Thursday, Oct. 24 saw one game come down to the wire while the others - two on the road and one at home - proved to be comfortable wins.
The Boston Celtics made easy work of the Washington Wizards 122-102 thanks in large part to a 65-41 blitz over the second and third quarters, the Oklahoma City Thunder got an impressive road win in high altitude 102-87 at the Denver Nuggets, the Dallas Mavericks used a strong fourth quarter to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 120-109, and the Minnesota Timberwolves went to Sacramento and held off the Kings 117-115.
Jaylen Brown (10-for-20 from the field, 3-for-6 from three-point range, 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals) led the Celtics, while Jayson Tatum added 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists (9-for-20). Derrick White added 19, Payton Pritchard hit five triples and finished with 15, and Neemias Queta scored 12 points in 14 minutes off the bench. The Celtics shot 47 percent, made 17-of-45 from deep, and connected on 21 free throws out of 27. They also enjoyed a 49-40 rebounding advantage.
The Wizards shot just 43 percent and hit on only seven three-pointers (36 attempts). Jordan Poole (6-for-11 from three) led with 26, while Jonas Valanciunas put up 18 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
The Thunder received 25 points (11-for-18), 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks from Chet Holmgren in their 15-point victory, but were led by 2024 Most Valuable Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 28 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals (11-for-24). Aaron Wiggins added 15 off the bench while Jalen Williams (5-for-16) struggled with 12 points.
All five Nugget starters finished in double figures, with Nikola Jokic's triple-double (16 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds) leading the way. Christian Braun (8-for-15) also scored 16 points. Braun, a 23-year-old gifted athlete, is getting an increased role this season with the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. struggled, collectively going 9-of-30 for 27 points. Russell Westbrook in his first game with the team was just 2-for-10 and finished with 6 points.
The Kings and Timberwolves played a very competitive game, with the Kings' Keegan Murray (23 points, 11 rebounds) just missing a double-clutch triple that rimmed out as time expired. DeMar DeRozan led his new squad with 28 points, while Sacramento mainstays Domantas Sabonis (24 points, 8 rebounds) and De'Aaron Fox (15 points, 11 assists) also put forth solid efforts. Malik Monk scored 17 off the bench.
On the Minnesota side, Julius Randle (33 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and Anthony Edwards (32 points) put together performances befitting of their All-Star labels. Edwards has struggled mightily from the field though over the first two games, going a combined 20-for-49. Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid added 19 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. His ability to shoot at his size and also play inside is a great asset to the Timberwolves, a primary reason why Karl-Anthony Towns became expendable in the off-season.
The Mavericks (73-60 advantage in the second half) pulled away from the Spurs early in the fourth quarter, going on a 12-0 run courtesy of three Luka Doncic triples and a Klay Thompson three. Thompson, who struggled some in the preseason, looked back to his old form on Thursday, hitting on six of his 10 attempts from downtown and finishing with 22 points. Doncic (9-for-25, 4-for-11 from three) finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Kyrie Irving (6-for-17) scored 15 points. Dereck Lively played a great game off the bench with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Julian Champagne and Jeremy Sochan (18 points apiece) both played well for the Spurs, as did newcomer Harrison Barnes with 17. Chris Paul was just 1-for-6 with 3 points but did have 8 assists and 7 rebounds.
Victor Wembanyama did have 17 points and 9 rebounds, but most of it was inconsequential as he was just 5-for-18 from the field and 1-for-8 from downtown. Wembanyama missed on open three-point attempts, only really looking in a rhythm late in the game when he hit a turn around fade-away over Quentin Grimes from about 13 feet out, and on a jump shot over Klay Thompson from the right side.
Much is expected of Wembanyama this season as he looks to build off of a successful rookie campaign (21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks on 47 percent shooting). Playing in the paint more is key as is nixing the guard-like play to show his true dominance down low as a 7-feet, 4-inch alien archetype.
This summer's Olympic experience only helps his future preparedness for pressure situations, not to mention all of the nightly NBA games. On Thursday night, he was in a variety of situations - catching the ball at the top of the arc, on the elbow extended, the elbow, and in the post. There's little doubt that his most effective area is the post, where he showed on Thursday in being able to shoot over Daniel Gafford and Lively inside. On one occasion, after catching on the right wing, he ran to the block where he caught the ball, took two dribbles, went toward the baseline on Lively, and scored a layup. The bucket was a display of the type of ease with which he can score when he plays out of the right spots. On some possessions though, he gets caught in difficult positions, like a travel on a step-back attempt while being guarded by Lively that was preceded by too many dribbles. Other times, he caught the ball away from the basket and was pushed out of position by Maverick forward Maxi Kleber.
His missed three-point attempts were good open looks that he can be expected to hit more often than not, but on other attempts from the perimeter you would like to see him attack, like a play where he caught the ball on the wing, got Gafford in the air with a pump fake, but did not drive to the basket for what would have been an easy dunk. On rebounds too, you would like to see him hold his ground more in the paint. There are other times where his intergalactic reach is enough to allow him to corral misses.
It was game one, and despite the acquisitions of Barnes and Paul, the Spurs are still very young. It is a roster mostly equipped with babies. Devin Vassell, a promising 24-year-old swingman who underwent right foot surgery on June 26, has a timeline of November to return to action. Vassell put up 19.5 points on 47 percent shooting last season, and will be a bonus for the Spurs when he takes the court.
As for Wembanyama, people need to be patient with this kid. The intrigue of an overseas talent, the allure of his height and athleticism, and being drafted to an organization that has served as overseas whisperers for decades now all brought about nearly unprecedented hype. He did have some remarkable performances last season. Still, he is only 20 years old. Still, his body needs to develop. Think Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh when they first came into the NBA, Garnett a scrawny 19-year-old in '95 and Bosh rail thin in '03. Their bodies filled out with time. Wembanyama's will do the same. His shoulders have noticeably begun to fill out already.
The Spurs' youth is a contrast to the veteran-laden teams from 1999-2014 that won titles. This is a young group that Popovich is guiding along. Last year, you could see that he was experimenting with guys in different spots (Sochan played a lot of point guard). It was a trial by fire approach. Wembanyama only averaged 29.7 minutes per game last season.
Going into 2024-2025, Wembanyama was ranked 11th on ESPN's Top 100 Players, ahead of Jalen Brunson (12th), Anthony Davis (13th), 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown (14th), and Devin Booker (15th). Those three guys are All-Stars and fringe superstars.
11th. A little premature? Probably. A reach? Probably. Who knows if he will surpass any of those guys by the end of this season? Who knows what they will do? (Davis could be in store for an excellent season if his 36 points and 16 rebounds on Tuesday night were any indication of what the 31-year-old's 2024-2025 campaign will be like). Who knows what Wembanyama will do? It's one game of 82. It's October 25.
Patience.
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