Another night of NBA games bringing us closer to the actual season. The New York Knicks had a dramatic finish go their way in a win over the Washington Wizards, while the Utah Jazz, despite missing plenty of players, narrowly escaped the Los Angeles Clippers. The Charlotte Hornets won their first preseason game, while the San Antonio Spurs enjoyed a very efficient Kawhi Leonard performance, and the same can be said of the Atlanta Hawks and Dwight Howard.
Minnesota Timberwolves 86 Charlotte Hornets 98: The Hornets win their first game of the preseason, getting 17 points from Frank Kaminsky and 16 from Jeremy Lamb, while Kemba Walker led the lineup players with 15. The Timberwolves didn’t look good when their lineup players were on the floor, with Zach LaVine the only one who stood out, scoring 30 points in 28 minutes, including four 3-pointers.
San Antonio Spurs 86 Detroit Pistons 81: Kawhi Leonard looked sharp with 20 points on 7-of-11 from the field, in a game the Spurs led almost wire-to-wire. Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 17 points and 13 rebounds, Jon Leuer helped out with 14 off the bench.
Cleveland Cavaliers 93 Atlanta Hawks 99: The Cavaliers didn’t play with anyone that matters to them, allowing Jordan McRae and Key Felder a chance to play some meaningful minutes. Felder co-led the team with 15 points. McRae scored 12, but was 1-for-14 from the field. Dwight Howard looked very sharp in 24 minutes of basketball, scoring 26 points on 11-of-14 from the field, not really disturbed by anyone while working underneath the basket.
Washington Wizards 88 New York Knicks 90: The Knicks won the game with two Lance Thomas free throws with one second remaining. Carmelo Anthony led them with 19 points, but the real star was Brandon Jennings, scoring 11 points while spending most of his time trash talking and bullying rookie Casper Ware.
Maccabi Haifa 96 Sacramento Kings 135: The Kings didn’t go easy on the Israeli team, while Omri Casspi scored 4 points against the team from his home country. Ben McLemore, constantly on the trading block, led the Kings with 18 point. DeMarcus Cousins finished with 14, Ty Lawson had 13 with 8 assists.
Utah Jazz 96 Los Angeles Clippers 94: Great defense by Dante Exum on the final possession helped the Jazz win the game, who continue to play without the majority of their key players. Rodney Hood led the way with 17 points, while Exum himself had just 3 points in 22 minutes.