The new NBA season officially tipped off on Tuesday night, but it appears little has changed compared to the last one. The most recent NBA finalists, the Boston Celtics, and the Golden State Warriors, are still good and look like championship contenders once again.
In the first game of the new season, the Celtics faced the Philadelphia 76ers and walked away with a 117-126 win. Then the Warriors celebrated the 2022 NBA title at their Chase Center before blowing out the Lakers 109-123.
The Celtics, playing for the first time under rookie head coach Joe Mazzulla, fell behind in the first quarter before finding their way back before the half. Boston then came out of the locker room with a dominant third quarter, in which they outscored Philly by 10, to set up a comfortable lead that they managed to hold onto in the fourth.
The best player for the Celtics on Tuesday was forward Jayson Tatum, who finished the contest with 35 points and 12 rebounds. His fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown also scored 35.
On the other hand, James Harden had 35 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for the 76ers, while Joel Embiid added 26 points and 15 rebounds.
The Warriors received their NBA title rings on Tuesday and then proceeded to dominate the Lakers throughout the entire game. Golden State entered the fourth quarter with a 20-point lead before getting a bit too comfortable toward the end of the contest and allowing the LA team to make the score more bearable.
Stephen Curry scored 33 points for the Warriors, while Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson added 20 points and 18 points, respectively.
The Lakers saw a near triple-double from LeBron James, who finished the night with 31 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Anthony Davis added 27 points, while Russell Westbrook had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
