No Zion; The First Battle of Los Angeles 10/22/19

It’s finally here, NBA opening day!

After the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship and a very chaotic NBA Free Agency, the NBA season is finally back. For the first time in a long time, the NBA is wide open and with many story-lines yet to be filled and teams and players that need to prove themselves, this should pan out be a very interesting season.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Toronto Raptors

My prediction for the game: Toronto Raptors

Even though the Pelicans did not have Zion Williamson, they were still able to put up quite a fight against the defending champs.

The game was close throughout, but the Toronto Raptors outlasted the Pelicans 130-122 in overtime. Pascal Siakam had 34 points and 18 rebounds, and Fred Van Vleet had 34 points and 7 assists. Brandon Ingram had 22 for the Pelicans.

Both of these teams were evenly matched in all categories, except that the Raptors made 15 more free throws than the Pelicans. This is a good sign for the Pelicans moving forward, and in 6-8 weeks, they will be getting Zion Williamson back in the lineup.

The Raptors are showing people that even though they lost Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in the off-season, they are still a good team, and a contender in the Eastern Conference.

LA Lakers vs LA Clippers

My prediction before the game: LA Clippers

Both of these teams are not at full strength as Paul George is out for the LA Clippers, and Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, and Rajon Rondo are all out for the LA Lakers.

This game was very close throughout, with neither team being able to hold onto their leads. But the Clippers were able to win 112-102.

Kawhi Leonard had 30 points and 6 rebounds, and Lou Williams had 21 points and 7 assists.

The duo of Lebron James and Anthony Davis combined for 43 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists. Danny Green had a Laker high 28 points. The Clippers had a more balanced bench attack with Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, and Mo Harkless, while the Lakers needed to rely on their starters more. This might be a problem for the Lakers going forwards, especially going forward because when Lebron or AD gets in foul trouble, who will step up in the scoring category? The Lakers defense was also not great, as the Clippers shot 52% from the field. Other than that, this game was very even and this is a great first game for the battle of LA.

Predictions: 2-0

Both these games were a great treat for the NBA fans on opening day, with much more in stock. In the comments below, please leave a comment which game was the best, and what is a wild prediction for this season.