DET @ PHO: Rodney Stuckey is now 1-17 this season. Not coincidentally, the Pistons are 0-2. They stayed in this game thanks to Tayshaun Prince (18) and a surprising 16 points from Jason Maxiell, plus solid PG play (13 PTS, 10 AST, 5 REB) by Brandon Knight. The Suns were led by Goran Dragic (15 PTS, 10 AST) and Marcin Gortat (16 PTS, 16 REB, 3 BLK) and got an improved, though unspectacular 16 & 7 from Michael Beasley.
MEM @ GSW: That’s more like it for Stephen Curry (26 PTS, 7 AST, 5 REB in 42:30) but Andrew Bogut is still on a minutes restriction (4 PTS in 18:00) and Brandon Rush hurt his knee, perhaps seriously. Harrison Barnes (8 PTS in 23:22) will see more action and Carl Landry (20 PTS, 6 REB) is becoming the Warriors’ key bench player. Memphis is simply better. They got 21 PTS, 7 AST and 5 STL from Mike Conley, a double-double (16 & 14) from Zach Randolph and a strong game by Marc Gasol (21 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST) to win handily.
LAC @ LAL: Despite a 40-point night for Kobe Bryant (foot) the Lakers fell to 0-3. It really wasn’t hard to predict Chris Paul (18 PTS, 15 AST, 3 STL) would dominate Steve Blake, who started for injured Steve Nash. The Clippers’ leading scorer was Jamal Crawford (21) as their bench had a 46-16 margin over the Lakers’ little-used subs.
November 3 Games
BOS @ WAS: The Wizards are better rested and at home, so this could be close, but I can’t see the Celtics losing three in a row. Not the greatest game to use in 1-day leagues, though I have a Jared Sullinger hunch.
SAC @ IND: Both teams played last night. The Pacers will be mad at themselves for losing in Charlotte but the Kings don’t seem to care. Look for Indiana reserves like Tyler Hansbrough and Lance Stephenson to have another good game.
TOR @ BRK: Too bad for the Brooklyn fans that it’s “only” the Raptors and not the Knicks in the first official game at the Barclays Center. There’s a great matchup at PG (Kyle Lowry vs. Deron Williams) and I think Jonas Valanciunas will fare well against Brook Lopez. Andrea Bargnani is a big matchup problem for Kris Humphries. The difference is on the wings, where the Nets are vastly superior.