The Drama Is ESCALATING In The NBA…

The drama is escalating in the NBA. We got scuffles, thriller endings… And superstars putting on a show! But let’s start in LA where Luka was doing what Luka does best, and that is scoring a lot of points right off the gate! That was all Zaire Williams turning defense into offense and setting Doncic with the easy deuce. Luka had 12 of the Lakers' 21 points early, putting his team up by double digits by playing some beautiful basketball. Just a minute later, the Blazers returned the favor with a similar play for the big man. And as soon as Reggie said that, Morant was back in the paint. Ja gets Grimes up in the air with the pumpfake before hitting the floater. That was a nice play, but Luka was better. Ooohh Doncic definitely got Clingan confused for a moment, and Jake crowns it with a splash. The Lakers were gun blazing in the 1st, but the Blazers were far more aggressive in the 2nd. I swear, Deni is the premiere and-1 specialist in the NBA, he’s relentless! And here is Ja in another paint operation. We’ll call Morant and Williams the braids brothers duo from now on, they’re lit! Portland took over the lead in the 2nd period behind Ja’s 15 points on a perfect 5 of 5 shooting. But JJ Redick had an ace in his sleeve. Mamu makes the crowd erupt by beating the halftime buzzer with his 3rd triple of the night! He scored 13 of his 17 points in the 1st half, giving LA a 5 point lead at the break. The snowtime Lakers were in full motion at the start of the 3rd quarter as well! Reaves, Kessler and Doncic ignited a little 9-3 run in a span of a minute and a half to regain the double digit lead. But the Blazers weren’t gonna surrender that fast. First the slick pass to Jrue and then blowing like the wind past Reaves for the double clutch layup. Morant is back! They said multiple times during the broadcast that whoever starts playing defense first will win the game. So… The Time Lord expanded those last milliseconds just enough to get the ball off his fingers, and after the replay, the refs confirmed the bucket. Incredible hustle by the Blazers to end the 3rd. And Donovan Clingan showcased the same effort in the 4th! Watch out, the big fella is blocking everybody! He kept Kessler to just 2 points in their 1 on 1 matchup. Portland executed a huge 21-5 stretch that carried from the 3rd and into the final period, shifting the control of the game into their direction. Down by 8 all of a sudden, the Lakers didn’t panic. On the contrary, they striked back! AR caps off an electric 10 to 2 run to tie the game apiece. And the shot making ever since we entered the clutch was off the charts. On both ends of the court. It was raining 3's in LA. Both teams racked up 17 each and we had ourselves a 1 point game with little over 2 minutes to play. Let’s go! In a staredown of whoever blinks first at the end, Ja Morant was vicious. Meanwhile on the other end, Kessler got fouled and missed both his free throws, before Luka cut the deficit to a single possession with his 41st point of the night. So with everybody on their feet, you know what time it is. Lillard calls game on a step back 3 from the right wing, stunning the entire arena! All 4 of Dame, Ja, Deni and Jrue scored 20+ points, and the Blazers open the season 3-0 for the 1st time since 2011. They can be the dark horse in the West this season! Moving on to Boston where the Celtics had a tough time handling the Nets… Randle puts Brooklyn up by 8 points early in the 2nd, forcing Joe Mazzula to get a timeout. And on their way to the benches, Mitchell Robinson and Noah Clowney got into a little scuffle. Ooohh I was surprised to see the 22 year old Clowney go at the much bigger Robinson like that. The Celtics commentators seemingly waited for an opportunity like this one to take a jab at Jaylen Brown. Anyway, the Nets led throughout the 1st 3 quarters actually with MPJ leading the charge. I don’t know why but Porter had the commentators in shambles whenever he touched the ball. He did turn into Steph Curry in the 4th, knocking down 4 consecutive bombs for 12 of his 27 points to retake the lead for his team. Unbelievable! Meanwhile for Boston, Jayson Tatum was doing most of the damage. JT ties the game in the clutch with his 33rd point of the night. Having the better and more experienced roster, the Celtics secured a two possession lead with 4 seconds remaining, after Tatum split his free throws here. But after this inexplicable foul that the refs called on Queta after the 2nd free throw, Julius Randle got a couple of bonus shots which he split as well. The Nets got the best of the situation, fouling Mitchell Robinson who’s been the worst free throw shooter in the league for years now. Of course he’s gonna miss them both. And when you can’t finish your job, the punishment is waiting around the corner.