Opening Week In the NBA! Kyrie Great in Loss! Lillard With A Monster Highlight! 10/23/19

Today is when a majority of the teams in the NBA will be playing their first NBA game of the season.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic

Prediction: Orlando Magic

Coming off of a playoff birth, the Orlando Magic look to build on a great year in the wide open Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are still in rebuild mode since Lebron James left, but Darius Garland and Collin Sexton in the back-court, the future is bright for the Cavs. This game was probable closer for the Magic’s liking, but they ended up winning the game 94-85. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 9 rebounds in the season opener for the Magic, and Collin Sexton and Tristan Thompson both had 16 points for the Cavaliers. The Magic outscored the Cavs by 12 in the paint, 50-38. Both teams look to have a successful season in different ways.

Detroit Pistons vs Indiana Pacers

Prediction: Indiana Pacers

This was also a pretty close game between these two division rivals. The Pacers have a new look team without Bogdanovic and Thad Young. Victor Oladipo is still out with that injury, and he will be back later this year. The Pistons are without their best player in Blake Griffin. But, the Pistons were able to pull off the upset 119-110. Andre Drummond had a monster game with 32 points and 23 rebounds, and Luke Kennard had 30 points for the Pistons as well. On the other side of the ball, Domantis Sabonis had 27 points and 14 rebounds, and Myles Turner had 25 points. The Pacers defense was not great as they allowed the Pistons to shoot 52% from the field, and 46% from 3. That kind of defense will not cut it. The Pistons should be happy because they proved they can win without Blake Griffin, and the Indiana Pacers need to stay afloat before Victor Oladipo comes back, and I think that they can still be a playoff team.

Chicago Bulls vs Charlotte Hornets

Prediction: Chicago Bulls

People probably thought that this game would be boring, but it was exactly the opposite as the game came down to the wire. The Hornets are a completely different team after losing Kemba Walker, and are not expected to do much. The Chicago Bulls are on the rise with their young core, and they look to make a push for the playoffs this season. The Hornets staved off a loss and won 126-125. Rookie PJ Washington from Kentucky led the Hornets with 27 points, and Lauri Markkanen had 35 points, the most points by any player this season. The Bulls defense will have to improve going forward as they allowed the Hornets to shoot 51% from the field, 52% from 3. The only thing that the Hornets could do better at is the turnovers as the Hornets had 19. This was an impressive win for the Hornets, and they look to build on this in the season ahead, and the Bulls look to rebound against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Brooklyn Nets

Prediction: Brooklyn Nets

We have another overtime thriller in the NBA as Kyrie Irving and Karl Anthony Towns battled it out from Brooklyn. This game was very high scoring and exciting, but the Timberwolves pulled out the win 127-126. KAT had 36 points and 14 rebounds, and Kyrie Irving EXPLODED for 50 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. This was the best game as Kyrie Irving was going off, but the Nets were unable to pull off the win. The Nets shot a scorching 47% from the field and 44% from 3, and it’s a wonder they did not win this game the way that they were shooting. The Timberwolves should be proud that they even won this game, and the Nets, well Kyrie won’t drop 50 every single night, so you need to find some more balance on scoring, and they could play better defense.

Memphis Grizzlies vs Miami Heat

Prediction: Miami Heat

The Miami Heat will be without Jimmy Butler today, so they needed to find scoring from somebody else, and they did. The young Grizzlies will be facing a test in their first game together. The Miami Heat smoked the young Grizzlies 120-101. Justice Winslow had 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 17 points. The Miami Heat shot 47% from the field and 39% from 3. The Grizzlies were terrible from 3, shooting only 15%. The Heat also made 13 more free throws than the Grizzlies, winning 33 to 20. The Heat will only get better because Jimmy Butler will get better and come back to the team. The young Memphis Grizzlies will continue to grow with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers

Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers

Both of these teams are completely different, with the Celtics losing Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, while gaining Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter. The 76ers lost Jimmy Butler and JJ Reddick, and they got Josh Richardson and Al Horford. This will probably be a playoff match up, and this will be our first taste. The 76ers controlled the game and won 107-93. Ben Simmons had 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. Gordon Hayward had 25 points for the Celtics. The 76ers played great defense, holding the Celtics to just 37% from the field while shooting 44% from the field themselves. Both teams shot <30% from 3. The 76ers also had 14 points more in the paint than the Celtics, winning 58-44. Both of these teams will be very successful during the year, and this match up will be very fun to watch during the year.

New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs

Prediction: San Antonio Spurs

Ah. The New York Knicks. From Zion, KD and Kyrie to RJ, Julius Randle and Marcus Morris. That’s a feels bad man. The Spurs are still the same solid teams, just like normal. LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 8 rebounds. Marcus Morris had 26 points. Both teams shot well from the field, but the Spurs shot 50% from the field. The Spurs made 16 more free throws than the Knicks, winning the battle 29-13. The Spurs had 21 turnovers though, and they still managed to win the game. The Knicks will still be in rebuilding mode as the try to get back to winning basketball.

Washington Wizards vs Dallas Mavericks

Prediction: Dallas Mavericks

It’s the new young duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis leading the Mavericks against Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards. The Mavericks first game was a success as they managed to win 108-100. Luka Doncic had 34 points and 9 rebounds in his first game as a sophomore. Bradley Beal had 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. The Mavericks shot 45% from the field and 31% from the field. The Mavericks also made 12 more free throws, 27-15. This is a good sign for the Mavericks as they look to go into a new era of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The Wizards will continue to be rebuilding with Bradley Beal. They should trade Bradley Beal to get something, but since he signed the extension, it seems less likely. The Wizards needed to blow up this team a while ago because of lack of success, but they have not and now they are in a weird situation.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz

Prediction: Utah Jazz

Last year, both of these teams were playoff teams, and now the Jazz are contenders and the Thunder are rebuilding. The Jazz should not be proud of this game. Sure, they won 100-95, but they had to outscore the Thunder 32-21 in the 4th to do so. Donovan Mitchell had 32 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points. The Jazz shot 44% from the field, but they only made 6 3’s during the game. The Jazz beat the Thunder in points in the paint 58-34. This is a little bit concerning for the Jazz, who were not able to beat a sub-par team until the 4th quarter. The Thunder were able to hang in the game for a while, and they should be happy with that, but they will be nothing too special this season.

Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns

Prediction: Sacramento Kings

Some of the Western Conference’s brightest young teams face off. The Suns controlled the 2nd half of this game and blew out the Kings 124-95. Devin Booker had 22 points and 10 assists, and Buddy Hield had 28 points. The Suns shot 50% from the field and forced 26 turnovers on the Kings. They also doubled the Kings in paint points winning 68-34. This is a good sign for the Suns with a new head coach and new players. The Kings will look to bounce back Friday against the Blazers.

Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers

Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers

The rematch of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Blazers and the Nuggets. The Blazers lost lots of their players in free agency an have lots of new faces. The Nuggets stayed almost completely the same. This game was back and forth for most of the game, but the Nuggets were able to win 108-100. Nikola Jokic had 20 points and 13 rebounds even though he only played 3 minutes in the 1st half because of foul trouble. Damian Lillard 32 points and 8 assists, along with a nasty ankle breaker and poster. The Nuggets made 18 3’s and shot 56% from 3. The Blazers beat the Nuggets by 30 in points in the paint, winning 22-52. Both of these teams will probably make the playoffs, and there are still 3 games left in this series throughout the season.

Predictions: 6-5

I hope you enjoyed today’s post of the NBA’s action, please leave a comment on which player played the best today, and which game was the most surprising?