NBA opening night recap: Cavs take the spotlight, Laker struggles continue
10/21/22 by Mackenzie Bruno
The start of the 2022-2023 NBA season did not disappoint, as new faces emerged and veteran stars appeared better than ever in their opening night games.
Image courtesy of MGN
The long-awaited return of the NBA season was on Tuesday, with some of the biggest names in the game showcasing once again why they can lead their team to championship contention. The Boston Celtics proved that they were not frauds last season, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 70 points to beat the 76ers at home. Despite James Harden being on the cusp of a triple double with 35 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, the Celtics defense and fast paced transition offense was too much for the 76ers to handle.
The Los Angeles Lakers traveled north to play the Warriors as they hung up their championship banner and unveiled their rings from their 2021-2022 NBA championship. Undoubtedly, Stephen Curry and LeBron James led the way for their teams as they seem to do year after year, but the Lakers struggled from the start. They shot an underwhelming ten for 40 from the three point line, which sparked a disappointing post-game interview from James.
Lebron, AD, and Westbrook had 31, 27, 19 points respectively, but yet again this was not enough to carry the Lakers against the Warriors deep bench. With a strong big three that is inconsistent and has little help from the rest of their lineup, the Lakers feel incomplete after a stagnant offseason in terms of moves made by the front office to bring in assets. For the Warriors, however, the performances by their rising stars in Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole demonstrated that their substantial new contracts are for a good reason.
Some surprising starts to the season came from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic. Although both teams lost on their opening nights, the potential they exhibited was promising from their young lineups. Both teams have had underwhelming seasons in the past years, but with new additions like Donovan Mitchell for the Cavs and Paolo Banchero for the Magic, this brings both teams into possible playoff contention. Piston’s Jaden Ivy also had an impressive rookie debut with 19 points, taking the win in Detroit.
Zion Williamson is finally back on the court again for the New Orleans Pelicans after missing all of last season due to a broken foot. The former number one overall draft pick appeared dominant in his season start with 25 points and nine rebounds that contributed to an outstanding team win by the Pelicans over the Nets (130-108). Brandon Ingram put up 28 points and CJ McCollum tallied 21 points with six assists to edge the star studded Brooklyn team.
Although in interviews Ben Simmons spoke confidently about how he was feeling coming into this season, his stat line against the Pelicans did not reflect that. Simmons fouled out in the fourth quarter and left the game scoring only four points to go along with five assists, five rebounds, and three turnovers. Kevin Durant was his usual self leading the Nets with 32 points. Teammate Kyrie Irving cited that physicality was potentially an issue for his team’s loss.
The combination of young stars and veterans who seem to be outlasting their prime will make for an exciting and competitive beginning to the 2022-2023 NBA season.