Scoreboard
- Warriors 119, Kings 107
- Knicks 110, Magic 104
- Celtics 107, Rockets 97
- Sixers 115, Thunder 103
- Hornets 111, Nets 95
- Lakers 121, Grizzlies 118
What went down
The Los Angeles Lakers finally won their first game of the season, and it couldn’t have been harder.
The Memphis Grizzlies fought to the very last second, pushing the game to the brink of overtime.
Ja Morant, who gave LA the business the entire game, stepped to the line for three freebies with two seconds left. If he hit all of them, the game would go to overtime.
After coolly hitting the first two, Morant back-rimmed the last one, and that was it. The Lakers escaped with their first W after dropping their first two games.
Morant gave LA all they could handle, scoring 40 points and dishing out 10 assists. He also found his stroke from deep, draining five of his seven 3-point attempts.
It still wasn’t pretty from the Lakers side, with LeBron James and Russell Westbrook both shooting below 40 percent.
It was Carmelo Anthony who brought the goods from the bench. He scored 28 points, including a couple of clutch free throws. Anthony is now ninth in the list of all-time scorers, passing Moses Malone.
Anthony Davis chipped in a steady 22.
The Lakers are still ways away from being the lethal machine they look on paper, but this close win against a Grizzlies team that won’t quit was much-needed.
The Grizzlies absorbed their first loss of the season after winning their first two games.
Big-time baller
It has to be Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets. The No. 2 overall pick finally broke out against the Boston Celtics and waxed hot from outside.
Green set a new franchise record for a rookie with eight three-pointers made, six of which he drained by halftime.
🟢 The green light from distance 🟢
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2021
Jalen Green has 18 PTS and 6 3PM in the first half on NBA TV! #NBARooks pic.twitter.com/jZTj18qv9x
Here’s another fun stat: Jalen Green is the first teenager in the Rockets’ history to score 30 points in a game.
The Rockets are in rebuild mode, but games like this from their lottery pick is a telltale sign of awesome things in the future.
What he said
Cole Anthony went off against the New York Knicks, dropping an insane 29 points on five 3s. Anthony also hauled down a career-high 16 rebounds and dished eight assists, joining an elite list of guards to have done a 25/15/5 and 5+ 3-points stat line: Steph Curry, James Harden, Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook, and Manu Ginobili.
Mid-cook, Anthony said this about his performance:
“My little brother over there, man. I gotta put on a show for him. He told me to stop missing shots."
Did you see that?
Aside from breaking the Rockets’ records for a rookie, Jalen Green was also breaking the airspace up in Houston:
JALEN GREEN OH MY!! 😱 pic.twitter.com/goT8epI2me
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 25, 2021
***
Easily watch FREE LIVE NBA games on the new Smart GigaPlay App! Available to Giga Video & Smart Signature subscribers. Download it now on smrt.ph/gigaplay. Data charges apply.
