NBA Recap 10/25/16
New York Knicks 88 vs Cleveland Cavaliers 117 - On banner night for the Cavs, LeBron James records his first opening night triple double with a 19 point 14 assist and 11 rebound performance. After leading 48-45 at halftime, the defending champs started the 3rd quarter off on a 20-4 run. Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his game-high 29 points in that frame.
Cleveland looked like they haven't missed a step. LeBron's passing ability still impresses me even after seeing it for so many years. Tyrone Lue kept the Knicks off balanced with a plethora of lineups. The Cavs role players were efficient of both ends of the floor, creating turnovers that led to 16 fast break points.
The Knicks were competitive in the first half, running set plays for Carmelo Anthony to get him open shots and saw flashes of aggressiveness from Derrick Rose. There are two huge question marks going forward for the Knicks. First is lack of depth. New York's bench is way below average. Between Brandon Jennings and Kyle O'Quinn, I don't see any consistent scoring or defense being played. Yes they played the defending champions on the road and this is only day 1 but I just not seeing "playoff talent" when it comes to depth for the Knicks. Their starting 5 can hold their own and this is what New York must rely on if they want to make a playoff push.
Utah Jazz 104 vs Portland Trailblazers 113 - Two teams that made a few changes this season went at it in the 2nd of 3 games on opening night. Damian Lillard's 39 point 9 assist 6 rebound performance has put his name in the MVP race early. CJ McCollum added 25 points and hit a go-ahead 3 late in the 4th quarter.
Damian Lillard looked relentless versus Utah. His confidence is through the roof, his playmaking has improved and he is setting teammates up for easy scoring opportunities. You know that Dame and CJ will preform but I was excited to see Allen Crabbe contribute with 18 points off the bench. Crabbe was 6-10 from the floor and 4-5 from 3-point range. Consistent play from Allen will help the Trail Blazers break into the Western Conference top 4. Seeing Evan Turner go 1-8 was painful. After signing a 4 year $70 million contract you shouldn't shoot 1-8. But on the positive side Turner grabbed 5 boards and 5 assist with 0 turnovers. Hopefully he can contribute to the scoring load once he settles in with his new team.
Utah looked pretty good opening night. Joe Johnson scored 29 points for the injury-riddled Jazz while Rodney Hood added 26 points, hitting three 3-pointers. With Gordon Hayward and Derek Favors out, Utah still was competitive with one of the Western Conference perineal playoff team. Perimeter defense is a big question mark for the Jazz going into the season. George Hill is known to make a few plays on that end of the floor but he is aging and with Hood being nothing to brag about defensive, these high-powered Western Conference backcourts will give Utah a hard time. Rudy Gobert is a Top 5 rim protector but Utah must get better at stopping penetration to the rim which leads to kick-outs and open jump shots.
San Antonio Spurs 129 vs Golden State Warriors 100 - Didn't surprise me one bit that the Spurs came in Orcale and handed the Warriors an opening night loss. Kwahi Leonard scores 35 points in a game that saw the Spurs lead reach 29 points. LaMarcus Aldridge continues to be a Top 5 Power Forward scoring 26 points and 14 rebounds against the number one defensive team a year ago.
Earlier this week I was saying that I like Kawhi Leonard but he doesn't score enough points. Then he scores 35 on the road. If Leonard can become a 25 a night scorer MVP will be a no brained. His defense speaks for itself and the Spurs will be a Top 2 team in the west. Jonathon Simmons finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assist. Most of it was in mop up duties but I saw flashes of playmaking ability while Simmons was on the floor. Jonathon can defend and finish at the rim. Been hearing a lot of positive things out of the Spurs organization about Simmons and I will continue to watch his growth off the bench for them.
It was a lot of pressure for the Warriors on opening night. Where to start? You at home, you watch Cleveland mandhandle the Knicks, and you bringing your "super team" up against the 2-time defensive player of the year and Gregg Popovich. It's only day one but we can already see a chink in the armor of the Warriors. Kevin Durant finished with 27 points and 10 assist while Steph Curry added 26 points. But it was the way that the Spurs neutralized Klay Thinpson and Draymond Green that was impressive. Most teams don't have the depth or really the talent to take two All-Stars out the game but the Spurs do. The Warriors will shake back and at any time could win 15 in a row but I believe it will be a fight for that number one seed in the West.
