The league showcased 12 games today, but in case you missed out on all the basketball action, SBOTOP shares some of the notable headlines that transpired during the jam-packed NBA slate.
James Harden was on the front cover of some sports outlets as he donned his fourth uniform since the 2020 season, and this time, he’ll be wearing the same jersey as the likes of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook for the LA Clippers. The Clips visited the Mecca of basketball searching for their first road win of the season at the expense of the New York Knicks.
Both teams were neck-and-neck in the first quarter, switching leagues almost every possession, but the home team started to ramp up during the second quarter. Thibodeau’s defence shined in the early part of the second, as the Knicks started to force Clippers turnovers, successfully converting them to easy transition buckets. The Clips were quick to bounce back, though, as James Harden went on a run of his own to put his team up by four at halftime.
It was more of the same in the third, but both teams were starting to get their rhythm, scoring a total of 64 points in the quarter. Thanks to their three-point shooting and control of the boards, the Knicks find themselves in a 79-76 lead going into the fourth.
RJ Barrett and his teammates took over in the fourth quarter using their defence, presence in the paint, and three-point shooting. The Knicks shot 12/31 from beyond the arc and forced the Clippers to make 22 turnovers. The home team wasn’t just lighting it up from outside, but they dominated the paint as well, scoring a jarring 56 points down low.
With this win, the Knicks bounce back from their slow start to the season and improve to 3-4 , while the Clippers move down to the seventh spot in the Western Conference with a 3-3 record. Tyronn Lue and the rest of his team have a long season ahead of them, and they have ample time to figure out how to run their system with James Harden in the picture. As long as the Clippers are healthy, they’ll be a tough matchup for any team in the NBA.
LeBron returns to South Beach
The Lakers continued their Florida loop and faced Jimmy Butler and the rest of the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center in what was a playoff-like atmosphere. The match started off hot, with both teams going back and forth. The defence was gritty, but the offence was stellar, as both teams scored 33 points in the first quarter.
Erik Spoelstra and Darvin Ham had a chess match in the second quarter, as they adjusted after a few possessions. It was evident that the teams were moving more purposefully, and their half-court sets were sharper in the second quarter. They were meticulously reading each other’s defence and rallying some runs until halftime. The home team was up going into the third with a 62-59 lead over the Lakers.
The Heat started to pull away thanks to the Lakers’ lackluster defence and Miami’s relentless attacks to the basket. It looked like the Heat were going to comfortably win the game coming into the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead, or so it seemed.
Austin Reaves and LeBron James led the purple and yellow in the fourth quarter, slowly but surely cutting into the Heat lead. Reaves flirted with a triple-double, posting 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, while LeBron scored a game-high 30 points as they tried to mount a comeback and showcase some NBA 2023 highlights along the way.
The game went down to the wire, and the Lakers had a good opportunity to win in the last possession of the fourth quarter. With eight seconds left on the clock, LBJ received the inbound pass at the top of the key. The king drove right, forcing the defence to collapse on him, and as soon as the weak-side help moved too far from his man, LeBron kicked it out to a wide open Cam Reddish corner three. Reddish missed one of the biggest shots of his career, which led to a Miami Heat 108-107 win.
Bam Adebayo had a monster game, posting 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Tyler Herro scored 22 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Jimmy Buckets played 37 minutes and scored a team-high 28 points. Both teams now have a 3-4 record in this young NBA season.
Ant hands the Celtics their first loss of the season
It wasn’t easy, but Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves managed to defend home court and hand the Celtics their first loss of the season. This match is the definition of a dog fight. Neither team wanted to give up any advantage to their opponent, and every bucket down the stretch had to be earned.
The two teams were neck-and-neck all throughout the match, with both defences bringing their A game. They were tied 101-101 in the last few seconds of the fourth. As the clock was running down, Jaylen Brown had the chance to seal the deal for the Celtics.
With nine seconds left in the fourth, Brown took matters into his own hands and danced his way around lengthy defender Jaden McDaniels. Brown was able to get off a good shot at the top of the key but missed the mark, sending the game into overtime.
Anthony Edwards took over in the extra period. The Timberwolves kept switching Ant to the slower Al Horford. The veteran big man could not stop the offencive barrage Edwards was orchestrating. The budding star was shooting over Horford at will, as it only takes a few moves for Edwards to create space for a jumper.
The Timberwolves held Tatum and the Celtics to eight points in overtime, ending their five-game winning streak. But even though the Celtics lost this one, they are still the NBA 2023 odds favourites to win the championship. Early MVP candidate Jayson Tatum scored 32 big ones, while running mate Jaylon Brown scored 26 points himself.
Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards exploded for 38 points and filled the stat sheet with nine rebounds and seven assists. Forward Jaden McDaniels scored a cool 20 points, and Rudy Gobert bagged a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Wolves improved their record to 4-2, while the Celtics are tied with the 76ers with a 5-1 record.
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