There are only three games featured today in the NBA, but the action in those games surely didn’t disappoint.
Southeast Division rivals Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks have played each other once more, and the Erik Spoelstra-mentored grabbed another victory, thanks to the torrid start of Kendrick Nunn who had 28 points.
Down at the Smoothie King Center, it’s the New Orleans Pelicans who finally notched their first win of the season, in what was a valiant effort as they are still missing the services of the athletic rookie Zion Williamson.
Meanwhile, in downtown Los Angeles, it was the Clippers who pulled away in the end for a close victory against the San Antonio Spurs as they were led by former Spur Kawhi Leonard who poured in 38 markers.
Allow SBOBET to give you a recap of the games played last Friday night.
New Orleans Pelicans 122-107 Denver Nuggets
The New Orleans Pelicans were facing a daunting task in trying to contain Nikola Jokic, but they took on the challenge head on to get their first win of the young season.
Jahlil Okafor led the way with 26 points, while Brandon Ingram scored 25. However, it was the team’s defence on Nikola Jokic that did the trick as he only scored 13 points in this game.
“More so than anything, I thought we were locked in defensively. I thought we did a really good job, especially on Jokic,” said Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry.
New Orleans led for the most part in the second half, including a strong shooting performance in the third period where they made their first four shots to build a 10-point lead.
The Nuggets couldn’t recover from there as they had a subpar shooting percentage from the outside. They made just seven out of their 26 attempts from distance.
This game marked the debut of Michael Porter Jr., who was out for the whole season last term. However, his team-high of 15 points weren’t enough to bring Denver to a win.
On the other hand, the Pelicans got better production from their other key players. Frank Jackson poured in 21 points while Jrue Holiday scored 19. Lonzo Ball chipped in nine points and eight assists.
Miami Heat 106-97 Atlanta Hawks
Undrafted guard Kendrick Nunn continues to turn heads as he achieved a rare historical feat. He scored a career-high 28 points to add on to his record-setting start as the Miami Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks on the road.
Fellow rookie Tyler Herro continues to live up to the hype too. He scored 17 points days after scoring 29 off the bench in their previous game against the same Hawks team. Both rookies have helped the Heat enjoy a 4-1 start to this season.
The two rookies were feeding off Jimmy Butler, who contributed five points, six steals, three blocks, and 11 assists in his second game wearing a Heat uniform.
“To tell you the truth, that was winning basketball today. I’m not here to score 50 points or whatever. If we win, I’m good,” said Butler postgame.
The Hawks were missing Trae Young as he was sidelined due to a sprained right ankle. Starting for his place was rookie guard Cam Reddish who notched nine points and six rebounds.
Jabari Parker led the Hawks in scoring with 23 markers, while Deandre Bembry and John Collins posted 18 and 12 respectively.
Los Angeles Clippers 103-97 San Antonio Spurs
Well-rested after sitting out their previous game against the Utah Jazz, Kawhi Leonard boosted his NBA 2019 odds for the MVP award by turning in a masterful performance against his former team, the San Antonio Spurs.
Leonard scored 38 points and corralled 12 rebounds in their win, giving the San Antonio Spurs their first defeat of the season. He attempted a career-high 32 shots and made 15 of those good for 47-per cent.
The former Spurs forward is now 2-1 against his old team. Despite his abrupt departure two seasons ago, Leonard insisted that his relationship with Gregg Popovich and the rest of the Spurs organization is well and good.
“[Facing the Spurs] was something I look forward to. Just to be able to play against a great coach and my old teammates is always fun,” said Leonard.
The reigning Finals MVP took control of the game in the second half, when he poured in 25 of his 38 points. He helped the Clippers unload a 9-1 run to take a nine-point midway in the third quarter – which includes a thunderous dunk after a made steal that should be part of today’s NBA 2019 highlights.
The Spurs made a late rally to pull within 97-93 under the last three minutes in the final period. However, they could not get any more closer as the home team held on.
DeMar DeRozan led all Spurs scorers with 29 points while Derrick White notched 20 off the bench. All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge was only held to five points.
Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams combined for 36 points off the bench for Los Angeles.
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