The usual short lineup of Thursday night games included an interesting matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks, as Carmelo Anthony squared up against his former team. Lonzo Ball made his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, while the weakened Chicago Bulls kicked off their season in Toronto vs the Raptors.
Chicago Bulls 100 Toronto Raptors 117: The Raptors had no problem dispatching the Bulls in the season opener for both teams. Jonas Valanciunas had his way with the Bulls’ big men, scoring 23 points, and C.J. Miles helped out with 22 off the bench. The Bulls, playing without Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis were led by 18 from Robin Lopez, while Lauri Markkanen had an impressive debut with 17 points.
New York Knicks 84 Oklahoma City Thunder 105: Some things don’t change, like Russell Westbrook getting triple doubles. The 2017 MVP finished with 21 points on only 12 shots, while adding 10 rebounds and 16 assists. Paul George scored 28 points to lead the Thunder on his debut for the team, while Carmelo Anthony, playing against his former team, finished with 22 points. Kristaps Porzingis was the only Knick player who looked like he belonged at this level, scoring 31 points.
Los Angeles Clippers 108 Los Angeles Lakers 92: The Clippers outscored the Lakers 87-63 through the first three quarters before easing up on them. Blake Griffin had no problem with the #1 role, scoring 29 points, while DeAndre Jordan helped out with 14 points and 24 rebounds. Lonzo Ball had a nightmarish debut, a Brook Lopez led the Lakers with 20 points in his first game for the team.
Eastern Conference Standings
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | Atlanta Hawks | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 1 |
| 2 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 3 | Detroit Pistons | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 4 | Indiana Pacers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 5 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 6 | Orlando Magic | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 7 | Toronto Raptors | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 8 | Washington Wizards | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 9 | Brooklyn Nets | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 10 | Charlotte Hornets | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 11 | Chicago Bulls | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 12 | Miami Heat | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 13 | New York Knicks | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 14 | Philadelphia 76ers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 15 | Boston Celtics | 0 | 2 | .000 | 1.5 | 2 |
Western Conference Standings
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | Houston Rockets | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 2 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Clippers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 3 | Memphis Grizzlies | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 5 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 6 | San Antonio Spurs | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 7 | Utah Jazz | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 8 | Dallas Mavericks | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 9 | Denver Nuggets | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Lakers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 15 | Sacramento Kings | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |