With the NBA season starting in a few days, the NBA preseason is a great look into what to expect this coming NBA season. On October 4, 2017, 15 NBA teams and the Maccabi Haifa Basketball Club hit the hard court and battled it out.
The newly revamped roster of the Minnesota Timberwolves with the addition of All-Star forward Jimmy Butler and key players including Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson got to test themselves against Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors.
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Former number one pick Ben Simmons put on a show in his preseason debut with the Philadelphia 76ers.
But despite Simmons' excellent performance, the Philadelphia 76ers still lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 110-89.
Grizzlies' Brandan Wright scored 16 points to lead all scorers; Jarell Martin led the game in rebounds with nine, while Simmons had nine assists.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Hawks' guard Dennis Schroder led all scorers with 18 points, Taurean Prince had 8 rebounds, and Malcolm Delaney led the game in assists with six. The Atlanta Hawks were able to defeat the 'Lebron-less' Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Detroit Pistons
Rookie Malik Monk and the Charlotte Hornets managed to come out with the win in a closely contested game against the Detroit Pistons. The Hornets defeated the Piston 108-106.
Hornet's Malik Monk had 18 points, Julyan Stone and Detroit's Ish Smith both had seven assists, while Andre Drummond led the game in rebounds with 15.
Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Despite Paul George's departure, Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers dominated the Milwaukee Bucks 104-86.
Myles Turner led the game in scoring and rebounds with 17 and nine respectively, while his teammate Lance Stephenson had six assists to lead all players.
Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Chicago Bulls 118-71. Dallas' Harrison Barnes scored 17 points, Dirk Nowitzki had nine rebounds, and Bulls' newly acquired guard Kris Dunn led the game in assists with six.
Maccabi Haifa Basketball Club vs. Utah Jazz
Maccabi's Brandon Bowman led all scorers with 28 points, Oz Blayzer had ten rebounds, while Frederic Bourdillon and Jazz's Dante Exum bot had six assists to lead all players as the Utah Jazz stomped Maccabi Haifa 117-78.
Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets 107-128. Nuggets' Kenneth Faried scored 25 points to lead all scorers; Mason Plumlee led in rebounding with 14, while both Plumlee and Will Barton had seven assists apiece.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors
The defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-111. Reigning Finals MVP Kevin Durant led all scorers with 20 points, Draymond Green dished out eight assists, while Minnesota's Gorgui Dieng grabbed ten rebounds.