The NBA is in full swing, and this early in the season, teams are starting to stamp their brand of basketball in what will be an exciting 2023–24 campaign.
We already witnessed the highly anticipated headlines from the offseason take place, like Chris Paul’s fit in the Warriors system, Wemby’s NBA debut, Damian Lillard donning the Bucks jersey, and many more.
Now, we can focus on the nitty-gritty and the nightly highlights we are accustomed to in the NBA. Some players are surprising everyone with their resurgence, while some teams are already showing some cracks in their systems. Given that the sample size is pretty small, the information garnered this early on could be monumental in the latter part of the season.
Courtesy of SBOTOP, here are some in-depth post highlights that any fan would enjoy.
Detroit Pistons 118 – 102 Chicago Bulls
Zach LaVine’s repertoire was on full display during their loss to the Detroit Pistons. He gave an early glimpse of the NBA 2023 highlights he and the rest of the Bulls are capable of. The 28-year-old shooting guard erupted for 51 points, grabbed four rebounds, and one steal.
LaVine played the game of his life at the Little Caesars Arena. He bagged his career high with efficiency, shooting 19-33 from the floor and 7-13 from beyond the arc. Veteran DeMar DeRozan had another day in the office, filling up the stat sheet with 20 points in 7-13 shooting, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks.
While it was a two-man show with the Bulls, the Detroit Pistons braved LaVine’s barrage and came out as the victors. It was a team win for the Pistons, as they got contributions from 10 players on their roster. Five Detroit players scored double digits, with Cade Cunningham leading the way with 25 points, passing the rock with purpose, and dishing out 10 assists.
Big Man Jalen Duren outmatched former NBA All-Star Nikola Vucevic by posting a massive double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds. Forward Isiah Stewart flirted with a double-double, posting 14 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes on the floor.
This serves as a good morale booster for the young Pistons, who are now 2-1 this season. They will visit another young and promising squad in the Thunder in the coming days.
New Orleans Pelicans 96 – 87 New York Knicks
Former Duke teammates duked it out in the Big Easy. Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett reconnected with one another on the court as rivals when the New Orleans Pelicans played the New York Knicks at the Smoothie King Center.
In true 2013 Tom Thibodeau fashion, his team only produced 87 points for the entire game. The Pelicans were dominating the Knicks right from the tip as they held the visiting squad for just 12 points in the first quarter.
Brandon Ingram scored a team high 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out three assists. Meanwhile, Zion took advantage of all the playing time he had, scoring 24 points in just 28 minutes. Their veteran floor general, CJ McCollum, struggled with his shot and only scored 12 points in 4-11 shooting, but was able to provide in other ways, dishing out seven assists and four steals.
The Knicks were threatening to make a comeback at the start of the second half, where they collectively and surprisingly scored 31 points, outscoring the home team by nine. Both teams looked gassed in the fourth quarter, but luckily for the Pelicans, they garnered a big enough lead that they could cruise in the fourth and still get the win.
No one really had it going for the Knicks that night, but impressively, all but one player on their roster contributed and scored points for the team. RJ Barrett led the Knicks with 18 points in 7-16 shooting, while Julius Randle continued his slow start to the season by scoring just 10 points in 4-15 shooting and 0-5 from the three.
Toronto Raptors 107 – 114 Philadelphia 76ers
Philly head coach Nick Nurse got the last laugh as he and the rest of the 76ers convincingly dealt with the Toronto Raptors in the 6ix.
The 76ers are coming off a heartbreaking opening-season loss to the eastern conference favourites, the Milwaukee Bucks, earlier this week. Both the Bucks and the 76ers were hot coming out the gates and kept the game competitive until the last buzzer sounded, but the Sixers just couldn’t stop Damian Lillard from taking over the match.
This time, the Sixers got the job done against their rivals from the north even without James Harden. The dynamic duo of Tyrese Maxey and reigning MVP Joel Embiid were the main catalysts for the road victory, as they combined for 68 points. Embiid flirted with a triple-double, posting 34 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
The Sixers supporting cast was also present in the victory, as veteran forward Tobias Harris bagged 15 points while savvy offseason-signing Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 29 minutes of play.
Scottie Barnes led the Toronto Raptors with a team high 24 points. The Raps had a nine-point lead after the first quarter, but they seemed to succumb to Philly’s defence, as their points trickled down after every quarter. Nick Nurse’s defence was on display in the third quarter when the 76ers held the Raptors to just 20 points.
On any given night, the 76ers are a problem for any team in the league, but as the NBA 2023 odds suggest, they are still the third favourites to come out of the East, behind the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics.
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