NBA: Opening Night Review - Lakers Stumble, Milwaukee Defeat...

The Milwaukee Bucks didn’t let the celebration of the franchise’s first NBA championship in 50 years distract them from the job at hand. Giannis Antetokoumpo, the MVP of last season’s finals, continued from where he left off. In his first game since scoring 50 points in a title-clinching performance against the Phoenix Suns, Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 14 rebounds.

An inspiring performance to lead the Bucks to a 127-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton each added 20 points. Jrue Holiday also added 12 points before being forced off with an injury.

As for the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant led the team with 32 points and 11 rebounds. While James Harden added 20 points. The Nets were missing star guard Kyrie Irving, who is unavailable due to his refusal to get vaccinated against covid-19.

Golden State Warriors 121-114 Los Angeles Lakers

Stephen Curry registered his first triple-double since 2016 as the Warriors came from 10 points down to defeat the Lakers. A Hollywood opening night affair by all accounts saw Lebron James and Anthony Davis combine for 64 points. Russell Westbrook shot just 4 out of 13 two-point shot attempts for 8 points in his Lakers debut.

The Lakers had a 10 point lead late in the third quarter but the Warriors slowly closed the gap. Curry and Nemanja Bjelica each hit three-pointers late in the game to seal the win, Bjelica finished with 15 points.

It was a disappointing collapse by the Lakers but there was always the sense that the new signings would need time to gel. The Lakers host the Suns next with a chance to get back to winning ways.

In some of the other NBA results, Jaylen Brown scored 46 points for the Boston Celtics in an overtime win over the Knicks. The Portland Trailblazers began their season with a shock defeat to the Sacramento Kings. While The Philadelphia 76ers put the Ben Simmons distraction behind them to defeat the Pelicans.