Mavericks Visit Hawks To Open Season
The Atlanta Hawks will host the Dallas Mavericks at State Farm Arena on Thursday evening.
The Hawks were one of the biggest surprises of the 2020-21 NBA season, as they reached the Eastern Conference Finals led by the stellar play of Trae Young while getting past the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, and they could have easily made it all the way to the NBA FInals hadn't their star point guard suffered an injury in the series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta posted a 41-31 record during the regular season and finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, but they looked at their best at home where they posted a 25-11 record. The Hawks also averaged 113.7 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three-point range last season. During the offseason, Atlanta added Delon Wright and Gorgui Dieng while also locking up long-term deals for both Young and John Collins. That's clearly a success, as the Hawks are looking to assemble a team that can compete for years to come.
The Mavericks were also a pleasant surprise in the 2020-21 NBA season, and while they lost in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, they forced them to seven games in what was a thrilling series that could've gone either way. Dallas finished the 2020-21 regular season with a 42-30 overall record and posted a strong 21-15 on the road, so they're not going to be an easy opponent in this one. Even though Dallas lost Josh Richardson, but they quickly replaced him by signing Reggie Bullock on a three-year, $30.5 million contract. Aside from bringing back Tim Hardaway Jr. and Boban Marjanovic, the Mavericks' last move of free agency was the signing of Sterling Brown to a three-year deal worth $6 million. Dallas will still live and die depending on how far Luka Doncic can carry them, but there's no question the team looks deeper compared to last season's squad.
These two teams played twice last season and the Mavericks swept the season series, although both games were decided by six points or fewer.
The Hawks were one of the biggest surprises of the 2020-21 NBA season, as they reached the Eastern Conference Finals led by the stellar play of Trae Young while getting past the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, and they could have easily made it all the way to the NBA FInals hadn't their star point guard suffered an injury in the series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta posted a 41-31 record during the regular season and finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, but they looked at their best at home where they posted a 25-11 record. The Hawks also averaged 113.7 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three-point range last season. During the offseason, Atlanta added Delon Wright and Gorgui Dieng while also locking up long-term deals for both Young and John Collins. That's clearly a success, as the Hawks are looking to assemble a team that can compete for years to come.
The Mavericks were also a pleasant surprise in the 2020-21 NBA season, and while they lost in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, they forced them to seven games in what was a thrilling series that could've gone either way. Dallas finished the 2020-21 regular season with a 42-30 overall record and posted a strong 21-15 on the road, so they're not going to be an easy opponent in this one. Even though Dallas lost Josh Richardson, but they quickly replaced him by signing Reggie Bullock on a three-year, $30.5 million contract. Aside from bringing back Tim Hardaway Jr. and Boban Marjanovic, the Mavericks' last move of free agency was the signing of Sterling Brown to a three-year deal worth $6 million. Dallas will still live and die depending on how far Luka Doncic can carry them, but there's no question the team looks deeper compared to last season's squad.
These two teams played twice last season and the Mavericks swept the season series, although both games were decided by six points or fewer.
Heat Set For Season-Opener Against Bucks
By Dan Bruno
The Miami Heat play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at FTX Arena on Thursday evening.
The Heat are set to open their season against the very team that swept them out of last season's playoffs in just the first round. It may have seemed like an underachievement for the Heat to get booted so early, but after the Bucks went on to win the championship, it put the loss in a slightly different perspective. On the positive side, the Heat are one of the more anticipated teams to watch coming into the season, as they picked up all-star point guard and champion, Kyle Lowry in the offseason. Lowry will give the Heat a lot more toughness and leadership, as he has proven throughout his career that he is an ultimate competitor on both ends of the floor. The Heat also added recent NBA champion, P.J. Tucker to once again bolster their toughness and defensive capabilities. Victor Oladipo (quad) will not be available for Thursday's opener and is expected to be ready for action no sooner than November. The Heat's returning core of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro are all primed and ready for action.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are coming off an impressive, 127-104, win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, in their season-opener. The Bucks got out to a great start in the contest with a, 37-25, lead after one quarter. They gave up some ground in the second but regained control and momentum in the third quarter on their way to the blowout win. Last season's Finals MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, looked great in the win, as he led the way with 32 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal, in 30 minutes of action. Khris Middleton followed up with 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Pat Connaughton tallied 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Jrue Holiday (heel) was forced to leave the game after just 17 minutes of action and remains questionable for action on Thursday.
