Four teams were in action for the season opener on Wednesday morning. The Lakers took on the Nuggets in a mutch-awaited rematch after the tensions between the two following last year's playoffs. In the other matchup, Chris Paul welcomed his old team to the Bay, as the Warriors went up against the Suns.
Lebron James started his 21st season in the NBA with 21 points, topping the scoring charts for the Lakers, even though he was limited to just 29 minutes. Despite that, the Nuggets beat the Lakers 119-107. Nikola Jokic put to rest any concerns regarding a potential drop in form with a triple-double; he had 29 points, 11 assists, and 13 rebounds. All 5 of the Nuggets starters had over 10 points, to complete a dominant display against the Lakers.
The Warriors vs Suns was a much tighter contest. The Suns outscored the Warriors by 15 points in the second quarter, but the team from San Francisco bounced back in the third with 40 points compared to the Suns' 19. A late 3-pointer from Eric Gordon led the Suns to a 4-point win, with the match ending 108-104. It’s important to note that Bradley Beal sat out this game, with him back in the starting lineup this Suns team could pose a genuine threat. Despite the loss, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody put up impressive performances with a combined 23 points off the bench for the Warriors. If this Golden State team wants to contend for a championship this year it's imperative that their core three deliver, however, they also need their younger players to shine off the bench.
On Thursday morning there were 24 teams in action. Notable performances included Kristaps Porziņģis’s 30 points and 8 rebounds on his Celtics debut, which helped the Celtics pick up a road win against the Knicks in a thrilling end-to-end contest. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points helped the Thunder defeat the Bulls, and Donovan Mitchell had 27 points along with his game-winning three as the Cavs beat the Nets. Victor Wembanyama had his much-awaited NBA debut; the number 1 pick racked up 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in a loss against the Mavs. On Friday morning the Bucks will suit up against the 76ers in the season opener for both teams, it’ll be Giannis and Dame’s first outing together in a regular season game and they'll be against the reigning MVP Joel Embiid.