November 1, 2023 Games

A PLETHORA of games today. Let's try to keep each one short.

Portland Trail Blazers 110 (2-3) @ Detroit Pistons 101 (2-3)

Two young teams, that was generally a kinda close game for most of it. The Pistins looked like they were going to win until Shaedon Sharpe of the Blazers took over in the fourth quarter and led them to a victory. He also had some help from Jerami Grant and DeAndre Ayto, who's been rebounding very well which is a nice sight.

Milwaukee Bucks 111 (2-2) @ Toronto Raptors 130 (2-3)

yeah, I don't know what happened here. The Raptors looked like they got possessed. They were making their shots and playing lock down defense. The Bucks could not hit shots so they got down early and stayed down. Lakers legend Dennis Schroder had a great game with 24 points and 11 assists.

Washington Wizards 121 (1-3) @ Atlanta Hawks 130 (3-2)

This was a bit entertaining. Two free flowing teams who shoot lots of 3's and dont make too many. Dejounte Murray and Trae Young had good second and third quarters which gave the Hawks the lead and eventual win, they finished with 24 points and 23 points respectively.

Indiana Pacers 104 (2-2) @ Boston Celtics 155 (4-0)

Yup, that score is right. Celtics comfortably won, led by Jayson Tatum with 30 points. The Pacers star player, Tyrese Haliburton, sat out due to injury today, but that's still no excuse for this kind of performance. Also, the Celtics are really good.

Brooklyn Nets 109 (2-2) @ Miami Heat 105 (1-4)

Not that fun of a watch, but I do think the Heat should worry. They don't have enough talent to win out of the East. They look rough. Don't really wanna go more in-depth on this game. Good team performance from the Nets though with scoring spread across everyone.

Cleveland Cavaliers 95 (2-3) @ New York Knicks 89 (2-3)

The Cavs redeemed themselves after yesterday's rough performance. The Knicks and especially Julius Randle had a rough shooting night, it looked like he was scared to shoot today. Cavs also played great defense and they were led by Donovan Mitchell who finished with 30 points. Very low scoring game.

New Orleans Pelicans 110 (3-1) @ Oklahoma City Thunder 106 (3-2)

It looked like the Thunder were going to win comfortably after the Pelicans were missing everything in the first quarter which led to a 17 point defiicit at the end of the first quarter for the Pelicans. They kept clawing back and eventually took the lead in the fourth quarter, led by CJ McCollum who finished the game with 29 points. The Thunder got a dysfunctional at the end and couldn't find a way to win. Chet continues to show that he's a star in the making for the Thunder.

Charlotte Hornets 119 (1-3) @ Houston Rockets 128 (1-3)

The Rockets got their first win of the season in this game with two very sub-par teams. Nothing to say for this one. Next.

Denver Nuggets 89 (3-1) @ Minnesota Timberwolves 110 (2-2)

The NBA is about matchups. Some teams just have better matchups against other teams. It feels like this was the case. The Wolves had two big bodies to try to contain Jokic. You can't fully contain Jokic but you can do your best to manage him. He still finished with 25 points, but the Wolves were able to make life difficult for those around him. Aside from Jokic, everyone else on the Nuggets played poorly, which may be the way for teams to beat the Nuggets. Big bodies and containing the "others". Anthony Edwards led the way for the Wolves with 24 points.

Chicago Bulls 105 (2-3) @ Dallas Mavericks 114 (4-0)

Luka just knows how to play. he knows when to score and in this scenario he knew when to pass the ball to his teammates in order to win the game. His selflessness and the subsequent made shots from this teammates at the end of the game helped them to a win. The game was overall a close game outside of the last couple minutes.

Memphis Grizzlies 109 (0-5) @ Utah Jazz 133 (2-3)

The only thing more painful than watching the Grizzlies right now, is paying rent. They just can't make any shots. On the contrary, the Jazz shot well today especially in the first two quarters, opening up a comfortable lead for them that the Grizllies were unable to surmount.

Sacramento Kings 101 (2-2) @ Golden State Warriors 102 (4-1)

Klay game winner! Wow! This was a good win for the Warriors and the Kings put up a good fight with their star Deaaron Fox not playing today. This was a good back and forth game and I' liking the Chris Paul fit for the Warriors. But some questionable lineups, they're playing Dario Saric at the Center position and I don't know if that's the best thing to do. He's a little undersized and slow and not as strong for that position, it's a variety of things. Curry didn't have to score 40+ today as everyone chipped in today (he finished with 21). Both teams will win plenty of games this season.

Los Angeles Clippers 125 (3-2) @ Los Angeles Lakers 130 (3-2)

What an exciting game! That was a crazy Kawhi vs Lebron battle down the stretch. IN Year 21, Lebron still has it and led the team with clutch plays on both offense and defense to win the game. Everone got involved, including Christian Wood, Anthony Davis, and Austing Reaves who in particular has been struggling to start the season. Lakers are not a first quarter team at all, they've been down by at least 10 points by the end of the first quarter in all of their games so far. Then they decide to play after that and make life harder on themselves. Today, after being down, they started to lock up on defense and take care of the ball, limiting turnovers. Clippers put up a good fight with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard showing why they're a top duo in the league as well. First Lakers win over the Clippers since July 30, 2020.