NBA Week 3 Review for 2017-18 Season

Time to look back and have a review of the 2017-18 NBA Week 3. Teams are gathering momentum or stuttering. Trade rumours are rife, and records are being broken.

News floating around the NBA over the past week

• Ben Simmons joins Oscar Robertson as the only rookie to post 2 triple doubles in their first 9 games. That’s some elite company to join.
• Celtics are the first team to win 8 games after losing their first 2 games of the season. They sit atop the Eastern Conference, even after Hayward’s freak injury.
• Jahil Okafor will be traded sooner rather than later. The 3 overall pick of the 2015 draft has been cut from the 76ers rotation, and was refused a buyout. Boston and Phoenix are touted as possible destinations.
• LeBron James joins Kobe Bryant as the only 2 players to have scored more than 50 points in a game, after their 15 season in the NBA. LeBron had a monstrous 57 point game against the Wizards. James also became the youngest player to score 29,000 points in the NBA at the age of 32 years and 309 days.
• Kristaps Prozingis is thriving in his new role as the leader of the Knicks. The 22 year Latvian has been endorsed by Tyson Chandler to be a top contender in the game, and the Latvian believes that will be possible.
• Derrick Rose, despite showing occasional flashes of his MVP self will be on a 28-31 minute restriction throughout the season. With Thomas set to become the starting point guard in January, the Cleveland would prefer a healthier Rose. The former MVP had missed 4 games this season with an injured ankle.

Select Match-ups from NBA Week 3

San Antonio Spurs (6-4) vs Boston Celtics (8-2)

Spurs 94 – 108 Celtics

Celtics kicked off NBA Week 3 with a strong performance against a traditional powerhouse. Boston pulled away in the 3 Quarter. Kyrie Irving led the way with 24p-6a, whilst Horford pitched in with a double-double of 14p-13r and Jaelyn Brown had a good night with 18p. A Leonard-less Spurs were led by Brandon Paul with 18p, and only 3 others scored in double digits.

Philadelphia 76ers (5-4) vs Houston Rockets (8-3)

76ers 115 – 107 Rockets

Their second and final meeting of the year, the young 76ers beat the Rockets and never trailed in the contest. Ben Simmons had a great night with 24p-7r-9a, and Joel Embid chipped in with 22p-9r-5a.  Five other 76ers scored in double digits. James Harden led Houston with 29p-7a-4s but shot a dreadful 8-21 from the field. Eric Gordon contributed with 25p

Golden State Warriors (7-3) vs Los Angeles Clippers (5-4)

Warriors 141 – 113 Clippers

Putting a loss against Detroit behind them, the Warriors maintained their winning streak against the Clippers with a resounding 141-113 thumping. Stephen Curry led the team with 31p-5r-6a, with strong performances from Kevin Durant 19p-7r-4a, Draymond Green: 16p-9r-6a and Klay Thompson: 15p-5r-6a. The Warriors had 37 assists as a team, and shot nearly 60% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. Danilo Gallinari was the highest scorer for the Clippers with 19, with 4 others scoring in double digits.

Golden State Warriors (7-3) vs San Antonio Spurs (6-4)

Warriors 112 – 92 Spurs

In a match of two top western conference teams, the Spurs dominated the first half with the Warriors dominating the second. Thompson scored a team high 27, with Durant having an all-round game with 24p-8r-5a-3b, with Curry and Green adding in their weight. San Antonio were led by a 24p-10r performance from Aldridge, with Pau Gasol and Kyle Anderson as the only others to score in double digits.

Cleveland Cavaliers (4-6) vs Washington Wizards (5-4)

Cavaliers 130 – 122 Wizards

LeBron James had a monstrous night with 57p-11r-7a-3s-2b as he helped snap a 4 game skid for the Cavaliers. Derrick Rose had 20p and Jae Crowder added 17. James joins Kobe Bryant as the only 2 players to have scored 50+ points in a game during/after their 15 season. Bradley Beal scored 36 for the Wizards, with Wall providing 13p-15a. Several other players scored well but it was just not enough to stop the King.

Boston Celtics (8-2) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (4-5)

Celtics 101 – 94 Thunder

In a clash of supposed star trios, Boston overcame Oklahoma. The Thunder, who led for most of the game had a disastrous second half, scoring just 39 points, which cost them the game. Irving once again led Boston with a 25p-5r-6a performance with a 20p-8r performance from Horford. Oklahoma had were led by Paul George with 25p-10r and Russell Westbrook with 19p-6r-11a. However, Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony shot poorly, going 10-37 from the field.

Memphis Grizzlies (6-4) vs Los Angeles Clippers (5-4)

Grizzlies 113 – 104 Clippers

The Grizzlies continued their fine start to the season with a win over the Clippers. 7 Grizzlies had double digit point tallies, with 3 of them having 20 or more. The Clippers were led by a Blake Griffin’s 30p-11r and Beverly’s 23p-7r performances. The Grizzlies bench outscored the Clippers bench by 55-22.

Boston Celtics (8-2) vs Orlando Magic (6-4)

Celtics 104 – 88 Magic

The Celtics win streak continues with a strong win over the Magic, who had a 6-3 start prior to the encounter. Horford Led the Celtics with a double-double of 14p-10r and Jaelyn Brown had 18p-7r. 4 others had double digit points. Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 18p-12r, but was not as effective as he had been. The Magic shot 36% overall and only 20% from 3-point.

Washington Wizards (5-4) vs Toronto Raptors (5-4)

Wizards 107 – 96 Raptors

In a clash of 2 of the 4 top teams in the East from last season, the Wizards took the lead over the Raptors.  Without Wall, Bradly Beal led the team with 38 points on 16-26 shooting. With Lowry playing only 11 minutes, DeRozan led Toronto with 26 points but the team fell short. It was a heated match with 50 personal fouls called between the team.

Upsets of NBA week 3

Atlanta Hawks (2-8) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (4-6)

Hawks 117 – 115 Cavaliers

The Hawks, a team in rebuilding mode inflicted a big loss on the Cavaliers. Dennis Schroder led the team with 28p-9a, and 6 others had double digit point scoring. LeBron James led the Cavs with 26p-13a and Wade finally showed his potential with a 25p-11r performance. Krover added in 23 points as well, but there was no support from anyone else. The Cavs will have to put the disappointment of NBA Week 3 and focus on their upcoming matches.

Standout Player of NBA Week 3

Kristaps Porzingis. After starting the season 0-3, the young leader of the Knicks has now helped the team reach a 5-4 record after week 3. He added a career high 40 points against Indiana on 5 November.

A look at the NBA Week 2 review can be found here