Five: Everything you need to know for Week 2 | Catch My Job

by

[ad_1]

Check out the top 10 plays from Week 1 in the NBA!

Every Monday, we tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming week in the NBA and take a look back at the week that was, too.

1. The 40 point club is open

It didn’t take long for players to start dropping 40 points this season as the first six days of play have already produced seven 40+ point games, including a pair of 41-point games from Damian Lillard and an explosive 49-point gem from Ja Morant as he flirted with Game 1 of 50 points in the season.

Ja Morant sets the franchise record for most points in the first 2 games of a season with 83, breaking his own record.

  • I Morant: 49 points at Houston (October 21)
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo: 44 points vs. Houston (Oct. 22)
  • Damian Lillard: 41 points vs. Phoenix (October 21)
  • Damian Lillard: 41 points in Los Angeles (October 23)
  • Joel Embiid: 40 points vs. San Antonio (Oct. 22)
  • Jayson Tatum: 40 points in Orlando (October 22)
  • Paul George: 40 points at Sacramento (October 22)

With just 43 games played in the first week of 2022-23, that means a 40-plus point performance has been achieved in 16.27% of all games played. That’s well above the pace we’ve seen in past seasons. In each of the previous two seasons, there have been 119 40+ point results, which equates to 9.67% of all games in 2021-22 (82-game schedule) and 11% in 2020-21 (72-game schedule).

During Week 1, teams are averaging 113.5 points per game, which would be the highest average in the league in over 50 seasons (116.7 points per game in 1969-70). While the scoring average is likely to regress a bit as the season progresses, here’s a look at the past decade, which illustrates the offensive boom the league is currently in.

  • 2022-23: 113.6 points per game
  • 2021-22: 110.6 points per game
  • 2020-21: 112.1 points per game
  • 2019-20: 111.8 points per game
  • 2018-19: 111.2 points per game
  • 2017-18: 106.3 points per game
  • 2016-17: 105.6 points per game
  • 2015-16: 102.7 points per game
  • 2014-15: 100.0 points per game
  • 2013-14: 101.0 points per game
  • 2012-13: 98.1 points per game

2. Hot-cold starts to become seasonal

Who had the Utah Jazz as one of the four remaining undefeated teams after Week 1? This offseason, the Jazz traded two All-Stars (Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert), two starters (Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O’Neal) and replaced longtime coach Quin Snyder with first-time coach Will Hardy.

The Jazz are 3-0 after an overtime win against the Pelicans on Sunday night.

While all signs may have pointed to a complete rebuild and a drop in the Western Conference standings for Utah, the players remaining on the Jazz roster had other ideas as they opened the season with a 123-102 home win against Denver, followed by a pair of wins in overtimes on the road against Minnesota (and Gobert) and New Orleans (in a game won by Kelly Olynyk).

Can jazz continue like this? They open the week with a home game against Houston before an opening night rematch with Denver on Friday and visiting Morant and the Grizzlies on Saturday.

The other undefeated teams are somewhat less surprising as Boston (3-0) and Milwaukee (2-0) sit in the East and Portland (3-0) sits next to Utah (3-0) in the West.

Undefeated after Week 1

  • Boston: 3-0
  • Milwaukee: 2-0
  • Portland: 3-0
  • Utah: 3-0

Winless in Week 1

  • Houston: 0-3
  • Los Angeles: 0-3
  • Oklahoma City: 0-3
  • Orlando: 0-3
  • Philadelphia: 0-3
  • Sacramento: 0-3

While only four undefeated teams remain, six are still looking for their first win of the season after opening the season with three straight losses.

The two teams that jump off that list are the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Sixers are projected as one of the top three contenders to win the Eastern Conference along with Boston and Milwaukee. However, they have already lost to both teams (a 126-117 loss at Boston on Oct. 18 and a 90-88 loss at Milwaukee on Oct. 20). Joel Embiid scored 40 points Saturday against San Antonio, but it wasn’t enough as the Spurs sent the Sixers to their first 0-3 start since the 2016-17 season — when Philadelphia started 0-7 and finished 28-54. On Monday, the 76ers will make another push to clinch the No. 1 seed as they host Indiana (7:00 p.m. ET, NBA Pass).

The Lakers’ early season trend of miscues from 3-point range continued Sunday against Portland. How can LA improve in this key area?

The Lakers are in the midst of their first 0-3 start since 2018-19 (they finished 37-45). Although the Lakers weren’t projected as high as the Sixers, any time a team with LeBron James gets off to a slow start, a title will come.

