Hawks Open Season Against Surprising Pistons
The Detroit Pistons take on the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Thursday night in Atlanta's regular-season opener.
The Pistons (1-0) got their season off to an impressive start Wednesday night with a 119-110 road victory over the Indiana Pacers. In the absence of Blake Griffin (hamstring/knee), Andre Drummond paced the Pistons with a 32-point, 23-rebound double-double that also included two assists, four blocks and three steals. Luke Kennard followed with a bench-leading 30 points. Derrick Rose furnished 18 points, nine assists and two rebounds. Tony Snell supplied 10 points, two rebounds and two assists. Markieff Morris started for Griffin and managed eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Besides Griffin, the Pistons are also expected to be without Sekou Doumbouya (concussion) for Thursday's game.
The Hawks (0-0) will open the regular season looking to take a big step forward from last season's 29-53 record. Atlanta returns four-fifths of last season's starting five, with Alex Len the one exception at center after Dewayne Dedmon departed for Sacramento this offseason. Second-year point guard Trae Young will be counted on to take the next step in his development as the leader of Atlanta's attack after an impressive rookie campaign. The Hawks also figure to feature their pair of promising 2019 first-round picks, Cam Reddish and DeAndre Hunter, plenty as the season unfolds.
Young and John Collins have recently dealt with a back injury and an illness, respectively, but both are expected to play Thursday. Meanwhile, Allen Crabbe and Chandler Parsons will both be out with knee issues. Additionally, Kevin Huerter, who's been dealing with a knee injury of his own, is expected to be limited to approximately 15 minutes off the bench Thursday, with Reddish getting the start at shooting guard in his place.
The Pistons won the 2018-19 season series between the teams by a 2-1 margin.
The Pistons (1-0) got their season off to an impressive start Wednesday night with a 119-110 road victory over the Indiana Pacers. In the absence of Blake Griffin (hamstring/knee), Andre Drummond paced the Pistons with a 32-point, 23-rebound double-double that also included two assists, four blocks and three steals. Luke Kennard followed with a bench-leading 30 points. Derrick Rose furnished 18 points, nine assists and two rebounds. Tony Snell supplied 10 points, two rebounds and two assists. Markieff Morris started for Griffin and managed eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Besides Griffin, the Pistons are also expected to be without Sekou Doumbouya (concussion) for Thursday's game.
The Hawks (0-0) will open the regular season looking to take a big step forward from last season's 29-53 record. Atlanta returns four-fifths of last season's starting five, with Alex Len the one exception at center after Dewayne Dedmon departed for Sacramento this offseason. Second-year point guard Trae Young will be counted on to take the next step in his development as the leader of Atlanta's attack after an impressive rookie campaign. The Hawks also figure to feature their pair of promising 2019 first-round picks, Cam Reddish and DeAndre Hunter, plenty as the season unfolds.
Young and John Collins have recently dealt with a back injury and an illness, respectively, but both are expected to play Thursday. Meanwhile, Allen Crabbe and Chandler Parsons will both be out with knee issues. Additionally, Kevin Huerter, who's been dealing with a knee injury of his own, is expected to be limited to approximately 15 minutes off the bench Thursday, with Reddish getting the start at shooting guard in his place.
The Pistons won the 2018-19 season series between the teams by a 2-1 margin.
Clash Of Titans In Houston
By Dan Bruno
The Houston Rockets play host to the Milwaukee Bucks, at Toyota Center on Thursday evening.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden finished first and second in the MVP race in the 2018-19 season, but both still have unfinished business, as neither were able to get to the NBA Finals. They kick off their respective seasons by going head-to-head in a matchup that may have some extra meaning for them personally, but also a contest that neither team can afford to take lightly.
The Rockets (0-0) made some changes in the offseason, highlighted by a trade that landed Russell Westbrook in Houston, in exchange for Chris Paul. The reunification of Harden and Westbrook is highly anticipated but also poses the question, as both players have the ability to dominate the stat sheet, can they do it together? In their final preseason game together, Harden finished with 44 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Westbrook tallied 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. They shot a combined 18-of-39 in the contest.
