Trae Young Drops 35 on Cavs
By Dan Bruno
The Atlanta Hawks defeated the host Cleveland Cavaliers, 133-111, at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday evening.
This marked the first home game of the season for the Cavaliers, who started off with two tough road losses. The Cavs came out strong in quarter one, as they led 13-7 at the mid-way point and pushed it to a 10-point, 34-24, lead heading into the second. However, the Hawks came to life in the second quarter, led by Trae Young, to outscore Cleveland, 40-26, in the frame and take a, 64-60, lead into halftime. The Hawks stayed on top through the third and held a six-point lead heading into the fourth. They kicked it to yet another gear in the fourth, where they jumped to a 17-point lead mid way through the quarter. The Cavs could not keep up and were soon down by 20, en route to their third straight loss to start the season.
Trae Young showed out with 35 points, 11 assists, two rebounds and one steal, in the best game of his young career. Alex Len was solid in the middle, with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks, while Kent Bazemore tallied 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. The Hawks shot 49 percent from the field, including 22-of-47 from long range.
Jordan Clarkson was the high-point man for Cleveland, with 19 points, on 7-of-12 shooting, in 23 minutes off the bench. Kevin Love had a solid night with 16 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and one steal, while George Hill tallied 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. The Cavs shot 46 percent from the field, including 10-of-27 from long range.
The Cavs (0-3) will look to bounce back as they play host to the Nets on Wednesday. The Hawks (1-2) play host to the Mavericks on Wednesday.
This marked the first home game of the season for the Cavaliers, who started off with two tough road losses. The Cavs came out strong in quarter one, as they led 13-7 at the mid-way point and pushed it to a 10-point, 34-24, lead heading into the second. However, the Hawks came to life in the second quarter, led by Trae Young, to outscore Cleveland, 40-26, in the frame and take a, 64-60, lead into halftime. The Hawks stayed on top through the third and held a six-point lead heading into the fourth. They kicked it to yet another gear in the fourth, where they jumped to a 17-point lead mid way through the quarter. The Cavs could not keep up and were soon down by 20, en route to their third straight loss to start the season.
Trae Young showed out with 35 points, 11 assists, two rebounds and one steal, in the best game of his young career. Alex Len was solid in the middle, with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks, while Kent Bazemore tallied 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. The Hawks shot 49 percent from the field, including 22-of-47 from long range.
Jordan Clarkson was the high-point man for Cleveland, with 19 points, on 7-of-12 shooting, in 23 minutes off the bench. Kevin Love had a solid night with 16 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and one steal, while George Hill tallied 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. The Cavs shot 46 percent from the field, including 10-of-27 from long range.
The Cavs (0-3) will look to bounce back as they play host to the Nets on Wednesday. The Hawks (1-2) play host to the Mavericks on Wednesday.
Kings Score First Victory, Topple Thunder 131-120
The Sacramento Kings defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 131-120, at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday evening.
With their surprisingly high-powered offensive performances over the first three games, the Kings (1-2) have seemingly caught the rest of the NBA off guard. The latest team to fall victim to their high-scoring prowess was the Thunder (0-3), which failed to notch their first win of the season despite the debut of Russell Westbrook (knee). The perennial All-Star unexpectedly logged 35 minutes despite not having had the benefit of a training camp or preseason and racked up 35 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. However, Sacramento saw every member of their first unit post double-digit scoring totals and shot a blistering 54.9 percent overall, including 45.5 percent from three-point range. In contrast, the majority of OKC'S offense ran through Westbrook and Paul George, and as a team, they only mustered a 23.1 percent success rate from behind the arc.
Iman Shumpert drew the start and led the Kings with 26 points, a total he supplemented with four assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks. De'Aaron Fox supplied 22 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. Buddy Hield pitched in 17 points, five boards and two assists. Willie Cauley-Stein and Marvin Bagley III generated matching 13-point tallies from the first unit and bench, respectively. Each also brought down seven rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica totaled 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block.
George followed Westbrook with 29 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Dennis Schroder still logged 32 minutes despite Westbrook's return and posted 14 points, eight assists, four rebounds and one steal. Hamidou Diallo registered 11 points, two assists, a rebound and two steals. Adams managed 10 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
The Kings remain on the road and next tangle with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday evening, while the Thunder try again for their first win against the Boston Celtics at home on Thursday evening.
With their surprisingly high-powered offensive performances over the first three games, the Kings (1-2) have seemingly caught the rest of the NBA off guard. The latest team to fall victim to their high-scoring prowess was the Thunder (0-3), which failed to notch their first win of the season despite the debut of Russell Westbrook (knee). The perennial All-Star unexpectedly logged 35 minutes despite not having had the benefit of a training camp or preseason and racked up 35 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. However, Sacramento saw every member of their first unit post double-digit scoring totals and shot a blistering 54.9 percent overall, including 45.5 percent from three-point range. In contrast, the majority of OKC'S offense ran through Westbrook and Paul George, and as a team, they only mustered a 23.1 percent success rate from behind the arc.
Iman Shumpert drew the start and led the Kings with 26 points, a total he supplemented with four assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks. De'Aaron Fox supplied 22 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. Buddy Hield pitched in 17 points, five boards and two assists. Willie Cauley-Stein and Marvin Bagley III generated matching 13-point tallies from the first unit and bench, respectively. Each also brought down seven rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica totaled 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block.
