The Minnesota Timberwolves have also lost their first San Antonio Spurs game of the season with Jimmy Butler, even though the change-over man played well. Kemba Walker delivers a real gala for the Charlotte Hornets, but Giannis Antetokounmpo has the right answer. Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard leads the Toronto Raptors to a casual home win.
It was Throwback Night in the Queen City, finally the 30th birthday of the franchise was celebrated. At the beginning there was little to cheer for the hosts, as the Bucks started hot and hit their first five throws. The philosophy of the new coach, Mike Budenholzer, was immediately apparent, Milwaukee took many threesomes – and also met them (7/11 in the first quarter). Among others, Center Brook Lopez stood out with a stylistically very appealing stepback threesome.
The Hornets only made a better impression with the Second Unit, the influence of track legend Tony Parker was immediately felt. In his Hornets debut, the Frenchman scored a solid 8 points and 7 assists – a clear upgrade to last year’s backup of Michael Carter-Williams. At times LeTony was also on the field together with Kemba Walker and even Malik Monk.
Nevertheless, the Bucks led with 20 points, but led by the outstanding Walker, the hosts fought their way back into the game. Milwaukee cooled down a little, even though 41.2 percent (14/34) of the boxers were from outside. 36 seconds before the end, Walker brought the Hornets into front for the first time in the game, but in return, Giannis Antetokounmpo energetically pulled to the basket and pulled the foul. Both free throws sat and Walker tried it again. However, his Leger rolled out and Nicolas Batum’s open three-man didn’t find his goal either.
The Hornets gave away Walker’s 41 points (15/29 FG, 7/13 Dreier), with Monk also convincing with 18 points. The Greek Freak (25, 18 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 8 Turnover) had to fight with foul problems at the Bucks, but finally avoided the sixth foul. Khris Middleton (19, 9 boards) and Eric Bledsoe (17) were the best players of the Greek.
The pistons have started the season successfully and this despite the fact that Reggie Bullock (ill) and Stanley Johnson (toe), the two potential starters, had to pass on the wing. So Bruce Brown had a surprise second lap pick for his starter debut, but he didn’t score any points.
The usual suspects were responsible. Blake Griffin scored 26 points, while Andre Drummond (24, 20 rebounds) opened the season with a monster double. Reggie Jackson contributed another 19 counters. Nevertheless it was a trembling victory for MoTown, because Joe Harrie shortened 74 seconds before the end once again to a point.
The visitors from Brooklyn did not score a single point on the scoreboard because good Jarrett Allen left a casual ball and Caris LeVert lost the ball a little later. Jackson turned two free throws 6 seconds before the end and Harris from Downtown missed the chance to overtime again – so the pistons saved the lead over the finish line.
LeVert recorded a new career high with 27 points (10/18 FG), while D’Angelo Russell (8, 3/9 FG, 5 Assists) remained pale. Better was his backup Spencer Dinwiddie (23, 10/18 FG). Center Allen collected 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, with the sophomore in the first quarter blocking a dark attempt by Griffin furios.
The Pacers continued exactly where they left off last season and dominated the Grizzlies, especially defensively, by every trick in the book. In the second quarter, the hosts made a decisive break with a 14:2 run (41:17), the fair had been read.
Memphis scored just under 30 percent from the field, curiously enough the quota from the triple country (10/29 triples, 34.5 percent) was even better. Especially the two franchise players Marc Gasol (13, 2/11 FG, all points in the third quarter) and Mike Conley (11, 3/11 FG) had a terrible evening and were the poster boys for the weak performance of the Grizzlies. No.4-Pick Jaren Jackson Jr. was used for 25 minutes and scored 10 points and 5 rebounds.
The Pacers, on the other hand, got almost every throw they wanted and sank 57 percent, plus a clear superiority among the boards. Domantas Sabonis (14) grabbed 15 boards, 6 of them offensive. Seven Pacers players recorded a double-digit yield, with Bojan Bogdanovic (19, 7/9 FG) the most hard-working player. Victor Oladipo was content with 16 counters (6/11 FG).
Page 1: Bucks survive Kemba Walker’s 41-point Gala
Page 2: Kawhi Leonard’s Strong Debut for the Raptors
Page 3: Spurs wrestling Wolves down with strong butler
Page 4: Clippers break in late against nuggets around Jokic