Dennis Schröder had another good game against Philadelphia, but the Toronto Raptors still have to bow to the 76ers for the outstanding Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The Chicago Bulls suffered another defeat despite a gala performance from Zach LaVine, and the stars also struggled with the offense.
And: New Orleans remains undefeated, while the Phoenix Suns make short work of an ultra-efficient Kevin Durant.
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Performance of the Night: Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)
The Bulls’ start to the season is strange and somehow it’s fitting that Zach LaVine scored 51 points in Detroit, his team lost -16 and he indirectly questioned coach Billy Donovan’s offense. “It can’t be that I always score 50 points and DeMar [DeRozan] Scored 20 points in one quarter. That’s not how it works. We need each and every one and we have to function as a well-oiled machine.”
And then LaVine added the following: “It’s hard when you try something that doesn’t work. But we’ll keep trying, that’s what we have to do.” There was little of this to be seen in Detroit. The ball barely ran, Chicago only handed out 16 assists, and LaVine didn’t have a single one of his 51 points (19/33 FG).
LaVine was also just hot, the jumpers were falling. 19 points in the first period, 20 in the third – Lavine kept Chicago in the game and, along with DeRozan (20, 7/13), was the only Bulls player to hit more than half of the shots. As a team, the guests shot just 41.9 percent from the field.
By the way: LaVine is the first Bulls player since Michael Jordan in 1996 to have a 50-burger without a single assist. The 51 was also a career high and one point more than the previous best (50), which he set in April 2021 in Atlanta.
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Duo of the night: Maxey/Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
James Harden wasn’t there again, but the Sixers still have the MVP in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who is in impressive early form. The two stars each scored 34 points against the Toronto Raptors. This is also worth mentioning with Maxey because the guard didn’t take a single shot in the first quarter.
This changed as the game progressed, it felt like everything was falling, especially from outside (7/9 3P), while the rest of the Sixers barely hit a flower pot (3/19). Meanwhile, Embiid showed clear improvement compared to the start; in addition to his 34 points, the Cameroonian also grabbed 9 rebounds and distributed 8 assists.
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German Watch: This is how Schröder and Hartenstein fought
Dennis Schröder
It wasn’t Braunschweig’s fault that the Raptors suffered their second defeat in two days. With 15 points (5/14 FG) as well as 10 assists and only one turnover in 35 minutes, Schröder posted his next double-double and was responsible for Toronto getting another taste of morning air in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia.
Schröder scored 10 points in the final period, including back-to-back threes, which reduced the deficit to -6. The truth is, however, that Schröder was unable to finish near the ring; the 30-year-old only converted one of his six attempts in the zone.
Isaiah Hartenstein
Hartenstein also suffered a defeat with the Knicks in New Orleans. This time the center got a good 14 minutes of playing time and recorded 4 points (1/1 FG) and 3 rebounds. Noticeable: Hartenstein missed two of his four free throws again, which means he has a 50 percent (5/10 FT) hit rate after three games. Over his career, however, it is 67.7 percent – that is something to watch.
Daniel Theis
Again no minutes for Daniel Theis, who had to languish on the bench again in the Pacers’ win in Cleveland. Interestingly, competitor Isaiah Jackson was also not used this time; instead, coach Rick Carlisle relied on Jalen Smith as the backup center. No. 8 pick Jarace Walker also received a DNP.
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Fail of the night: Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons)
7 points (3/6 FG) and 3 assists in 22 minutes aren’t earth-shattering, but Ivey had a good game against the Bulls and had his share of success. There is still one thing that needs to be talked about. A windmill dunk in transition in the second quarter in an even game is unlikely to please every coach, especially if the attempt fails.
We have a legitimate MVP candidate here in week one at Shaqtin’ a Fool.
Rookie of the Night: Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons)
The throw is of course a huge construction site, but otherwise Thompson is really fun. In phases the guard did really well against LaVine and simply delivers plays. This time 9 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists were recorded in 31 minutes. Thompson is simply a good connector who plays tough defense, can set the pace in transition and also has playmaking skills.
Here’s an examplehow Thompson keeps the ball moving and puts his teammates in good positions in the flow of the offense.