George followed Westbrook with 29 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Dennis Schroder still logged 32 minutes despite Westbrook's return and posted 14 points, eight assists, four rebounds and one steal. Hamidou Diallo registered 11 points, two assists, a rebound and two steals. Adams managed 10 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
The Kings remain on the road and next tangle with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday evening, while the Thunder try again for their first win against the Boston Celtics at home on Thursday evening.
Nuggets Remain Undefeated, Pull Upset Against Warriors
The Denver Nuggets defeated the Golden State Warriors, 100-98, at Pepsi Center on Sunday night.
Both teams came undefeated into this game but against all odds, it would be the Nuggets (3-0) who kept their streak alive thanks to a couple of magnificent plays down the stretch. The Warriors (2-1) never gave up and tried to send the game to overtime in the final seconds, but a key behind-the-back block from Juan Hernangomez sealed the win for a Denver team that kept the opposition under 100 points for the third straight game. It was a back-and-forth game from start to finish, but the Nuggets came out on top once it was all said and done.
Gary Harris was the leading scorer for the Nuggets since he finished the contest with 28 points while shooting 11-of-20 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line. Nikola Jokic once again filled the stat sheet and delivered another impressive performance, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Miles Plumlee added 11 points off the bench. Jamal Murray struggled, however, finishing with just three points while going 0-for-9 from the field.
Stephen Curry paved the way for the Warriors with a 30-point, six-assist performance, while Kevin Durant also had a decent game since he finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but only shot 7-of-19 from the field. Klay Thompson added 15 points, and Kevon Looney chipped in with 10 points and six boards off the bench.
Both teams came undefeated into this game but against all odds, it would be the Nuggets (3-0) who kept their streak alive thanks to a couple of magnificent plays down the stretch. The Warriors (2-1) never gave up and tried to send the game to overtime in the final seconds, but a key behind-the-back block from Juan Hernangomez sealed the win for a Denver team that kept the opposition under 100 points for the third straight game. It was a back-and-forth game from start to finish, but the Nuggets came out on top once it was all said and done.
Gary Harris was the leading scorer for the Nuggets since he finished the contest with 28 points while shooting 11-of-20 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line. Nikola Jokic once again filled the stat sheet and delivered another impressive performance, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Miles Plumlee added 11 points off the bench. Jamal Murray struggled, however, finishing with just three points while going 0-for-9 from the field.
Stephen Curry paved the way for the Warriors with a 30-point, six-assist performance, while Kevin Durant also had a decent game since he finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but only shot 7-of-19 from the field. Klay Thompson added 15 points, and Kevon Looney chipped in with 10 points and six boards off the bench.
Clippers Hold On To Defeat Rockets 115-112
By Jason Rubin
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Houston Rockets 115-112 at Staples Center on Sunday.
An eventful weekend for the Rockets as back-to-back games against both Los Angeles teams resulted in a split, but the some hungover damage came on Chris Paul's end after being suspended for two games following a fight with Rajon Rondo of the Lakers on Saturday. The suspension was handed down Sunday afternoon leaving Paul out of the Rockets (1-2) lineup.
The matchup on Sunday resulted in the Clippers getting off to a strong start by taking a 29-24 lead into the second quarter. Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallianari continued their productive scoring effort amongst the starters, where they combined for 43 points on 16-of-34 shooting. The Rockets would not go away in the second quarter, where James Harden found his stroke from behind the arc and orchestrated Clint Capela into some easy layups. The momentum shifted back in Los Angeles favor for the majority of the second half, specifically the waning minutes of the third quarter where they built a nine point lead. Los Angeles had little issue in the final period until the final two minutes. After a Montrezl Harrell layup with 1:43 remaining, James Harden single handedly brought the Rockets back within one possession after a quick two point jumper, followed up by an and-1 from behind the arc. Harden missed the 22-footer at the buzzer a possession later and the Clippers escaped with their second win of the season.
Harden led all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting, while Eric Gordon and Clint Capela pitched in 21 points and 23 points, respectively. Carmelo Anthony still looks to adjust to his bench role and finished with nine points and six rebounds across27 minutes. Harrell was the bench leader for the Clippers and posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Next up, the Clippers will play their first road game of the season when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, while the Rockets return home to face the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
An eventful weekend for the Rockets as back-to-back games against both Los Angeles teams resulted in a split, but the some hungover damage came on Chris Paul's end after being suspended for two games following a fight with Rajon Rondo of the Lakers on Saturday. The suspension was handed down Sunday afternoon leaving Paul out of the Rockets (1-2) lineup.
The matchup on Sunday resulted in the Clippers getting off to a strong start by taking a 29-24 lead into the second quarter. Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallianari continued their productive scoring effort amongst the starters, where they combined for 43 points on 16-of-34 shooting. The Rockets would not go away in the second quarter, where James Harden found his stroke from behind the arc and orchestrated Clint Capela into some easy layups. The momentum shifted back in Los Angeles favor for the majority of the second half, specifically the waning minutes of the third quarter where they built a nine point lead. Los Angeles had little issue in the final period until the final two minutes. After a Montrezl Harrell layup with 1:43 remaining, James Harden single handedly brought the Rockets back within one possession after a quick two point jumper, followed up by an and-1 from behind the arc. Harden missed the 22-footer at the buzzer a possession later and the Clippers escaped with their second win of the season.
Harden led all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting, while Eric Gordon and Clint Capela pitched in 21 points and 23 points, respectively. Carmelo Anthony still looks to adjust to his bench role and finished with nine points and six rebounds across27 minutes. Harrell was the bench leader for the Clippers and posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Next up, the Clippers will play their first road game of the season when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, while the Rockets return home to face the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.