The Lakers opened the season with a loss to the defending champion Warriors before suffering home losses to the Clippers (their eighth straight in a cross-town series) and Portland as the Lakers couldn’t protect a seven-point lead in the final two minutes. The Lakers are off until Wednesday when they visit reigning Kia MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on ESPN (10 p.m. ET).

3. Milestone hour: Triple-double

Nikola Jokic has a chance to pass Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA’s all-time triple-double list.

Speaking of Jokic, he has posted two of the league’s three triple-doubles so far this season. That moves him to 78th in his career, tying Wilt Chamberlain for the most ever by a center and tying Chamberlain for No. 6 all-time.

Career triple-double leaders

  1. Russell Westbrook*: 194
  2. Oscar Robertson: 181
  3. Magic Johnson: 138
  4. Jason Kidd: 107
  5. LeBron James*: 105
  6. Nikola Jokić*: 78
  7. Wilt Chamberlain: 78
  8. James Harden*: 69
  9. Larry Bird: 59
  10. Luka Dončić*: 46

(* = active player)

Half of the players in the top 10 all-time triple-double leaders are active players, led by Russell Westbrook (194 career triple-doubles). James needs just three more to pass Jason Kidd and move into the top four. There’s a big gap between James at fifth and Jokic and Chamberlain at sixth, but considering Jokic is only in his eighth season and has increased his triple-doubles every season of his career (he had a career-best 19 last season and led the league) . season), “The Joker” could challenge James in seasons to come.

While Jokic is expecting a milestone, another one was crossed by Chris Paul in the first week as he became the third player in NBA history with 11,000 career assists. While he won’t catch Kidd for second on the assists list this season, he’s within striking distance of Michael Jordan in career steals (2,514), trailing Jordan’s 53 after notching eight steals in Week 1. , the top three in steals and assists will read the same three names in order: John Stockton, Kidd and Paul.

4. Marquee Matchups: National TV Games

Tuesday

Golden State at Phoenix (10 ET, TNT)

It’s a matchup between the team that led the Western Conference during the 2021-22 regular season (Phoenix) and the team that represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals and won its fourth title in eight seasons (Golden State) on Tuesday night. The teams split their four regular-season meetings last season and will meet for the first time in 2022-23.

Wednesday

Brooklyn at Milwaukee (7:30 ET, ESPN)

Every time the Bucks and Nets meet, it immediately brings back memories of their classic seven-game series in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals, in which the Bucks won in overtime after Kevin Durant’s jumper at the end of regulation was an inch away from the game-winner . The Bucks won the season series 3-1 in 2021-22, but the last two meetings were decided by three points or less.

Friday

Indiana at Washington (7:30 ET, ESPN)

Who is the top rookie scorer during Week 1 of 2022-23? Indiana’s Benedict Maturin, who is averaging 24 points, shooting 52.1% from the field and 52.4% on 3-pointers. To date, there are 33 players who have attempted at least 20 3-pointers, but Matturin leads them all. Can he continue that hot offense when the Pacers visit Washington?

5. League Pass games to watch

Monday

Brooklyn at Memphis (8 p.m. ET)

Spoiler alert! When it comes to games to watch, Morant and the Grizzlies will always be featured in some capacity, whether it’s on national television or right here on League Pass. The Kyrie Irving vs. Morant point guard matchup is a “get the popcorn ready” affair to start the week.

Wednesday

Philadelphia at Toronto (7:30 a.m. ET)

This is a rematch of the 2022 first-round series, which Philadelphia won in six games. Last season, Toronto won the regular season series 3-1, but came up short in the playoffs as Kia Rookie of the Year Scotty Barnes and All-Star Fred VanVleet each missed two games. Both teams have had slow starts to the 2022-23 season and Barnes may be a little wary if he plays in this one after suffering a sprained ankle against Miami last week.

Friday

Cleveland at Boston (7:30 ET)

The defending Eastern Conference champion Celtics opened 2022-23 with a perfect 3-0 record, while Cleveland is 2-1 despite losing Darius Garland to a lacerated eye 13 minutes into the season opener. Garland is targeting this game for his comeback, and fellow guard Donovan Mitchell has averaged 33.3 points in his first three games in Cleveland, which ranks fifth in the NBA after Week 1.

Sunday

Orlando at Dallas (7:30 a.m. ET)

Rookie forward Paolo Banchero led the league with 20-plus points in his first 3 games with the Magic.

No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero had a great performance in his NBA debut, posting 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a loss to Detroit last Wednesday. Banchero has scored at least 20 points in each of his first three games, but is still searching for his first NBA win. The Magic face New York, Cleveland and Charlotte to open the week before heading to Dallas to face Luka Doncic and the Mavericks.



[ad_2]

Source link