October 28, 2023 Games

Chicago Bulls 102 (1-2) @ Detroit Pistons 118 (2-1)

My early favorite young team the Pistons pulled together another win today after their win over the Hornets yesterday. They're a well coached team led by head coach Monty Williams, and have their star player Cade Cunningham who scored 25 points today AND 10 assists. The Bulls wasted a beautiful performance from Zach Lavine who racked up a career-high 51 points today. It was kind of a close game until the Pistons took a commanding lead in the 4th quarter led by Jalen Duren. Excited to see more Pistons games this year.

Memphis Grizzlies 106 (0-3) @ Washington Wizards 113 (1-1)

Both of these teams were looking for their first wins of the season tonight, and after the Grizzlies performance against the Nuggets yesterday I thought it would have been them. Corey Kispert of the Wizards randomly had a good game today off the bench in the first half, scoring all of his 22 points in the first and second quarter. Nothing else too exciting to report, I'm not a big fan of either of these teams currently. I'm just interested to see what direction each of these teams take going forward.

New York Knicks 87 (1-2) @ New Orleans Pelicans 96 (2-0)

Once the Pelicans got off to their hot start, led by Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, they didn't look back. They led for most of the game and was there to answer any of the Knicks points. Zion had a nice performance and it looks like he's back in good form and should be a fun watch as long as he stays healthy. After a win against the Hawks yesterday, the Knicks couldn't pull it together today. I'll chalk it up to tired legs in Week 1.

Indiana Pacers 125 (2-0) @ Cleveland Cavaliers 113 (1-2)

A nice surprise performance from Aaron Nesmith of the Pacers which led the team to the win with his 26 points and 9 rebounds and defensive effort. Their star player, Tyrese Haliburton, also put up a great game with 21 points and 13 assists. On a day where their two best players Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell didn't play, the Cavs performance was mainly distributed between three players: Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and Caris LeVert. Everyone else on their team had a marginal impact on the game. Pacers are off to a nice start to the season and I'll be curious to see how they develop. On the other hand, the Cavs are off to a slow start to the season but once they're fully healthy they should be back on track and a top 5 team in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia 76ers 114 (1-1) @ Toronto Raptors 107 (1-2)

Not much of a surprise here. A slow start for the Sixers but after a strong 3rd quarter from Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, coupled with poor shooting from Toronto, they were able to take the lead and hold on to it to end the game with a win. Maxey is still looking like a star and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up an All-Star this year.

Miami Heat 90 (1-2) @ Minnesota Timberwolves 106 (1-1)

It's only the first week but the Heat are up to some shenanigans already by resting some players today, leaving them short-handed in this loss. The Heat kept it a close game for most of the game, but some poor fourth quarter shooting and discombobulation led to their loss. A nice fourth quarter from the Wolves, led by Naz Reid, gave them the advantage at the end. Overall, though, it was a good team game from the Wolves who found their first win of the season.

Utah Jazz (1-2) 104 @ Phoenix Suns (2-1) 126

Even without two of their three stars, the Suns had a dominant win after a loss to the Lakers on Thursday. The Suns played good defense which led to some rough shooting for the Jazz, along with the strong games from Kevin Durant and Eric Gordon led them to the win. It wasn't much of a game after the first few minutes of the 3rd quarter, where the Suns continued their momentum from the second quarter. Not much else to say, good win for the Suns and looking forward to Devin Booker and Bradley Beal re-joining the team. The Jazz were led by Lauri Markkanen and are expected to do so throughout the season.