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After a hiatus of more than four months, NBA basketball is back! Well, it wasn't the competitive kind and while that showed in the rotations of the eight teams that played on Wednesday, we had a lot of talking points for the day.
The first exhibition game for every team will feature only 10-minute-long quarters, so don't be surprised when I tell you that only one team managed to score triple-digit points one Day 1.
LA Clippers make intentions clear against Orlando Magic
Let's start with the first NBA scrimmage for the day where championship hopefuls LA Clippers faced off against the Orlando Magic. It was business as usual for Doc Rivers' men who picked up a 99-90 win. A lot of rust was visible but with Lou Williams scoring a ton of points off the bench yet again, the Clippers ran victorious.
The bigger talking point, however, has to be about last year's NBA MVP finalist Paul George. PG13 only played 19 minutes on the night but that was enough for him to show just how effective he can be when fully fit.
George sizzled everywhere on the court as he brought out the reverse layup in traffic, the stepback three, as well as his silky catch and shoot off the screen. He finished the game with 18 points on 6 of 13 shooting, and can be the Clippers' X-factor on offense heading into the NBA Playoffs.
Also read: LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverley leaves NBA bubble due to personal emergency
Bol Bol steals the show on NBA debut as Nuggets start insanely tall lineup
Many fans were left surprised when the 7'2 Bol Bol dropped to as low as the 44th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. A foot injury had kept him out all this while but we can safely say that the son of Manute Bol is one to look out for.
Denver Nuggets' small rotation against Washington Wizards allowed the rookie to play 32 minutes and he made the most of it, finishing the game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks! His last action from the game was a chase-down rejection on Jarrod Uthoff.
However, that wasn't the only talking point for the Denver as they picked up an 89-82 win against the Wizards.
The Nuggets are without multiple players right now and that resulted in coach Mike Malone starting three centers in the game with Nikola Jokic playing as the point guard.
This resulted in a lot of memes on the internet, especially comparing the Nuggets with the Houston Rockets who have a small lineup. Interestingly, this is a potential matchup for Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.
Duncan Robinson impresses for the Heat, Pelicans shine from downtown
In the other two games of the night, we saw some fine shooting on display. Duncan Robinson ranks third in the league for three-pointers made this season and he showed just why as the Miami Heat took on the Sacramento Kings. His 18 points including 5 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc led Miami to a 104-98 win.
Meanwhile, a team effort from the New Orleans Pelicans allowed them to overcome a hapless Brooklyn Nets side 99-68. The Pels had five players scoring in double digits while the Nets failed to get the offense going, scoring only 35.2% from the field collectively.
Also read: NBA Orlando Restart - 5 Bold predictions for the Eastern Conference
Guess the Lakers players!
