The German NBA stars suffered defeats at the start of the new season. The number one draft pick caused quite a stir in his first game.
Number one draft pick Paolo Banchero hinted at his class in his first NBA game.
picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS
No German basketball player was able to win with his team at the start of the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks around Maxi Kleber gave up a 21-point lead on Wednesday evening (local time) and lost to the Phoenix Suns 105:107. Isaiah Hartenstein with the New York Knicks lost 112-115 to the Memphis Grizzlies, Franz Wagner lost 109-113 to the Detroit Pistons with the Orlando Magic.
Daniel Theis was officially absent from the Indiana Pacers’ 107:114 against the Washington Wizards due to knee problems, Dennis Schröder was absent from the Los Angeles Lakers’ 109:123 against the Golden State Warriors the day before after his thumb surgery.
The Mavericks were superior to the Suns in the first half and went into the break 62-45. After that, however, the Suns worked their way back and took the lead a good three minutes before the end. Slovenian star Luka Doncic was the top scorer with 35 points, Kleber had two points, five rebounds and one assist.
27 points for Banchero – 20 points for Wagner
Paolo Banchero caused quite a stir on his Magic debut. In the first NBA game of his career, the first-picked forward had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Only Grant Hill and LeBron James in league history had at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in his NBA debut. Franz Wagner also had a good game with 20 points, five assists and four rebounds.
