NBA fans get an early treat tomorrow with two elite scorers ready to lock horns as Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks (1-2) take on Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets (1-3), at 7:30 AM on ONE Sports.
Doncic is putting up All-Star numbers through three games with averages of 34.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.7 steals. He’s also shooting 50 percent from the field, including 2.7 makes from deep.
A lot of questions face Luka this season as he is already in Year 5 of his young career. Will he win the MVP award this season? After reaching the Western Conference Finals last year, will the Mavs make another deep playoff run? What’s the next step for him and his team?
The Mavs did some tweaking during the offseason and one guy who’s been making headlines is Christian Wood. The ex-Houston Rocket center is proving his worth as a solid post presence. Despite coming off the bench, he’s putting up 24.3 points and 8.7 boards.
The Mavs will have their hands full against the retooled Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant continues to tear it up with 32.3 points, alongside 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists. The Nets, however, are coming off a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks as Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 43 points on them. Nonetheless, the expectations remain high in Brooklyn now with a full roster in tow.
The Nets can finally have Kyrie Irving for a whole season and Ben Simmons is back with a clean bill of health. The team will need time and experience to truly mesh together and an early season matchup against a playoff contender like the Mavs can serve as a good confidence booster.
The Mavericks and the Nets only have one win so far and each team would want nothing more than to return to the win column.
Heat looking to torch Warriors
Another game to look forward to is a matchup between the Miami Heat (2-3) and the Golden State Warriors (2-2), at 10:00 AM on NBA TV Philippines via Smart GigaPlay.
The Heat recently handed the Portland Trail Blazers their first loss of the season. It was a balanced effort from Miami as six players reached double figures. Bam Adebayo led the attack with 18 points while Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler contributed 17 apiece. It was an impressive performance for the Heat who are trying to reestablish themselves as a premier contender in the East. After losing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season to the Boston Celtics, they are eager to climb back to the top and reach the Finals.
An early litmus test for the Heat is a battle against the defending champions. The Warriors were humbled by the Phoenix Suns in their last outing, losing 134-105. One of the talking points after that game was Klay Thompson’s first career ejection as he was caught chirping with Devin Booker.
Several technicals were handed out during a highly emotional third quarter. After the dust settled, Booker had the last say as he ended up with 34 points.
For the Warriors, Steph Curry held the fort with 21 points followed by 17 points off the bench from Jordan Poole. Thompson, meanwhile, exited the game with just two points on a forgettable 1-for-8 outing.
What kind of Warriors will we see against a determined Heat squad? Is Thompson gonna come out guns blazing? Will Steph restore order and have another 30-point performance? The defending champs have a huge target on their backs and will be challenged every game. An early matchup against an East contender will surely be entertaining.
