NBA Swing: Takeaways From Opening Night of the 2021-22 NBA Season

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Tuesday night saw the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. The season officially started with the Brooklyn Nets playing in Milwaukee against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. Following that game, the Golden State Warriors visited Los Angeles to play against the Lakers in the Staples Center. While those are just two games of over 1,200 that NBA fans can see over the course of the regular season, there is a lot to take away from those games.

No Championship Hangover in Milwaukee

Prior to their home and season opener against the Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks received their championship rings. When it comes to NBA champions, we typically see a hangover period where the team is taking it easy and not playing to their full potential. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks did not hold back against the Nets. Giannis finished with 32 points, leading all scorers alongside Kevin Durant. In addition, he led all rebounders with 14. Giannis got plenty of help, as five other players finished in double figures. Khris Middleton finished with 20 points, while Pat Connaughton and Jordan Nwora surprised off the bench with 20 and 15 points, respectively. The Bucks are running it back with almost every player from their championship squad. The team didn’t even have all their players as Bobby Portis and Donte DiVincenzo are both currently out. Milwaukee bested Brooklyn in three out of the four quarters, holding them to 19 points in the fourth. The team led throughout the majority of the game but completely broke away in the fourth. With Giannis improving his jump shot and the team having no problem against their biggest competition in the East, there is no doubt the Bucks will be in contention for the first seed as they look to be repeat NBA champions.

Despite The Loss, The Nets Will Be Fine Without Kyrie Irving

While the Nets did lose against the Bucks, there were several positives to come out of the game. First, Kevin Durant is still Kevin Durant. KD finished with a double-double, leading his team with 32 points. Unlike many on his team, Durant was still in basketball mode as he was one of the few to play in the Tokyo Olympics following the end of the season. There is no doubt that Durant will be in MVP contention if he has similar performances all season. Second, Harden finished with 20 points, while being a couple of rebounds and assists short of a triple-double. One surprise off the bench was Patty Mills. Mills finished with 21 points, going a perfect 7/7 from the three-point line. With Kyrie Irving’s status most likely not changing, it is possible that Mills could slide into a starting guard role alongside Harden for the time being. Slotting Mills into a starting role could have a huge impact on the bench, as several players didn’t score, and Mills was the only bench player to score more than two points. Brooklyn may want to consider trading Irving as their bench could use more scorers. While this game was just one loss against Milwaukee, Brooklyn will be fighting for the top seed in the East as they try to reach the NBA Finals.

Steph Curry Finally Has Support While Klay Is Out?

To the surprise of some, the Golden State Warriors bested the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. The game was close throughout the first 40 minutes, with the Warriors attempting to break away in the last eight minutes of the game. Steph Curry did not have a tremendous night shooting-wise, but he did finish with his first triple-double in five years. He only had 21 points (leading all Warriors) but had plenty of support. The biggest support came from guard Jordan Poole. Poole looked to have improved during the preseason and was a key in the Warriors opening night win. Poole finished with 20 points while hitting four shots from three. Poole could be a major key in the Warriors season as they look to be a contender in the West again. The Warriors also saw help from the bench as Andre Iguodala, Damion Lee, and Nemanja Bjelica all finished in double figures. With an impressive win for the Warriors, the team faces the Clippers on Thursday night, looking to start the season 2-0. With the Clippers lacking Kawhi, the Warriors may not only be able to surprise Paul George and the Clippers but surprise the entire Western Conference this season.

The Lakers Do Not Have It All Together… Yet.

While the Lakers had a good season-opening game, they did not have a great game. As expected, LeBron James and Anthony Davis both had great performances, scoring 34 and 33 points, respectively. Both players also had double-doubles, and that’s as good as it got for the Lakers. No other player scored 10 or more points. Russell Westbrook had a hard night, finishing with only nine points. Westbrook has a history of starting slow, so it is only a matter of time before Lakers fans see Russ in his usual form. On the bench, Carmelo Anthony finished with nine points, making his Lakers debut. The team was not fantastic from the three and had almost 20 turnovers. It is likely that fans will see this team for the first month or so, as only three players returned from the 2020-21 season. With a team that has played only a handful of preseason games together, the team needs to continue building its chemistry. It is likely that come this time next month, the Lakers will be one of the top teams in the West if their chemistry is built. If not, Los Angeles could see itself in the middle of the Western Conference.