Damian Lillard’s 41 Points Sends LeBron James’ Lakers to 0-3: NBA Tracker
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As the 2022-23 NBA calendar year progresses, stay up to date with the latest news happening around the league with our DallasBasketball.com tracker.
OCT 23 ‘DAME TIME’ STRIKES IN LOS ANGELES
For anyone thinking Damian Lillard was going to take a step back in relevancy this season … think again.
On Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers went into Los Angeles and defeated LeBron James’ Lakers 106-104 after Lillard hit a clutch, go-ahead shot with just 13 seconds left. Lillard finished with 41 points on the night.
The Blazers are one of the NBA’s biggest surprises so far, as they’ve started the year 3-0. The Lakers, on the other hand, are even more disappointing as anyone could’ve predicted after an 0-3 start – and many already predicted them to be bad.
Is James regretting his decision to sign a contract extension before the season began? Will things get bad enough in Laker Land to force GM Rob Pelinka to make major moves before his self-mandated 20-game waiting period? As the Lakers keep losing, the pressure keeps mounting.
OCT 23 MAGIC IN VEGAS? Lakers legend Magic Johnson is reportedly looking to buy a stake in an NFL team.
According to Semafor’s Liz Hoffman, Magic is engaged in serious talks to buy into the Las Vegas Raiders, with a suggestion in the report that “it could be the most expensive sports deal on record.”
Magic is presently a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the WNBA’s LA Sparks. His involvement with the Davis family in Vegas would create a flood of interest, as would another Lakers’ plan, as LeBron James is openly campaigning to be involved in ownership in a future NBA team in “Sin City.”
OCT 21 TONY BROWN PASSES
Longtime NBA referee Tony Brown has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Brown, who worked 20 seasons as an NBA official, was 55.
“Tony Brown was one of the most accomplished referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “After his pancreatic cancer diagnosis early last year, Tony fought courageously through countless rounds of treatment to return to work this past season at the NBA Replay Center, demonstrating the dedication, determination and passion that made him such a highly respected official for 20 years. The entire NBA family mourns Tony’s passing and we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Tina; their children, Bailey, Basile and Baylen; and his fellow referees.”
OCT 20 MAVS-SUNS POPULAR ON ESPN
As if there were any doubts about the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns being big-time rivals again after their seven-game playoff series five months ago, the viewership numbers for last night’s season opener pretty much confined it.
According to ESPN, the Mavs-Suns late-night matchup was the most-watched season-opening late game on the network in five years with over 1.6 million people tuning in to see Luka Doncic vs. Devin Booker.
If this trend continues, “The Luka Special” might take on yet another meaning in the TV world.
OCT 19 LAKERS ‘STILL BAD’ Here at DallasBasketball.com we have a long and glorious history of “Loving to Hate” the Los Angeles Lakers. So it is with unbridled glee that when we view the Lakers’ season-opener on on the road playing the defending champion Warriors. … and we see the 123-109 loss in which L.A. seemed completely disjointed …
Yes. We love it.
The Lakers looked like the Lakers. Meaning last year’s non-playoff-entry Lakers meaning “bad.”
LeBron James got his 31 and Anthony Davis got his 27 and TNT’s Charles Barkley ripped both of them for “just getting numbers.”
Said LeBron of his 0-1 team: “If you’re being completely honest, we’re not a team constructed of great shooting. It’s not like, you know, we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team.”
Oh. That’s a shame.
OCT 17 CLIPPERS START OWN STREAMING SERVICE; BARKLEY SECURES THE BAG
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has launched a streaming service that could change the way fans watch games around the world if it eventually catches on with other teams as well. “ClipperVision” is a streaming platform that will air at least 70 live games during the 2022-23 NBA season and offer six different streams in multiple languages.
“I have wanted to create a product like ClipperVision since the day I came to the Clippers,” said Ballmer in an official statement. “Years of effort, hard work and development have led up to its launch. ClipperVision’s augmented reality and interactivity will let us transform the experience our fans have watching games, and provide them with more platforms to watch the Clippers.”
