Relax NBA fans, the 2017-18 NBA season is finally underway. After an interesting opening night on Tuesday, there were plenty of games played on Wednesday night as well. Most of the teams played their first game of the season on Wednesday night, including the Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers.
It was a fully packed Capital One Arena as the Wizards hosted the 76ers in a, what turned out to be, very interesting matchup. It was also the first official NBA game for Philadelphia's rookie Ben Simmons who missed his first year due to a foot injury.
Narrow win for the home team
The Wizards started off strong in this one, outscoring the Sixers 32-23 in the first quarter. Philadelphia bounced back in the second period, as they went on a quick, 15-4 run early in the second quarter and regained the lead at 38-36. Philadelphia scored 36 points in the second quarter and held a 59-56 lead at halftime.
The Wizards answered with a 34-point third quarter, and heading into the final period of the game the home team was in front 90-82. After a back-and-forth affair in the fourth quarter, Washington managed to take a 120-115 victory in the end.
Six players scored at least 10 points in this one for the home team. John Wall led the way with 28 points for the Wizards and he also added five rebounds and eight assists.
His backcourt partner, Bradley Beal, added 25 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Marcin Gortat contributed with 16 points and 17 rebounds for Washington.
In his first official game in the NBA for Philadelphia, Ben Simmons scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists. Robert Covington added 29 points and seven rebounds, while Joel Embiid finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds for the 76ers.
Fournier leads Orlando to their first win of the season
The Orlando Magic faced the Miami Heat on Wednesday night in the first game of the season for both teams. Miami held a 37-32 lead after the first quarter, but it was Orlando with the 58-55 lead at halftime. Midway through the third quarter, the Magic held a 79-64 lead and it seemed like they were in total control of this one.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Orlando held an 88-78 lead.
Late in the final period of the game, the Heat came within two points as the score was 105-103 for Orlando, but they couldn't regain the lead. In the end, the Magic celebrated a 116-109 victory.
Evan Fournier led the Magic in this one with 23 points in 34 minutes of playing time. Nikola Vucevic also played a good game for Orlando, as he finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Terrence Ross also contributed with 15 points and six rebounds for the home team.
For the Heat, it was Hassan Whiteside who led the way with 26 points and 22 rebounds. It was a monster performance from Whiteside but it wasn't enough. Goran Dragic added 17 points and six assists for Miami.