The Heat are set to open their season against the very team that swept them out of last season's playoffs in just the first round. It may have seemed like an underachievement for the Heat to get booted so early, but after the Bucks went on to win the championship, it put the loss in a slightly different perspective. On the positive side, the Heat are one of the more anticipated teams to watch coming into the season, as they picked up all-star point guard and champion, Kyle Lowry in the offseason. Lowry will give the Heat a lot more toughness and leadership, as he has proven throughout his career that he is an ultimate competitor on both ends of the floor. The Heat also added recent NBA champion, P.J. Tucker to once again bolster their toughness and defensive capabilities. Victor Oladipo (quad) will not be available for Thursday's opener and is expected to be ready for action no sooner than November. The Heat's returning core of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro are all primed and ready for action.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are coming off an impressive, 127-104, win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, in their season-opener. The Bucks got out to a great start in the contest with a, 37-25, lead after one quarter. They gave up some ground in the second but regained control and momentum in the third quarter on their way to the blowout win. Last season's Finals MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, looked great in the win, as he led the way with 32 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal, in 30 minutes of action. Khris Middleton followed up with 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Pat Connaughton tallied 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Jrue Holiday (heel) was forced to leave the game after just 17 minutes of action and remains questionable for action on Thursday.
Warriors Host Clippers on Thursday
The Golden State Warriors play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center on Thursday.
Los Angeles is the last team to play their first game, and it's undoubtedly one of the most fascinating teams in the NBA. While the expectations are high, we need to scale them back with Kawhi Leonard missing so much time. The superstar forward tore his ACL near the end of last season, and it's possible that he won't be back until the end of this season. That leaves a lot on the shoulders of Paul George, but he'll be just fine. Where they really need to see some improvement is from their role players. Guys like Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann, and Ivica Zubac need to continue to grow because if they don't, this could be a long season for this shorthanded club.
The Warriors (1-0) had a bunch of question marks themselves, but they showed some serious resiliency in the opener. They went into Los Angeles and handed the Lakers a 121-114 defeat on Tuesday night. They grabbed that win without Klay Thompson, which is impressive since Stephen Curry struggled with his shot. He did record the eighth triple-double of his career, though, and it's clear that he knows he needs to do more than just score. The sneaky boost for them was their bench, getting a double-double from Nemanja Bjelica en route to a 55-29 scoring advantage. He's someone that no one talked about in the offseason, but he's quietly been a great piece for most of his understated career.
Los Angeles won the season series over Golden State, 2-1, last season. That gives the Clippers five wins in their previous six meetings with the Warriors dating back three years.
Los Angeles is the last team to play their first game, and it's undoubtedly one of the most fascinating teams in the NBA. While the expectations are high, we need to scale them back with Kawhi Leonard missing so much time. The superstar forward tore his ACL near the end of last season, and it's possible that he won't be back until the end of this season. That leaves a lot on the shoulders of Paul George, but he'll be just fine. Where they really need to see some improvement is from their role players. Guys like Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann, and Ivica Zubac need to continue to grow because if they don't, this could be a long season for this shorthanded club.
The Warriors (1-0) had a bunch of question marks themselves, but they showed some serious resiliency in the opener. They went into Los Angeles and handed the Lakers a 121-114 defeat on Tuesday night. They grabbed that win without Klay Thompson, which is impressive since Stephen Curry struggled with his shot. He did record the eighth triple-double of his career, though, and it's clear that he knows he needs to do more than just score. The sneaky boost for them was their bench, getting a double-double from Nemanja Bjelica en route to a 55-29 scoring advantage. He's someone that no one talked about in the offseason, but he's quietly been a great piece for most of his understated career.
Los Angeles won the season series over Golden State, 2-1, last season. That gives the Clippers five wins in their previous six meetings with the Warriors dating back three years.