The NBA is back, and what a night it was to kick off the season! With just two games on the schedule Tuesday, a championship banner was raised in Boston and history was made in Los Angeles. Those moments aside, here’s a recap of the NBA’s opening night.
Knicks@Celtics
🏀 Celtics beat Knicks by setting record
The Boston Celtics celebrated their 18th championship by defeating the New York Knicks 132-109. If you were looking for angry Jayson Tatum, you found him. Tatum led the charge with 37 points, 10 assists and eight 3-pointers, contributing to Boston’s NBA record 29 3-pointers. His teammates Derrick White and Jaylen Brown added 24 and 23 points, respectively.
Despite trailing by 35 points, the Knicks saw Jalen Brunson score 22 points, while newcomer Karl-Anthony Towns managed just 12 points with seven rebounds in 23 minutes.
🚨 Waiver thread alert
-
Miles “Deuce” McBride looked like a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. He carried the Knicks in the first half, scoring 14 points (5-for-5, 2-2 3PT, 2-3 FT). He finished with 22 points, four 3s and two assists in just 25 minutes.
-
With only 10% roster strength, he should be added to all 12 team leagues now that he’s probably playing around 25 minutes a night.
👓 Players to watch
-
I warned you about recruiting Mikal Bridges, and that suspect jumper looks terrible. Bridges went scoreless in the first half, shooting 0-of-5 from the field and 0-4 from three. He settled back in after halftime and finished the contest 7-of-13 from the field and 2-of-7 from deep. He recorded a few assists, but it was otherwise a mediocre performance on both ends from the mid-round fantasy pick.
-
It’s only one game, so don’t panic about OG Anunoby’s forgetful four-point performance (1-7 FG, 0-4 3PT, 2-2 FT) with five rebounds, three assists and a flight. Playing a team-high 34 minutes (along with Bridges) is encouraging and as long as he’s healthy, he’ll be one of the league’s top scoring aggregators.
Timberwolves@Lakers
🏀 Lakers win first home opener in eight years – making history
In a historic NBA moment, LeBron James and his son Bronny became the first father-son duo to play togethersharing the court for the Lakers in a 110-103 victory against the Timberwolves. Anthony Davis led with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, while LeBron finished with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Anthony Edwards debuted with 27 points (10-25 FG, 5-13 3PT, 2-3 FT), six rebounds and three assists. Rudy Gobert had 13 points with 14 rebounds (and I got paid), while Julius Randle dropped a rebound short of a double-double, finishing his night with 16 points, nine rebounds and four dimes. Several times throughout the game, Randle looked disinterested – which tells me it will take time for his style to adapt to the Wolves. Minnesota’s bench held strong, scoring 36 bench points between Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Nikeil Alexander-Walker.
😯 Unexpected developments
-
The Lakers committing to Davis will do wonders for his fantasy value. He also expressed his desire to be Defensive Player of the Year.
-
Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht is playing well enough to be in the rotation, but with just 15 minutes in Game 1, he’ll likely need an injury or increased playing time to be relevant in his fantasy. I’m surprised he’s listed at 34%.
-
Mike Conley played 20 minutes against backup point guard Donte DiVincenzo, who played 31. This is a timeshare worth keeping an eye on because if Conley’s age catches up with him, DVV could be the preferred option in real and fantastic life.
-
Rui Hachimura was aggressive and confident offensivelyattacking downhill and reaching his spots easily. He admitted after the game that the Lakers planned to take advantage of Julius Randle standingAnd does he. Hachiumura (53% of players) finished with a total of 18 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block. He deserves to be added in all shallow leagues after impressing in 35 minutes.
Closing buzzer
Opening night gave us a taste of what’s to come in this NBA season: a best-of-3 playoff with a mix of heroics, history, and remarkable (and disappointing) performances. For fantasy managers, the key takeaway is not to overreact but to be prepared to go after players like Deuce McBride. We’re back to the 10-game slate on Wednesday, so happy basketball!