10/26/26 NBA Schedule (winner prediction in Bold)
Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic 6:00pm CT
Dallas Mavericks vs Indiana Pacers 6:00pm CT
Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics 6:30pm CT
Detroit Pistons vs Toronto Raptors 6:30pm CT
Charlotte Hornets vs Milwaukee Bucks 7:00pm CT
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzles 7:00pm CT
Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans 7:00pm CT
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Philadelphia 76ers 7:00pm CT
Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns 9:00pm CT
Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers 9:30pm CT
Cleveland looked like they haven't missed a step. LeBron's passing ability still impresses me even after seeing it for so many years. Tyrone Lue kept the Knicks off balanced with a plethora of lineups. The Cavs role players were efficient of both ends of the floor, creating turnovers that led to 16 fast break points.
The Knicks were competitive in the first half, running set plays for Carmelo Anthony to get him open shots and saw flashes of aggressiveness from Derrick Rose. There are two huge question marks going forward for the Knicks. First is lack of depth. New York's bench is way below average. Between Brandon Jennings and Kyle O'Quinn, I don't see any consistent scoring or defense being played. Yes they played the defending champions on the road and this is only day 1 but I just not seeing "playoff talent" when it comes to depth for the Knicks. Their starting 5 can hold their own and this is what New York must rely on if they want to make a playoff push.
Utah Jazz 104 vs Portland Trailblazers 113 - Two teams that made a few changes this season went at it in the 2nd of 3 games on opening night. Damian Lillard's 39 point 9 assist 6 rebound performance has put his name in the MVP race early. CJ McCollum added 25 points and hit a go-ahead 3 late in the 4th quarter.
Damian Lillard looked relentless versus Utah. His confidence is through the roof, his playmaking has improved and he is setting teammates up for easy scoring opportunities. You know that Dame and CJ will preform but I was excited to see Allen Crabbe contribute with 18 points off the bench. Crabbe was 6-10 from the floor and 4-5 from 3-point range. Consistent play from Allen will help the Trail Blazers break into the Western Conference top 4. Seeing Evan Turner go 1-8 was painful. After signing a 4 year $70 million contract you shouldn't shoot 1-8. But on the positive side Turner grabbed 5 boards and 5 assist with 0 turnovers. Hopefully he can contribute to the scoring load once he settles in with his new team.
Utah looked pretty good opening night. Joe Johnson scored 29 points for the injury-riddled Jazz while Rodney Hood added 26 points, hitting three 3-pointers. With Gordon Hayward and Derek Favors out, Utah still was competitive with one of the Western Conference perineal playoff team. Perimeter defense is a big question mark for the Jazz going into the season. George Hill is known to make a few plays on that end of the floor but he is aging and with Hood being nothing to brag about defensive, these high-powered Western Conference backcourts will give Utah a hard time. Rudy Gobert is a Top 5 rim protector but Utah must get better at stopping penetration to the rim which leads to kick-outs and open jump shots.
San Antonio Spurs 129 vs Golden State Warriors 100 - Didn't surprise me one bit that the Spurs came in Orcale and handed the Warriors an opening night loss. Kwahi Leonard scores 35 points in a game that saw the Spurs lead reach 29 points. LaMarcus Aldridge continues to be a Top 5 Power Forward scoring 26 points and 14 rebounds against the number one defensive team a year ago.
Earlier this week I was saying that I like Kawhi Leonard but he doesn't score enough points. Then he scores 35 on the road. If Leonard can become a 25 a night scorer MVP will be a no brained. His defense speaks for itself and the Spurs will be a Top 2 team in the west. Jonathon Simmons finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assist. Most of it was in mop up duties but I saw flashes of playmaking ability while Simmons was on the floor. Jonathon can defend and finish at the rim. Been hearing a lot of positive things out of the Spurs organization about Simmons and I will continue to watch his growth off the bench for them.
It was a lot of pressure for the Warriors on opening night. Where to start? You at home, you watch Cleveland mandhandle the Knicks, and you bringing your "super team" up against the 2-time defensive player of the year and Gregg Popovich. It's only day one but we can already see a chink in the armor of the Warriors. Kevin Durant finished with 27 points and 10 assist while Steph Curry added 26 points. But it was the way that the Spurs neutralized Klay Thinpson and Draymond Green that was impressive. Most teams don't have the depth or really the talent to take two All-Stars out the game but the Spurs do. The Warriors will shake back and at any time could win 15 in a row but I believe it will be a fight for that number one seed in the West.
10/26/26 NBA Schedule (winner prediction in Bold)
Miami Heat vs Orlando Magic 6:00pm CT
Dallas Mavericks vs Indiana Pacers 6:00pm CT
Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics 6:30pm CT
Detroit Pistons vs Toronto Raptors 6:30pm CT
Charlotte Hornets vs Milwaukee Bucks 7:00pm CT
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzles 7:00pm CT
Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans 7:00pm CT
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Philadelphia 76ers 7:00pm CT
Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns 9:00pm CT
Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers 9:30pm CT
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