Hoops, for real
NBA regular season starts Tuesday
From LeBron James’ arrival in Los Angeles to Jimmy Butler’s desire to leave Minnesota, it’s been an eventful NBA preseason.
It was a rocky one for the Timberwolves, who spent most of it dealing with the Butler drama and finished it dealing with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in just 25 minutes of Milwaukee’s 143-121 romp.
And it was a rough one for the Spurs, who lost three guards to injuries, including starting point guard Dejounte Murray for the season with a torn ACL.
Russell Westbrook (right knee) and Dirk Nowitzki (left ankle) couldn’t even get on the floor, still recovering from surgeries. Nowitzki has already been ruled out by Dallas coach Rick Carlisle for the regularseason opener next week.
It’s still unknown if Butler will be playing then – or for what team. He didn’t travel with the Timberwolves on Friday to Milwaukee, with coach Tom Thibodeau saying he remained behind to work on his conditioning.
The preseason schedule wrapped up with 11 games, with the Lakers facing Golden State in San Jose, California in the last one. James sat out, as did Kevin Durant for the Warriors.
The regular season begins Tuesday with Boston hosting Philadelphia, followed by Oklahoma City visiting defending champion Golden State.
Spurs 100 Magic 81
DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points, nine coming from the line, LaMarcus Aldridge had 13 points and 15 rebounds and the injury-riddled Spurs reached the century mark for the fourth time this preseason.
Evan Fournier led the Magic with 23 points.
The injuries are adding up for the Spurs as Rudy Gay (heel) and Derrick White missed the game. White underwent an MRI examination Thursday that revealed a left plantar fascia tear . ... San Antonio held Orlando to 10 first-quarter points, and the Spurs led 40-30 at halftime as both teams shot less than 31 per cent.
Orlando’s first-round picks from the past two drafts played together for the first time as second-year forward Jonathan Isaac scored five points in 20 minutes and rookie centre Mohamed Bamba added 15 points in 23 minutes.
SPURS: MAGIC:
Nets 113 Knicks 107
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 points, D’Angelo Russell had 18 points and eight assists, and the Nets held on for a split of the preseason series with the Knicks.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 points for the Knicks but departed with a sprained left wrist. The Knicks said X-rays were negative.
Hornets 123 Mavericks 118
Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb each made three of Charlotte’s 19 three-pointers.
Walker scored 13 points in 17 minutes, Lamb added 11 points and rookie Miles Bridges had 13 points and seven rebounds.
DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Luka Doncic also scored 18 for Dallas, which recently returned from two games in China.
Pistons 129 Cavaliers 110
Detroit’s big men dominated in East Lansing. Blake Griffin scored 29 points, Andre Drummond added 21 and the Pistons made 21 three-pointers at Michigan State’s Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Rodney Hood led Cleveland with 21 points, 11 coming from the free-throw line.
Heat 119 Hawks 113
Josh Richardson scored 24 points and the Heat rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit with a 66-point second half against visiting Atlanta. Miami won despite going 7 of 31 from 3-point range and committing 23 turnovers. Jeremy Lin had 20 points off the bench for Atlanta, which had 24 turnovers.
Nuggets 98 Bulls 93
Gary Harris scored 18 points and Jamal Murray added 17 as Denver won at Chicago. Nikola Jokic backed up the two second-year players with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. The Bulls closed within 88-87 with 4:09 to play as Jabari Parker, who scored 19 points, scored eight straight.
Rockets 121 Grizzlies 103
James Harden scored 23 points and Chris Paul and Clint Capela had double-doubles as Houston cruised at Memphis. Paul had 14 points and 11 assists and Capela 12 points with 13 rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Rockets with 18 points in 21 minutes.