October 29, 2023 Games

Denver Nuggets 128 (3-0) @ Oklahoma City Thunder 95 (2-1)

This was a pretty dominant win for the Nuggets after I expected a kind of close game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had some nice defensive plays that kept them grounded on that end of the court. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray did their usual thing and led the way for their team. There really is no "fair" matchup for Jokic as he is so good and dominant, but he really overwhelmed Chet Holmgren of OKC. One new thing so far this season for the defending champion Nuggets has been the rebounding of Michael Porter Jr, who's typically known for his shooting. Looks like he's adding that to his game this season, averaging 12.5 rebounds so far through 3 games. OKC couldn't really get it going tonight on the offensive end either as they shot a low 18% from the 3 and their star player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) got into some early foul trouble and couln't get in his flow.

Golden State Warriors 106 (2-1) @ Houston Rockets 95 (0-3)

The Warriors started a bit sloppy with Chris Paul on the bench and the first game back fro Draymond Green. His rust showed with some turnovers in the first half. The Warriors got down a little bit early in the game but then went on a run starting at the end of the first quarter through halftime, led by 7 assists from Chris Paul in that time. The Rockets came back to tie the game and even led for a bit in the second half. Steph Curry worked his magic again in the fourth quarter and took over to give the Warriors back the lead and eventually the win. Some bright spots for the Rockets was Jalen Green's ability to get to the basket for easy shots and Alpren Sengun's play. Warriors are looking good to the start the season and with Draymond Green healthy again, they are slated to build more chemistry as a team.

Atlanta Hawks 127 (1-2) @ Milwaukee Bucks 110 (1-1)

Tough loss for the Bucks tonight. These kinds of losses are part of the NBA season. It's just one of those nights that things aren't going your way. Damian Lillard had a bad shooting night coupled with the Hawks connecting well on offense. The Hawks initally go ttheir lead with nice ball movement finding their shots inside the paint. The Bucks looked like they were going to calw back for a few minutes in the 2nd quarter but the Hawks were able to match their effort. Kris Middleton of the Bucks was missed tonight, as he is out due to injury management, since he woul dbe th ebest option to make shots when others aren't. The Hawks had a good night collectively with multiple people scoring 10+ points, which is necesasry for long-term development of the team. Having that diverse scoring ability doens't put pressure on just one or two players to do the majority of the scoring.

Portland Trail Blazers 98 (0-3) @ Philadelphia 76ers 126 (2-1)

This was a good game until halftime. The Sixers starters helped them take the lead in the first half but the Blazers bench allowed them to claw back and make it a close game. I'm a fan of Toumani Camara of the Blazers, he's young as he is a rookie this year, but I like his flow and he's playing hard, I hope he stays healthy and can be a star in his career. In the second half, the Sixers took over, led by Joel Embiid, who dominated inside the paint for most of the game as he should be. The Blazers were also missing their shots. The Sixers took a commanding lead by the end of the third quarter and it was garbage time for the fourth.

San Antonio Spurs 83 (1-2) @ Los Angeles Clippers 123 (2-1)

Not much to say about this one. This game was led entirely by the Clippers. They came out with a strong defensive effort led by Paul George who had 5 steals in the first quarter. Once they pulled away they never looked back. Often times, when a team gets out to a very early lead, the opposing team slowly comes back throughout the game. In this scenario, the Spurs just couldn't get it going and also had a crazy amount of turnovers (25).

Los Angeles Lakers 127 (1-2) @ Sacramento Kings 132 (2-1)

WHAT A GAME! First OT game for each team this season. It was a fairly close gae throughout, aside from the bad close to the first quarter from the Lakers that gave the Kings a bigger lead. Lineups (the combination of players that are playing at any one moment and not sitting on the bench) matter a ton, and it feels like the Lakers are still experimenting with different lineups as players get adjusted to the system and season. Gritty win for the Kings as they were without their two star players, Domantas Sabonis and Deaaron Fox, toward the end of the game. The Lakers gave up too many second chance points, showing that they were being out-hustled. Next game for the Lakers is tomorrow versus the Orlando Magic, who are young but talented, let's see if they can comeback with a win.