Day 4 of the delayed/cancelled NBA simulation season as it was originally scheduled:
The Lakers are the first team to three wins, the Thunder get their first win of the year, but the big story is a monster game by Golden State’s Monta Ellis.
Charlotte Bobcats 99, Milwaukee Bucks 86
Corey Maggette apparently likes his new team much more than his old own. His 26 points led Charlotte to a nice 13 point over Milwaukee. The Bobcats shot a scintillating 53 percent from the field compared to just 39 percent for the Bucks. Andrew Bogut was the star for the Bucks with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists.
Philadelphia 76ers 102, Minnesota 108
Minnesota won just 17 times last year. Now it has two wins in two games. Kevin Love scored 20 points, but uncharacteristically had just 6 rebounds. That was still ok because the Wolves still outrebounded the size challenged Sixers. Andre Iguodala again had a monster game in a loss with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. Evan Turner could be showing much improvement in his second year as he posted 11 points with 4 assists and 2 steals.
Cleveland Cavaliers 99, Toronto Raptors 108
The Raptors are among a large group of surprising 2-0 teams. They had seven players score in double figures in this game with Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon combining for 41. Bargnani added 9 rebounds while Calderon chipped in 11 assists. Rookie Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Fellow rookie Tristan Thompson had 6 points and 9 rebounds.
Boston Celtics 91, Atlanta Hawks 76
Boston’s vaunted defense showed up in game two of the season holding Atlanta to just 42 percent shooting and 76 points. Paul Pierce scored 24 points on just 11 shots getting to the line 10 times. The sims show that Atlanta will really need to find some more depth somewhere as the bench scored just 8 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder 96, Indiana Pacers 84
The Thunder got its first win of the year dominating the Pacers at home. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were predictably awesome combining for 53 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. Five other Thunder players scored between 6 and 9 points. The Pacers were led by Danny Granger’s 22 points. Roy Hibbert had 15 points and 11 rebounds bouncing from a very poor opening game. Paul George is still inconsistent as his line showed just 2 points and 1 block.
San Antonio Spurs 97, Dallas Mavericks 90
The Spurs prevailed over their Texas rivals with some terrific offense. They shot 51.5 percent from the field, turned the ball over just 6 times, and shot 14 more free throws than Dallas. Tony Parker led San Antonio with 21 points. Dirk Nowitzki was good, but not at his true superstar NBA Finals level with 20 points and 8 rebounds.
Phoenix Suns 89, Los Angeles Lakers 94
The Mike Brown era continues to go well for L.A. with a third straight win to open the season. Kobe shot just 8 for 23 from the field, but still scored 25 points with 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Pau Gasol took advantage of Phoenix’s weak inside game with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Steve Nash got his first double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
Golden State Warriors 115, Sacramento Kings 103
Monta Ellis is capable of huge scoring nights, but this one will probably go down as one of the best overall games of his career. The speedy guard had 40 points to go along with a whopping 16 assists to lead his team to a win. Five other teammates scored in double figures, but Ellis was the story for the Warriors.
Los Angeles Clippers 88, Portland Trail Blazers 82
The Clippers could be in for a pretty good year in year 2 of the Blake Griffin era. Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, and Griffin each scored 17 points with Randy Foye chipping in 16. The Trail Blazers will have to deal with an up and down Brandon Roy all year in the times he’s healthy enough to be on the court. This was one of the down games with Roy getting just 7 points and 2 assists. Gerald Wallace might be taking over as the team’s best player leading the way with 19 points and 5 rebounds.
