IND @ ORL: A surprise starter for the Magic, Josh McRoberts bumped Nikola Vucevic to a backup role. Gustavo Ayon played less than 12 minutes and picked up five fouls. Orlando did finally win a game, thanks to 21 points from Glen Davis and some strong guard play. J.J. Redick got the SG start — Arron Afflalo is not quite ready — and Jameer Nelson stepped up as a leader, with 15 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB and a +19 in 28 minutes. E’Twaun Moore looked good (again) in a backup role.
Until last night, D.J. Augustin had fit in perfectly with the Pacers’ first team, but he disappeared, going scoreless, with just 2 AST, in 24 minutes. George Hill will be back soon from his hip pointer, and DJA will run the second unit. Paul George missed all eight of his 3-point attempts and Roy Hibbert did all of his scoring in the first quarter. The lone bright spot in a dull effort was Tyler Hansbrough, with 23 points in 21 bench minutes.
PHI @ BRK: The Nets had home games on consecutive nights and Kris Humphries wasn’t “up” for this one, playing 13 listless minutes. The Brooklyn bench didn’t do much either; C.J. Wilson shot 1-8 and Andray Blatche (who has looked very good) played only 14 minutes.
While channel-flipping between this game, the Raptors-Knicks and the baseball playoffs, I kept seeing Thaddeus Young in the right place at the right time. Starting at PF, he played 39:22 and scored 24 points. If Andrew Bynum (knee) is not ready to begin the season, Young and Lavoy Allen will start. Evan Turner had a routine night of rest, so Dorell Wright (18 PTS, 11 REB) got the start. Mostly because Philly used a short rotation and took the game more seriously, they won by ten.
PHO @ OKC: Wow, the Suns threw in the towel on this one shortly after the anthem. Their starting five barely played, and the reserves were no match. We could point out Wesley Johnson’s 15 points, or a double-double by Solomon Jones, but it’s better to ignore all the stats and wait for them to use a more typical lineup.
Yesterday, I admired the talent of Perry Jones III while cautioning that he won’t play as much in the regular season. He was held out of last night’s game with a sore knee, but my best guess is, he’ll back up Kevin Durant — a job description that means limited minutes in close games. While Durant (22 PTS), Russell Westbrook (18 PTS, 12 AST) and Serge Ibaka (13 PTS, 8 REB) all played about 28 minutes, the Thunder started Hasheem Thabeet at C and DeAndre Liggins at SG, so they aren’t really in gear yet.
SAC @ LAL: Glad I’m not a Kings fan, but I will own a few of their players this year. James Johnson got at start at SF ahead of Tyreke Evans, and Thomas Robinson got the PF nod over Jason Thompson, but otherwise this was their “best” lineup. Jimmer Fredette has quietly had a very good camp; he scored 14 off the bench and could earn more consistent minutes as a sophomore.
The Lakers kept their winless streak intact. It’s like a month-long rope-a-dope; they will be truly scary at full strength with everyone trying. Dwight Howard could make his first game appearance as soon as tomorrow and we expect his sore back to be fine for the regular season. Steve Nash hasn’t even begun to dial up the intensity. Devin Ebanks scored 20 points off the bench and Jodie Meeks missed all four of his shots, so the backup wing position is about all that’s unsettled.
GSW @ POR: Add “gamer” to the Damian Lillard description as it sounds like he talked his way into playing with a sore foot, then scored 15 PTS, with 7 AST and just 1 TO. It wasn’t enough to win the game, but he’s the clear starting PG and no worse than the second-best rookie to own this season.
As above, with Bargnani and his calf, horrified Stephen Curry owners see that he left the game early due to a problem with his notoriously weak right ankle. Don’t panic, people. He got stepped on, rolled it a little, went to the locker room briefly and was ready to re-enter the game, being held out strictly as a precaution. Led by David Lee (24 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST) and Klay Thompson (19) with another stellar bench effort by Carl Landry (18 PTS, 6 REB) the Warriors didn’t need Curry to win. Jarrett Jack (9 PTS, 9 AST, 5 REB, 3 STL) is quite capable of taking over at PG. For one night, Brandon Rush outplayed starting SF Harrison Barnes; that position battle may continue all season.