The NBA regular season has officially begun and the Dec. 22 slate featured two matchups. The first was a blowout victory for the Brooklyn Nets over the Golden State Warriors with the second being ‘The Battle of Los Angeles” between the Clippers and Lakers.
To start the NBA regular season, the Warriors took on the Nets at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, which proved to be quite challenging. The Nets used a 40-25 advantage in the first quarter to establish and never looked back— winning the game with 125-99 being the final score.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were the clear top storylines in the Nets’ winning effort. Both players made their return from injury and looked quite dominant on the court— not even needing to play in the final period to get the win.
The Clippers managed to take down the Lakers in their 116-109 victory at Staples Center. Using a 39-19 advantage in the opening period, the Clippers got off to a hot start and remained ahead. The Lakers made an admirable effort to rally back before halftime but never quite managed to take over.
The superstars in this Clippers-Lakers game didn’t play all that well including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kawhi Leonard, except for Paul George— who proved to bounce back from a disappointing Game 7 in the NBA bubble.
Let’s take a look at four major takeaways from the NBA’s opening night action that featured the Clippers, Lakers, Nets, and Warriors.