and still needed a John Henson tip in to win the game at the buzzer, their first win of the season. Bojan Bogdanovic was sharp with 26 points, while Jeremy Lin looked like he could use a rest, doing almost everything right except for shooting, hitting only 4-of-16 from the field, scoring 12 points to go with 10 assists and 3 steals. Rashad Vaughn surprised everyone by leading the Bucks with 22 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21.
New Orleans Pelicans 79 San Antonio Spurs 98: The Pelicans lose their third straight game to start the season, while the Spurs rested by Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in the win, led by Kawhi Leonard with 20 points, helped out by Patty Mills with 18. Anthony Davis scored 18 for the Pelicans.
Portland Trail Blazers 115 Denver Nuggets 113: The Blazers won in overtime, with Damian Lillard scoring the go-ahead floater, finishing the game with 37 points, also sending it to overtime, rescuing the Blazers. The Nuggets had a big game from Nikola Jokic, scoring 23 points to go with 17 rebounds.
Minnesota Timberwolves 103 Sacramento Kings 106: The Timberwolves hype is slowly dying down with a second straight loss, unable to contain DeMarcus Cousins or Rudy Gay, combining to score 57 points. Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 29 points, while Minnesota did a poor job of using their bench.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 3 |
| 2 | Chicago Bulls | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 3 | Atlanta Hawks | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 5 | Charlotte Hornets | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 6 | Toronto Raptors | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 7 | Detroit Pistons | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 8 | Miami Heat | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 10 | New York Knicks | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 11 | Brooklyn Nets | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2.0 | 3 |
| 12 | Indiana Pacers | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2.0 | 3 |
| 13 | Washington Wizards | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2.0 | 1 |
| 14 | Philadelphia 76ers | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.5 | 2 |
| 15 | Orlando Magic | 0 | 3 | .000 | 3.0 | 3 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 3 |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Clippers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 5 | Sacramento Kings | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 6 | Utah Jazz | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 8 | Memphis Grizzlies | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 9 | Denver Nuggets | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 10 | Houston Rockets | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.5 | 2 |
| 13 | Dallas Mavericks | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.5 | 2 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.5 | 2 |
| 15 | New Orleans Pelicans | 0 | 3 | .000 | 3.0 | 3 |
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