October 27, 2023 Games

Tonight demonstrated why the NBA is the BEST league in the world. What a fun night of games. Some good. Some bad. But overall, ENTERTAINMENT! Lots of close games tonight. Out of 11 games tonight, 10 of them were decided by 10 points or fewer. I wonder if this will be a little foreshadowing for the season ahead. To be determined.

Pistons 111 (1-1) @ Hornets 99 (1-1)

Definitely entertaining with this battle of young teams. Pistons showed their potential as they led throughout the game. Alec Burks put together a nice performance with 24 points, 11 of which coming from the free throw line. He's a vet who's bounced around the league so it seems like they'll need some of these games from him if they want to be competitive. He's a good neough presence of the bench. The Hornets are on a journey to the bottom and won't win many games, which I'll mention throughout the year. Brandon Miller had a nice dunk though which was fun to watch.

Things to look for: Both - their youth development.

Nuggets 108 (2-0) @ Grizzlies 104 (0-2)

The end result was as expected, with a Nuggets win; however, the journey there was a little different. The Grizzlies held their own for the whole game and kept it a close matchup throughout, even leading for a brief moment in the game. The Nuggets and Jokic were just too much. Reggie Jackson for the Nuggets and Derrick Rose for the Grizzlies were the bright spots on the bench who scored 16 points each. Grizzlies played good defense and had an OK offense which was enough. The defensive matchup was just friendlier for them.

Things to look for: Nuggets - nothing, they're the champs. Grizzlies - their development without Ja Morant.

Knicks 126 (1-1) @ Hawks 120 (0-2)

It was a close game throughout but the Knicks came out on top as Jalen Brunson had a great game with 31 points, a game-high for all players. The Hawks just didn't have enough to close the gap. They had some mishaps at the end of the game which didn't let them take the lead. The Hawks are off to an underwhelming start to the season with two losses. Let's see if they can find another gear and pick it up in the first couple weeks of the year.

Things to look for: Both - building consistency.

Heat 111 (1-1) @ Celtics 119 (2-0)

What a fun game. A rematch of last years Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics are looking like the real deal this year. Everyone contributed in their own way and if someone isn't picking up their end, there's always someone else there to pick it up. This was a back and forth game after the Heat came out with more energy in the first quarter but soon lost their lead once the Celtics went on a second quarter run. The points were distributed mostly through the starters for the Celtics as all of them had 17+ points. The Heat made it a game though with their defense forcing 15 Celtics turnovers and their offense led by 28 points from Herro and 27 from Bam. I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow meet again in the ECF this year.

Things to look for: Heat - can they score. Celtics - continue building chemistry.

Thunder 108 (2-0) @ Cavs 105 (1-1)

OKC is a serious team. This was another good game. OKC had a good lead then the Cavs came back and took the lead and then right at the end the Thunder came out on top with some clutch play from all of their players, it was a group effort win. Chet Holmgren is looking good and his addition to this team that had already played well last year looks to be a great addition and seemless fit. AND he had 7 freakin blocks. That's a alot for one player in one game. I'm bullish on them. Donovan Mitchell on the Cavs led the game with 43 points but it wasn't enough. They were also missing two of their better players: Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen.

Things to look for: Both - staying healthy.

Raptors 103 (1-1) @ Bulls 104 (1-1)

Tough watch. Battle of bad teams. It was so bad that it was so good. There was so much chaos at the end of the game. It looked like neither team wanted to win. The first half was hectic, the Bulls went from being down 12 to being up 21 in one half. Both of these teams shot poorly while also turning over the ball over a lot (Bulls - 15, Raptors - 21). Derozan missed a few clutch free throws at the end which would've given Bulls the win earlier. Not much else to say for this one aside from that it added to the drama we saw tonight in the league.

Things to look for: Both - not much, they're not that great.

Rockets 122 (0-2) @ Spurs 126 (1-1)

Wooo. What a close game. It was pretty even throughout the game with neither team really taking a big lead. Wemby again had a great 4th quarter and is showing his value and slowly living up to all the hype. The rest of the team also played well for them to get the win. I really like the Spurs and I'm excited to see them develop this year. They have great coaching and it looks like they've all "bought in" to what theyre building, making it easier to build chemistry. The Rockets had some flashes as well, but I feel that they've got a longer road ahead of them.

Things to look for: Spurs - building chemistry. Rockets - if they win games.

Nets 120 (0-2) @ Mavs 125 (2-0)

Luka hit a crazyyyyy shot at the end of the game to seal the win for them after what was another great game tonight and a close one where neither team had a commanding lead in the game. For the Nets, Cam Thomas had another good game with 30 points. Their fluidity was questionable throughout the game with their plays, but I guess that'll develop with time on the court and if they can figure out how Ben Simmons will fit. The Mavs were led by the 47 points from Doncic. They mostly play through Donic and Kyrie with a variety of Pick n Rolls and Isolation plays. A nice start to the season for them.

Things to look for: Both - who's going to score? Mavs - aside from Luka and Kyrie, Nets - aside from Cam Thomas and Mikal.

Clippers 118 (1-1) @ Jazz 120 (1-1)

ANOTHER close game. Clarkson hit the go-ahead three pointer at the end of the game and the Clippers couldn't get a good look to tie or win the game. Utah dominated for most of the game, led by 35 points from Lauri Markkanen. I'm not sure if they have enough to be considered an elite team but they'll get their fair share of wins. After a solid performance by Russ last game, he underperformed this game. The Clippers have th team to make it far this year but it comes down to if they can stay healthy. It's so imperative to building chemistry but they have hope by having Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on their team.

Things to look for: Clippers - how much Kawhi and PG will dominate. Jazz - if they can stay consistent.

Magic 102 (2-0) @ Blazers 97 (0-2)

The Magic are a fun young team to watch. I love Paolo's game. The Wagner brothers also had a solid game tonight. This game was pretty close with the Magic leading for most of it. There weren't many takeaways from this game in my opinion. I'll keep this one short.

Things to look for: Magic - youth development while winning. Blazers - youth development while losing.

Warriors 122 (1-1) @ Kings 114 (1-1)

The vintage Warriors showed up tonight. By vintage, I mean keeping it somewhat close in the first half but as soon as the third quarter starts they kick it into a new gear and in th eblink of an eye, they're up by a million points. Chef Curry was cooking in the third quarter with the help of Chris Paul getting others involved. The Kings did look good though and I'm confident that they'll win many games this year. They just got the short end of the stick tonight with a vintage Curry game. They tried to make a little comeback at the end but it wasn't enough. The atmosphere in the Golden1 Center (Kings arena) is unmatched though, once of the best crowds in the league. I think both these teams know who they are and are going to continue making tweaks throughout the season. A battle of heavyweights which will be entertaining this season.

Things to look for: Kings - Fox and Sabonis taking the next step. Warriors - size and building chemistry.