Several teams hit the floor on Tuesday night as a part of the NBA preseason, including the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks. The Knicks hosted the Nets in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York, as the fans were anxious to see their new-look Knicks playing without Carmelo Anthony. Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this offseason after spending seven seasons with the Knicks. Kristaps Porzings is expected to be the new leader of the team and the face of the franchise in New York for many years to come.
Comfortable win for the Nets at MSG
Both the Knicks and the Nets were scoring at will in the first quarter, with New York leading 33-30 after the first 12 minutes of the game. The Nets, though, held a 59-57 lead at halftime. It was in the third quarter when the Nets ran away with this one. They outscored the Knicks 34-21 in the third period of the game and held a 15-point lead (93-78) heading into the fourth quarter. The Nets had no trouble holding onto that lead and ended up winning this one comfortably 115-107.
Brooklyn had seven players in double-digit scoring on Tuesday night, with D'Angelo Russell leading the way with 19 points and four assists. Sean Kilpatrick added 15 points and four rebounds off the bench for the Nets, while DeMarre Carrol contributed with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points and grabbed seven boards for the Knicks and Enes Kanter also scored 17 points for the home team. Kristaps Porzingis added 15 points and five rebounds for New York.
The Bulls squeeze by the Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans and the Chicago Bulls played their first games of this year's NBA preseason as they faced off on Tuesday night in new orleans.
The Pelicans came out ready to play in the first quarter, as they outscored the Bulls 46-30 in the opening period of the game. The home team held a 69-58 lead at halftime, but they struggled to score in the third quarter, as the Bulls held them to just 16 points. The Pelicans led 85-84 heading into the final period of the game, but Chicago managed to take a narrow victory in the end, as they celebrated a 113-109 win.
Eight different players scored at least 10 points for the Bulls in their win against the Pelicans. Cristiano Felicio led Chicago in scoring on Tuesday night with 15 points and he also added five rebounds, while Justin Holiday added 14 points and four assists. Jerian Grant helped with 11 points and nine assists for the Bulls on 4-of-5 shooting.
For the Pelicans, it was Anthony Davis who led them in scoring with 24 points and 10 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins also played a good game as he scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out five assists. E'Twaun Moore scored 16 points off the bench for New Orleans but it wasn't enough in the end.
