The NBA is Back with a Season-Opening Double Header

The start of the NBA season has taken place and two marquee games were played on the evening of December 22 to get us going.

Four teams took the court, some with a look we’re used to and others with some new players making their debut for a new team. This was a night with the champs on the court against a team they share a building with and a team that lost a superstar going against this star.

The Ring Ceremony

The champions of the 2019-2020 NBA season are the Los Angeles Lakers. They are the current champions and will be the top team until another team takes the championship from them. As is typical in professional sports, the first game of the new season begins with a ceremony to hang the championship banner and hand out rings to the players that contributed to this achievement. While bittersweet without fans, the Lakers celebrated their success.

Onto the Game: Lakers vs Clippers

Whether intentional or simply because the two teams are considered a pair o the top in the NBA, the two Los Angeles teams were paired up in the game against each other. This gave us the Clippers vs the Lakers. Four major stars played in this game, giving the viewing audience the Los Angeles star power expected.

The four marquee names that were part of this game were LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the Lakers along with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers. Both teams possess deep benches with a few other names we know, but these four are the ones that we have seen and expect to perform at their best every night. Although there were rumors the Lakers would be without LeBron for the first couple of weeks, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Victory for the Clippers

The championship celebration for the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t quite go as planned. While they received their banner and rings, they lost the game to the other occupant of the Staples Center. The Clippers found a way to beat the Lakers with a score of 116-109with Paul George finishing with a game-high 33 points, leading his team to victory.

Back from Injury and on New NBA Teams

The second game of the night, which actually aired earlier than the Los Angeles Matchup, had the Brooklyn Nets hosting the Golden State Warriors. This matchup featured former teammates going against each other, a fresh start for a couple of players, and two superstars coming off an injury from last year. This made for a compelling story which turned out to be quite a beginning for a new team.

Questions Answered for the Nets

The biggest questions for the Brooklyn Nets would be how Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant would play together, how well they would play after their injuries, and how first-time head coach Steve Nash would handle his initial game. While preseason games gave us some answers, this was the first regular-season contest and the answers were all positive for the Brooklyn Nets as Durant and Irving combined for 48 points in the game.

A Different Look to the Golden State Warriors

Only two years ago the Golden State Warriors featured Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Clay Thompson as a formidable foursome that was hard to beat. During this first game, the only one of the four on the court in a Warriors uniform was Stephen Curry. This made for a difficult game for the Warriors and Curry did finish with the best numbers for his team with 20 points, but it certainly wasn’t enough.

The Nets Found Victory in the First Game

Had Durant and Irving played well together and lost the game it would have been a moral victory for the team to see these two on the court and healthy. Instead of this, the Nets won the game by a large margin with a score of 125-99. This gave them an excellent win and lots of confidence for how the season can go with the pair of superstars on the court together.

Get Ready for More NBA Action

The wrapping has been removed from the NBA season for the 2020-21 year and lots of action is in store for our enjoyment. Hopefully, there will be a time soon where fans will be allowed at the arenas again, but until this time, we can enjoy the NBA teams as we did in the summer by watching them and cheering them on from home.