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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Looks Ready, but Who is Going to Play Defense?
The Los Angeles Lakers keep losing in their preseason preparation to the 2015-2016 NBA Season, and while results don’t matter, there are worrying signs regarding the team’s defense, which has been an issue for quite some time. Kobe Bryant is actually looking pretty good, not to mention holding himself back, but it all came down to a 105-97 loss against the Toronto Raptors.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Doesn’t Ruin Anything, D’Angelo Russell Gets Injured & Roy Hibbert Gets Hit
The Los Angeles Lakers lost for the second time in the preseason, dropping an overtime game to the Utah Jazz 117-114. Kobe Bryant, for now, isn’t trying to steal the show, although he might soon do it as D’Angelo Russell picked up his first injury, while Roy Hibbert got himself into a little bit of a fight, that got Trevor Booker ejected.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook Look Ready To Take Over the NBA Again
The Oklahoma City Thunder looked better than expected on their first appearance in preseason, with a new head coach in Billy Donovan bringing new basketball (maybe), while Kevin Durant looked great after a long absence while Russell Westbrook didn’t seem to mind having competition on the court once again.
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Houston Rockets: James Harden Shines Against D-League Competition
In the second outing for the Houston Rockets and James Harden in preseason, things went a lot smoother, beating a depleted Dallas Mavericks team 109-82, but at least there’s now one good game behind the man who declared himself to be the best player in the NBA.
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Cleveland Cavaliers – LeBron James Takes it Easy in Preseason Opener
No reason to take things too seriously in preseason, especially not in the opener. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost 98-96 to the Atlanta Hawks, as LeBron James was mostly busy having fun with fans around him than trying to put on a show on the court.
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New York Knicks – Carmelo Anthony Looks Good, Kristaps Porzingis Decent, in Meaningless Preseason Opener
Playing Paschoalotto/Bauru, a Brazilian team, to open the season means the New York Knicks winning 100-81 doesn’t mean much, even if Carmelo Anthony did look good and Kristaps Porzingis provided a few moments of impressive shot blocking and promise.
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Houston Rockets – James Harden Doesn’t Look Like the Best Player in the NBA
Before the Houston Rockets lost 92-89 in a preseason game (both team’s openers) to the Memphis Grizzlies, James Harden declared he’s the best player in the NBA. Clearly, this isn’t the case right now.
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Indiana Pacers – Paul George Signaling He’s About to Have a Big Season
The Paul George power forward experiment kicked off quite nicely, although it’s just the preseason, and the 115-112 win over the Detroit Pistons doesn’t mean too much for the Indiana Pacers going forward.
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Chicago Bulls – Jimmy Butler Thrives as Playmaker; Doug McDermott Loves the Preseason
The Chicago Bulls didn’t look particularly impressive in their 105-95 preseason debut win over the Milwaukee Bucks, but they had to be pleased with Jimmy Butler being the playmaker and doing it well, and also with Doug McDermott, carrying on his good form from the Summer League.
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Charlotte Hornets: Jeremy Lin Role Increased Due to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Injury
Whether he’s out until March or for the rest of the season (the more likely scenario), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s injury is a major blow to the Charlotte Hornets and their plans for next season. Quite a few players are going to get an increase in their playing time due to the change, but first and foremost it should be Jeremy Lin.