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NBA: The games of the night at a glance
Washington Wizards (1-1) – Memphis Grizzlies (0-3) 113:106 (BOXSCORE)
The Grizzlies also lost their third game this season – this time in Washington and managed just 106 points against what was probably the worst defense in the NBA. “It’s not nice at the moment,” head coach Taylor Jenkins had to admit, who highlighted at least the third quarter as a small ray of hope. There the guests scored 34 points and hit eight three-pointers, but were never able to close the gap of 25 points. Desmond Bane was the top scorer with 26 points, on the other hand Jordan Poole (27, 8/23) was the top scorer, but who obviously spent too much time with Stephen Curry. If you turn around to the opposing bench while throwing, then the thing should sit. But it didn’t matter, also because Corey Kispert scored all of his 22 points in the first half coming off the bench. Former Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones put up 14 points and 7 assists.
New Orleans Pelicans (2-0) – New York Knicks (1-2) 96:87 (BOXSCORE)
The tired Knicks only managed 12 points in the first quarter in New Orleans, and the Pels’ lead quickly grew to almost 20 points. Brandon Ingram (26, 11/17 FG) sank one jumper after the other, Zion Williamson (24, 12/17) was unstoppable near the ring. The Pels remain undefeated and this victory was never really in danger, even if New York came back a bit in the third quarter. Jalen Brunson (14, 4/14) remained pale after his gala performance the day before, as did Julius Randle (10, 4/15 , 12 rebounds, 8 turnovers) had a pitch-black evening at his old place of work. 4:30 minutes before the end the game was over at +19 for New Orleans, after that the Pels only scored 2 points, but that was no longer a problem either.
Detroit Pistons (2-1) – Chicago Bulls (1-2) 118:102 (BOXSCORE)
We have already talked about the Bulls’ problems, but on the other hand there is already the second win for Detroit, in which Cade Cunningham (25, 9/19 FG, 10 assists) and Jalen Duren (23, 9/11, 15 rebounds) once again confirmed their good early form.
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Toronto Raptors (1-2) – Philadelphia 76ers (1-1) 107:114 (BOXSCORE)
Successful return to Toronto for Nick Nurse, who also achieved his first win as Sixers coach. In addition to the outstanding Maxey and Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr. (18) was also able to convince again as sixth man, even if all six three-pointers missed. For Toronto, Scottie Barnes (24, 11/16) was the top scorer, while OG Anunoby was missing with cramps. The Raptors’ bright spot was the performance of rookie Gradey Dick (16), who sank four three-pointers in 28 minutes. Toronto scored extremely well from outside (17/32), but only recorded 34 points in the zone.
Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2) – Indiana Pacers (2-0) 113:125 (BOXSCORE)
You shouldn’t read too much into this; in addition to Jarrett Allen, the Cavs also had to do without the backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell (both thighs), so three starters were absent. Caris LeVert (31, 12/28, 8 assists) and Evan Mobley (33, 14 rebounds) fought back as best they could, but Indiana had six players who scored in double figures. Especially the bench around Aaron Nesmith (26, 10/ 16) and TJ McConnell (8, 8 assists) made the difference, while Tyrese Haliburton (21, 13 assists) shone on the one.
Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1) – Miami Heat (1-2) 106:90 (BOXSCORE)
In the end, the Heat ran out of steam without Jimmy Butler, Minnesota went on a 24-4 run in the fourth quarter and made everything clear. Tyler Herro (22, 8/23) had previously reduced the score to -3 before the outstanding Naz Reid (25, 10/14) and Anthony Edwards (19, 7/15, 7 assists) pulled Miami’s teeth. Reid finished at +30 in 28 minutes, and there were double-doubles for Karl-Anthony Towns (12, 10 boards) and Rudy Gobert (14, 14 rebounds).
Phoenix Suns (2-1) – Utah Jazz (1-2) 126:104 (BOXSCORE)
This time it was enough for Phoenix without Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, who were out again. The Suns led against Utah by up to 33 points, Kevin Durant only had to take eleven shots and still scored 26 points (8/11 FG, 9/9 FT). Eric Gordon was similarly efficient in the first half, scoring each of his 21 points (9/14) in the first 24 minutes. Utah, on the other hand, had no chance at all; from the starting five, only Lauri Markkanen (19, 5/7 3P) and John scored Collins (11, 10 rebounds) in double figures. The 19 turnovers in particular were a problem; the Suns converted this into 30 points.
2023-10-29 08:26:49
#NBA #Dennis #Schröders #doubledouble #Toronto #Raptors
