Opening week’s second night had 11 games, and the loudest stat lines came from stars, unexpected lead guards and a Lakers center who did not miss. Anthony Edwards set the scoring pace in Minnesota’s opener, Ty Jerome detonated against Utah, and Walker Kessler gave Los Angeles a spotless first look at its new starting big.
| Player | PTS | Key line | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Edwards | 45 | 10 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 9 3PT | 33 |
| Ty Jerome | 45 | 7 REB, 6 AST, 5 3PT, 1 BLK | 32 |
| Walker Kessler | 26 | 9 REB, 2 BLK, 12-for-12 FG | 29 |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 23 | 12 AST, 1 STL | 34 |
| Damian Lillard | 25 | 6 AST, 6-for-10 3PT | 23 |
Edwards opens with a 45-point jolt
Edwards went straight at Miami in his first game of the season, finishing with 45 points on 16-for-29 shooting and burying nine triples. He added 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, producing 66.5 fantasy points, the top total from Wednesday’s schedule.
The workload was as notable as the final total. Edwards posted a 40.2 percent usage rate and scored 23 points without an assist. Minnesota put the ball in his hands and let him dictate possessions, a familiar opening-night reminder of how much scoring volume is available to him.
Jerome matched him in points for Memphis, reaching a career-high 45 in the win over Utah. He shot 17-for-25, made five threes, collected seven rebounds and six assists, and added a block. Fourteen of his made field goals were self-created, a sign that the Grizzlies leaned on him as their primary shot-maker rather than simply benefiting from a hot catch-and-shoot night.
Jerome’s 64.4 fantasy-point performance came after he had been drafted outside the top 100 in many Yahoo leagues. Health remains the obvious qualifier, but the opening role and 32-minute workload supplied a much stronger signal than a one-dimensional heater.
Haliburton finishes, Lillard fits in Portland
| Game | Result | Standout production |
|---|---|---|
| Pacers vs. Pelicans | Indiana 123, New Orleans 120 | Haliburton: 23 PTS, 12 AST |
| Trail Blazers vs. Suns | Portland 124, Phoenix 83 | Lillard: 25 PTS, 6 AST |
Haliburton ran Indiana through a tight 123-120 victory over New Orleans, scoring 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting while handing out 12 assists. He went 5-for-5 at the foul line, recorded a steal and had three turnovers in 34 minutes. Seven of his eight baskets came without an assist, while his passing created 26 Pacers points.
The closing possessions looked especially encouraging. Haliburton hit two driving floaters in the final two minutes to help Indiana close the game. Pascal Siakam scored 30 points, Ivica Zubac logged 16 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks, and Obi Toppin supplied 20 points and four threes off the bench.
Portland’s new guard mix had no visible growing pains against Phoenix. Lillard needed only 23 minutes to score 25 points, shooting 7-for-12 overall and 6-for-10 from deep, with six assists, three rebounds and a steal. Ja Morant and Lillard gave Portland multiple creators, and the Blazers repeatedly forced the Suns to cover the rim and the arc at the same time.
Portland won the paint battle, hit 19 threes at a 40 percent rate and left little room for Jrue Holiday in the pecking order. Lillard’s minutes were held down by the score, not by a limited role. His first game since the Achilles injury pointed toward a familiar offensive assignment.
Kessler owns the paint in Los Angeles
Kessler’s Lakers debut could hardly have been cleaner. Against Golden State’s undersized frontcourt, the free-agent addition scored 26 points without a miss, going 12-for-12 from the floor in a 127-105 Los Angeles win. He also had nine rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes.
Eight of Kessler’s field goals were set up in the paint by Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves. The Lakers paid for a center who could anchor the lane, finish the easy chances and erase shots at the other end, and Kessler checked every box in Game 1. His tendency to stay around the rim puts an elite field-goal percentage within reach if this offensive environment holds.
Dončić finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He was 7-for-18 from the field, 5-for-12 from three and 9-for-9 at the line. Reaves scored 23 points and added six assists while making all 10 free throws. Dončić also spent much of the night exchanging words with Golden State’s Yaxel Lendeborg.
Stephen Curry scored 23 points in 21 minutes on 7-for-15 shooting, but Golden State received little else and never found traction. The Warriors’ supporting cast looked flat in the rout, putting even more pressure on Curry to hold up across a long season.
Phoenix takes an early-season punch
| Suns team numbers | Figure |
|---|---|
| Final score | Lost 124-83 |
| Opening Portland run | 21-0 |
| Team field-goal percentage | 36% |
| Three-point shooting | 6-for-31 |
| Largest deficit | 52 points |
Phoenix did not score until 5:54 remained in the first quarter, by which point Portland had already opened on a 21-0 run. The Suns eventually lost by 41 and trailed by as many as 52, a disastrous start for an offense that could not find clean looks or dependable secondary scoring.
Devin Booker put up 23 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 29 minutes, but all seven of his baskets were unassisted and he posted a minus-43. Dillon Brooks had 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting, Miles Bridges scored eight on 3-for-11 and missed all five threes, while Jalen Green finished with 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting. Collin Gillespie went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.
The blowout distorted minutes and individual totals, but it did not hide the larger issue: Phoenix could not generate enough offense against a Portland group built around Lillard and Morant.
Rookie debuts go sideways
Chicago rookie Caleb Wilson finished with a minus-45, tied for the second-lowest single-game mark in Bulls franchise history. He scored 16 points on 7-for-21 shooting and committed nine turnovers, a difficult first-night line even with the usual rookie allowances.
Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr. had an equally rough shooting debut, making five of 24 attempts and going 0-for-7 from three. His 20.8 percent field-goal mark was the second-lowest ever by a rookie attempting at least 20 shots in his debut. Only Sidney Wicks, at 18.5 percent in 1971, finished lower. Acuff still contributed three steals and three assists, producing 25.1 fantasy points, and neither rookie’s first game needs to become a season verdict.
Active centers make their case
| Center | PTS | Rebounds | Defensive production |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yves Missi | 13 | 14 | 2 STL, 3 BLK |
| Moussa Diabaté | 17 | 8 | 5 STL |
| Jaxson Hayes | Not listed | Not listed | 6 BLK |
Missi posted 13 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in 30 minutes during New Orleans’ loss to Indiana. The 51.3 fantasy-point total was a reminder that he can fill every column when the minutes are there.
Diabaté opened with 17 points, eight rebounds and five steals, reaching 42.1 fantasy points. He entered the season with an average draft position near 115 in Yahoo leagues and was rostered in 33 percent of leagues, compared with 31 percent for Missi. Of the available bigs, Diabaté carries the strongest immediate case, with Missi close behind.
Hayes came off the board in only 3 percent of leagues, but his six blocks in 26 minutes as Utah’s starter made him impossible to ignore. He is filling in for the injured Jusuf Nurkić, and that rim-protection job could keep Hayes in the starting group.
Notebook
- Anthony Davis opened with 34 points and 12 rebounds, producing 60.4 fantasy points.
- Washington’s Trae Young posted 20 points and 13 assists for 44.5 fantasy points.
- Darius Garland scored 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting with four assists in 32 minutes as the Clippers beat Sacramento 121-96. His 37.2 fantasy points came in a game that positioned him as Los Angeles’ offensive lead option.
- Cooper Flagg scored 32 points, made 11 of 13 free throws and committed four turnovers, finishing with 49 fantasy points.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points before fouling out in 30 minutes. He made 9 of 14 free throws, carried a 40 percent usage rate and had seven of his 13 field goals assisted.
- Julius Randle scored 33 points and handed out seven assists for Brooklyn in its loss to Charlotte, totaling 52.1 fantasy points.