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Meanwhile, former player Charles Barkley, who has become a popular NBA talking head with TNT, secured the bag and will continue making fans laugh for at least 10 more years. According to a report from the New York Post, Barkley agreed to a 10-year contract with TNT in excess of $100 million with the potential to reach as much as $200 million. Barkley has the option to retire before the deal ends, which leaves the exact total of the contract fluid.
OCT 16 BOOKER SPEAKS ON SEASON OPENER VS. MAVS
Phoenix had Dallas’ number for the last handful of years until Luka Doncic and the Mavs completely dismantled the Suns in their seven-game Western Conference semifinals series. The outcome of that series seems to have caused some collateral damage, as the Suns have had internal drama involving coach Monty Williams, star center DeAndre Ayton and role player Jae Crowder, who the team is currently trying to trade to a new home.
The Mavs, despite having a number of areas to work on to reach their potential this season, definitely don’t lack confidence. But what about the Suns? Are they still shaken from what happened to them in the postseason? Do the Mavs now hold a mental edge over their rivals? Booker gave his thoughts on the upcoming opening-night rematch.
“Whether we win by 30 or lose by 30, we still have 81 to go after that,” said Booker.
Although Booker is correct in that it will just be one game out of 82, Suns fans would likely feel a little better about things if he showed a little more fire. After being embarrassed the way Phoenix was, nobody would blame them for playing with a chip on their shoulder, even for just a regular-season game.
OCT 15 MAVS BEAT JAZZ; KINGS TROUNCE LAKERS
In a game that was deemed a “dress rehearsal” for the regular season, the Mavs looked far from being a well-oiled machine in their preseason finale against the Utah Jazz. Behind 24 points from Luka Doncic and 20 points from Tim Hardaway Jr., the Mavs ultimately won the game, 115-101. Dallas out-scored Utah 33-22 in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, the Mavs’ Western Conference rival Los Angeles Lakers didn’t look good at all in their final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings as they were blown out, 133-86. LeBron James and Austin Reaves scored 10 points each.
If things keep trending the way they have been, the Mavs might be in store for an easy Christmas Day win this year at American Airlines Center.
OCT 14 PISTONS TO WAIVE KEMBA WALKER; SHOULD MAVS HAVE INTEREST?
According The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Detroit Pistons are expected to waive veteran point guard Kemba Walker before the NBA season begins next week.
Although the Mavs are expected to finalize their one-year deal with Facu Campazzo over the weekend, could they potentially be interested in Walker as well given their playmaking needs off the bench?
Our official guess is “no,” given the Campazzo deal plus the fact that Dallas’ front office believes in Josh Green and Frank Ntilikina to fill in the gaps. And although rookie Jaden Hardy is more of a two guard than a point guard, he’s shown improvements in his decision-making abilities in training camp.
A few years ago, the idea of adding Kemba Walker into the Mavs’ mix might have been more feasible. Now, though? It might just be adding too many cooks to the kitchen.
OCT 14 MERRY CHRISTMAS MAVS FANS
On Friday, the Mavs announced that Dirk Nowitzki’s long-awaited statue will be unveiled outside American Airlines Center on Christmas morning at 11 a.m. CT. Later that evening, Luka Doncic and the Mavs will take on LeBron Jame’s Los Angeles Lakers in a prime time Christmas Day showdown in Dallas.
For Mavs fans, how could you ask for a better present this year?
OCT 6 JALEN DEBUTS How’d Jalen Brunson look?
His “soft opening” at Madison Square Garden after having left Dallas for the Knicks in free agency yielded 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, one of three Knicks starters to reach double figures. RJ Barrett led the way with 21 (8-of-14) as the Knicks opened the 2022 preseason with a 117-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.
Julius Randle added 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists for the victorious hosts. … all buoying the optimism of what the native New Yorker Brunson might do to help the Knicks turn things around.
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