Meanwhile, the Bucks (0-0) begin the 2019-2020 season with the additions of Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez, Dragan Bender and Kyle Korver. Matthews is expected to start at shooting guard, while Korver, Bender and Lopez give the Bucks some solid depth to go along with the returning George Hill, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown and Ersan Ilyasova. The rest of the starters, including Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez will have an extra chip on their shoulder after seeing their hopes of a finals appearance be ripped away in four straight losses in the 2019 conference finals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden finished first and second in the MVP race in the 2018-19 season, but both still have unfinished business, as neither were able to get to the NBA Finals. They kick off their respective seasons by going head-to-head in a matchup that may have some extra meaning for them personally, but also a contest that neither team can afford to take lightly.
The Rockets (0-0) made some changes in the offseason, highlighted by a trade that landed Russell Westbrook in Houston, in exchange for Chris Paul. The reunification of Harden and Westbrook is highly anticipated but also poses the question, as both players have the ability to dominate the stat sheet, can they do it together? In their final preseason game together, Harden finished with 44 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Westbrook tallied 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. They shot a combined 18-of-39 in the contest.
Meanwhile, the Bucks (0-0) begin the 2019-2020 season with the additions of Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez, Dragan Bender and Kyle Korver. Matthews is expected to start at shooting guard, while Korver, Bender and Lopez give the Bucks some solid depth to go along with the returning George Hill, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown and Ersan Ilyasova. The rest of the starters, including Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez will have an extra chip on their shoulder after seeing their hopes of a finals appearance be ripped away in four straight losses in the 2019 conference finals.
Warriors Host Clippers in New Stadium
The Golden State Warriors play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center on Thursday.
The Clippers (1-0) were the talk of the town in the offseason and they showed why in their first game. Los Angeles played host to the Lakers in their opener, handing them a 112-102 defeat. The elite defense was on full display and they did that with Paul George still sidelined. George is expected to miss about a month of action as he continues to recover from shoulder issues but Kawhi Leonard is still there. He provided 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in that victory and it's scary to think how good he can be for a full campaign. The biggest asset to this team last year was their bench though and that was evident in the first game. Both Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell played brilliantly off the pine and that's going to make this team especially tough for the duration of the season.
The Warriors (0-0) are actually the final team to tip-off this season and it will be fascinating to see what they do this season. After finding their way into the Finals for most of the last decade, this is going to be their toughest battle yet. Losing Kevin Durant in free agency is one thing but the injury to Klay Thompson is equally as discouraging. That's why the Warriors brought in D'Angelo Russell from the Nets, as he should play second fiddle to Stephen Curry. It could be an MVP campaign for the stud shooter and Curry will have to perform at that level to get them back into the Finals. A 40-point, six-rebound and six-assist gem in the preseason is hopefully a sign of things to come and it wouldn't be surprising to see Curry lead the league in scoring with all of his cohorts now out of the picture.
Golden State has absolutely dominated this series over recent years, winning 16 of their last 18 games over Los Angeles dating back to 2014.
The Clippers (1-0) were the talk of the town in the offseason and they showed why in their first game. Los Angeles played host to the Lakers in their opener, handing them a 112-102 defeat. The elite defense was on full display and they did that with Paul George still sidelined. George is expected to miss about a month of action as he continues to recover from shoulder issues but Kawhi Leonard is still there. He provided 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in that victory and it's scary to think how good he can be for a full campaign. The biggest asset to this team last year was their bench though and that was evident in the first game. Both Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell played brilliantly off the pine and that's going to make this team especially tough for the duration of the season.
The Warriors (0-0) are actually the final team to tip-off this season and it will be fascinating to see what they do this season. After finding their way into the Finals for most of the last decade, this is going to be their toughest battle yet. Losing Kevin Durant in free agency is one thing but the injury to Klay Thompson is equally as discouraging. That's why the Warriors brought in D'Angelo Russell from the Nets, as he should play second fiddle to Stephen Curry. It could be an MVP campaign for the stud shooter and Curry will have to perform at that level to get them back into the Finals. A 40-point, six-rebound and six-assist gem in the preseason is hopefully a sign of things to come and it wouldn't be surprising to see Curry lead the league in scoring with all of his cohorts now out of the picture.
Golden State has absolutely dominated this series over recent years, winning 16 of their last 18 games over Los Angeles dating back to 2014.