Around the NBA: Opening Week

Stats, team records, and games are all accurate as of games played on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

One of the most anticipated NBA seasons in its history got underway on Tuesday, Oct. 24 with a nationally televised doubleheader.

The defending champion Denver Nuggets celebrated their championship with a pregame banner lift and ring ceremony before staving off a couple of Los Angeles Lakers runs to win their first game of the season 119-107. Reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic opened the season with a 29-point triple-double to lead the Nuggets.

The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors faced off following that game in a matchup of teams who added big names this offseason. The Suns acquired Bradley Beal from the Wizards, although he did not play in the opening game, while the Warriors made a controversial trade for a 38-year-old Chris Paul.

After Phoenix took a 15-point lead at halftime, the Warriors outscored the Suns 40-19 in just the third quarter, taking a six-point lead into the fourth quarter.

However, Golden State had no answer for Devin Booker. One of the most prolific scorers in the NBA finished with 32 points. However, more importantly, for a Suns team without a traditional point guard, Booker finished with eight assists, including assists on the last four Suns buckets in the game to put away the Warriors.

12 games featuring 24 teams tipping off their season occurred Wednesday, with the most anticipated one being the debut of Victor Wembanyama as the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Denver Mavericks.

Wembanyama was not the focal point of the offense as many NBA fans expected him to be, as he took the least amount of shots out of the Spurs starting lineup.

However, in a tightly contested fourth quarter, Wemby was the entire offense, scoring nine of his 15 points in that period while contesting seemingly every three-pointer the Mavericks put up.

Despite Wemby’s strong fourth quarter, Mavericks rookie center Derrick Lively may have had the most impressive rookie debut in the league. Lively finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds on 7/8 shooting from the field as he showed his prowess as an interior defender and roll man off pick-and-rolls, two major Dallas weaknesses that cost them a playoff spot last season.

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic stole the show as he finished with a 33-point triple-double. Doncic hit a stepback dagger three with 30 seconds left in the game to push Dallas’s lead to seven. That was the final point difference between the two teams as the Mavericks won 126-119.

Many NBA fans are very high on the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team way ahead of schedule after they were expected to undergo a long-term rebuild. The Thunder traded both Russell Westbrook and Paul George for a haul of first-round draft picks, and have continued to increase that haul with other trades in the ensuing years.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s unexpected superstar development sped up the process, as the Thunder’s young core including Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and Luguentz Dort led the team to the Play-In Tournament.

Despite their loss in the nine vs ten seed matchup, the Thunder and their young core were expected to take a massive leap this season, and their first game provided evidence that the hype may have been warranted.

SGA finished with 31 points on 66% shooting to go along with 10 assists to lead the Thunder to a 20-point victory over the Chicago Bulls. Williams and Giddey both contributed 16 points for the Thunder, who did all this without a strong showing from highly anticipated rookie Chet Holmgren.

The Bulls, a team many predict will be sellers during the trade deadline, reportedly held a players-only meeting after the loss, something that does not bode well for the rest of their season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets after a game-winning three-pointer by Donovan Mitchell with 12 seconds remaining in the game. Cam Thomas missed his own would-be game-winner and Cameron Johnson missed the follow-up shot for the Nets, who are in a strange spot after blowing up their trio of disgruntled superstars over the last two seasons.

Alex Perez is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.