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2017-18 NBA Weekly Review: Week 2

Published 10/30/2017, 9:31 AM EDT

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Week 2 of the 2017-18 NBA regular season is done. This has got to be the most unexpected start to a regular season in a long time.

2017-18 NBA News

  • Keeping up the tragic tradition, Sixers rookie Markelle Fultz is out indefinitely due to an injury in the right shoulder.
  • LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers slipped to the 10th spot in the eastern conference after losing three in a row to Nets, Pelicans and Knicks respectively. Perhaps it’s time for LeBron to set some regular season goals.
  • The Phoenix Suns have had a second coming just three game into the season. After getting blown out by record numbers, they’re finally playing some real basketball. Suns won two of their next three games and now have a 2-4 record. Not to mention, Eric Bledsoe is still out as trade options are limited this early in the season.
  • DeMarcus Cousins became only the fourth player in NBA history to put together a 40-point, 20-rebound performance and a triple-double in consecutive games after Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain.
  • There have been so many upsets in just a dozen days that it’s having an impact on the NBA standings. As of now, Detroit Pistons are leading the east with a 5-2 record with Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers at the 4th and 7th spot respectively. Out west, Memphis Grizzlies lead the way with a 5-1 record.

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Games of the Week

The Grit-N-Grind era seems to be pretty far from over in Memphis. Early on in the week, Grizzlies beat Rockets 98-90 in Houston. The Grizzlies put in a team effort with Marc Gasol leading the way with 26 points. Mike Conley added 17 points and 4 assists. Houston struggled with what they do best, shoot threes. They shot 9 of 38 from deep. James Harden and Eric Gordon combined for 49 points and 15 assists. Clint Capela was the only other Rocket scoring in double digits.

The Grizzlies then returned home to beat the Rockets again 103-89. This time, no starter on the Memphis team scored in double digits but their bench carried the scoring load. Chandler Parsons shot 9 of 11 from the field for his 24 points. Tyreke Evans and Mario Chalmers dropped 14 and 15 points respectively. Rockets improved their shooting and the scoring load was much more even with 5 players scoring in double digits.

It’s a shame that the 2 games Rockets lost came at the hands of a team nobody saw coming. Eric Gordon is playing like he’s not just the sixth man anymore. He had 29 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and hit the game winning shot for the Rockets. James Harden came up with a key block on the defensive end with 6 seconds remaining in the game. Coming off a timeout, Eric Gordon got Joel Embiid to bite and then drained the game winner from the corner. Ben Simmons scored 14 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists while Embiid added 21 more.

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Golden State Warriors fought off an 18 point lead to beat the Washington Wizards. The Wizards were in the front for most of the game until they weren’t. The Warriors outscored the Wizards 33-20 in the final period and finally took the game. Kevin Durant had 31 points and 11 rebounds while Curry scored 20 points and 8 assists. Klay Thompson and David West added 18 and 16 points respectively. John Wall had his daily double of 20 points and 14 assists while Otto Porter Jr. smoked it from outside with 7 made threes. He has 29 points and 10 rebound for the game. Bradley Beal and Draymond Green indulged in a fist fight after Beal appeared to stop Green by the neck. Both players were ejected and fined.

Major Upsets

If the best team in the east loses 3 straight games, it’s a cause of worry for the team. The Cavs have now lost three straight; two of those were blowouts against teams, none of which made the playoffs last year. Their defence so far might be the worst in the whole league.

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Check out the Week 1 review of the 2017-18 NBA season here.

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Written by:

Piyush Vats

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Die Hard Basketball fan from India. Loves everything sports! Peace.
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