A 'DeMarvellous' Debut: NBA Pre-Season Day 6 Recap
Knicks v Wizards
In the first game of the day, the Knicks were dominant from the tip. Karl Anthony-Towns started slow, shooting 0/6 in the first half. Jalen Brunson was on the opposite end of the spectrum, scoring 17 points in just 9 shots through the first half.
The Knicks led by 15 points at halftime, and from there, the lead bloomed. Quite frankly, the Wizards looked awful. They shot just 34% from the field and had an absurdly bad 16 turnovers in the first 24 minutes.
The Knicks didn’t have to play great, Brunson carried early, and the rest of the starters had solid contributions on both ends. KAT had a nice-looking stat line with 25 points and 12 rebounds, but he shot 7/20 from the field and 1/7 from three. He also had 5 fouls in 28 minutes.
In some small consolation for Washington, French rookies Kyshawn George and Alexandre Sarr had some strong individual games on both ends of the floor, both putting up 3 blocks each.
Result: 23-point win for New York, by the score of 117-94
Spurs v Magic
In Victor Wembanyama's first pre-season game, he had a slow start, but still had 9 points 4 assists, and 4 boards at the half.
Chris Paul and Wemby provided the highlight of the night, with a beautiful alley-oop finish by the sophomore, which will surely be the first of many.
Jett Howard, Orlando's second-year player, was on fire in the first half, scoring 15 pts including a tough 4-point play. Paolo Banchero was also good in his minutes, with a highlight dunk of his own in the first half.
Fourth overall pick Stephon Castle was very impressive again. He drove well to get to the charity stripe 10 times and finished with 17 points.
Result: The Spurs take a 107-97 win, as Orlando fall to 0-2 this NBA Pre-Season.
Rockets v Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder's 'big 3' was dominant early, combining for 40 points at halftime. This was our first look at the new Thunder starting lineup with Alex Caruso, and it looked dominant. Caruso was excellent defensively, and the offense was very efficient with him on the floor. The defensive duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein down low also looked terrifying.
Dillon Brooks and Alperen Sengun were the only ones scoring somewhat efficiently for Houston. Sengun finished with 17 points and 9 boards in 22 minutes.
Reed Sheppard showed some excellent flashes again off the bench and looks to be a big part of the Rockets' regular season rotation, despite their logjam at the guard position. The game went to overtime after Jack McVeigh tied it at the buzzer. McVeigh has proven to be a clutch player in the NBL.
Result: Rockets take the win 122-113, as both teams now sit with a 1-1 record in the preseason.
Kings v Warriors
In a super high-scoring first half, newly acquired King DeMar DeRozan was on fire, shooting 6/6 from the field, much to the delight of the crowd. Buddy Hield was also scorching hot, shooting 6/6 himself. He's a guy who's used to the Golden 1 Center rims, and it was on full display from downtown. The Kings had the lead 68-66 at halftime, after an offensive onslaught from both teams.
The offense was clearly not a problem for either team, as has been the case the last few seasons. Neither team was really running plays, and no one could get a stop, the absolute beauty of pre-season ball.
An excellent debut for DeMar, who was helped by solid contributions by De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, as well as quite possibly the loudest crowd ever at a preseason game. Sacramento showed out in a fully packed stadium, as the Kings fell to the Warriors 112-122.
Result: Steph Curry finished with 13 points, and De'Anthony Melton and Jonathan Kuminga finished with 16 apiece.
Read More NBA News From Stadium Rant Here: NBA News
MORE FROM STADIUM RANT:
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
Comments