Boston simply collapsed against Detroit on Wednesday to lose their opening game 113-121 in crushing fashion. A rampant end to the second quarter and more hot shooting early in the third saw Boston shoot out to a 72-50 lead on the back of a trio of Paul George threes, but a combination of terrible defensive organisation and a cold run of shooting saw Boston lose the lead and the game. George was excellent in his Boston debut, with a couple of hot runs carrying him to 38 points, but he didn’t get a lot of help. Jayson Tatum looked flat and without bounce, going 6/26 from the floor for 13 points and 11 assists, while Mitchell Robinson also looked a step slow in his first game in green. Derrick White was more reliable and Neemias Queta had some nice moments off the bench, but Boston will want to really tidy some things up on Saturday.
New York also had a losing start to their season, as Philadelphia spoiled their ring night with a 100-106 loss. It was a steady and somewhat convincing first half from New York, sending them into the break with a 58-54 lead, but their offence completely dried up in the third quarter. They shot just 5/21 from the field to score just 18 points and gave up five turnovers, seeing Philly take control of the game and NY couldn’t come up with the answers in the fourth. Scoring just five points in the final 4:30 of play, it was another costly dry spell for Mike Brown’s side, with Jalen Brunson going 1/4 in the clutch to seal the loss. That capped off a tough shooting night for Brunson, as he recorded a 47.7% TS% for 21 points and three assists, while OG Anunoby also looked off with just 10 points. Karl-Anthony Towns ended up showing good aggression to get to 19 points and 12 rebounds and Andre Drummond had a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 14 rebounds. However, NY’s 98.0 offensive rating made it an unwinnable game, spoiling their home season opener.
Their offence will almost certainly improve in game two, as will Boston’s after encountering a shooting slump late on. Tatum and Brunson will both be better, but more importantly we’ll see both teams play with a bit more freedom after rather rigid first-up showings. With a relatively low line, I am keen on the over.
Best
Over 223.5 ($1.87)
Miami were well beaten in their first hit-out, losing to Minnesota 106-131. It was the Giannis Antetokounmpo show in the early goings, as the new signing bullied Minnesota’s interior defence to score seemingly at will at the rim, but as the visitors started to get more bodies onto him to slow him down, Miami’s competitiveness slipped away. Giannis finished with 35 points on 70% TS% in a dominant scoring display, but he had just one assist and the players sharing the floor with him often looked out of place, seeing Miami put forward a clunky debut. Bam Adebayo had 15 points and seven boards and Davion Mitchell had 11 points and 10 dimes but a 8/33 shooting night from deep made it a hard game for Miami to get a hold of.
Detroit will be thrilled with how they played in their opening contest, beating Boston 121-113. As we saw so often from Detroit last season, they dug themselves out of a big hole, working their way back from a 50-72 third quarter deficit to take the lead midway through the fourth, and they finished strongly to complete the comeback. The Cade Cunningham-Jalen Duren duo looked elite, as Duren recorded 22 points and nine boards and Cunningham posted 22 points and eight assists to lead the way. Ausar Thompson also impressed with 11 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and plenty of stellar defensive possessions, while Duncan Robinson was on-song with 21 points. JB Bickerstaff would have been wanting more from John Collins, who provided just six points and was lazy defensively, but Isaiah Joe, Paul Reed and Javonte Green were all solid off the bench to help Detroit get home.
Miami enter this contest as narrow favourites at home again, and I am wanting to take them on again. As we saw in their opener, they’re a bit of a clunky offensive fit with Giannis in the mix and Detroit isn’t a team that is going to allow them time to find cohesion. We’ll see the visitors run away with this one, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being a comfortable margin.
Best
Detroit +1.5 ($1.82)
San Antonio’s season opener did not go to plan, losing their Western Conference Finals rematch 104-116. It was a tense and somewhat scrappy affair and Mitch Johnson’s men never looked like they settled in, letting OKC run away with the game in the second quarter to trail 44-65 at the break. There were a couple of runs in the third and fourth that threatened to get San Antonio back in the fight, but they weren’t able to find consistency on offence, resulting in a first-up loss. Victor Wembanyama’s offensive struggles were the main issue, as the big man went 1/13 from the field and 10/12 from the free throw line for 12 points, but he again made his defensive presence known with 13 rebounds and six blocks. De’Aaron Fox was measured with his shot selection and had an efficient evening, but the same can’t be said about any of the other starters, with Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell all having sub-par shooting nights.
Houston cruised to a 128-110 victory over Dallas in their first game of the season. It was never all that close at American Airlines Centre, as Houston found their groove late in the first quarter before powering their way to a 38-12 second quarter and a 70-38 halftime lead. Houston had the win secured from there, finishing the game with a dominant 130.6 offensive rating as they continued last season’s theme of dominating on the offensive glass, with a 41.3% OREB percentage. Alperen Şengün was one of their main weapons there, with five O-boards to go with 23 points and five assists, while Thompson had six offensive rebounds with 16 points and four dimes. Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr each had 30 points on very efficient shooting splits and Marcus Smart was solid in his Houston debut with 10 points off the bench.
The big and physical play of Houston promises to give San Antonio a real challenge, especially with Tobias Harris still out and Fox (wrist) and Keldon Johnson (mouth) questionable. Steven Adams is also questionable for Houston but even without him, the crashing of the offensive glass is going to be hard for San Antonio to handle and the visitors are one of the few teams in the league with the size and length to bother Wemby.
Best
Houston +5.5 ($1.90)