The preseason may be a little boring, and maybe a little bit of a tease, but occasionally it provides some really cool moments. We were treated to one on Friday, when the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings played in front of a capacity, NBA-starved crowd in Seattle’s Key Arena.
The star of the show was Kevin Durant, who is one of two remaining Seattle SuperSonics still playing in the league. Below are all the scores from the night’s action, along with a few things we noticed along the way.
NBA preseason scores for Friday, Oct. 5
- Philadelphia 76ers 120, Dallas Mavericks 114 (box score)
- Orlando Magic 119, Rio de Janeiro Flamengo 82 (box score)
- Toronto Raptors 120, Melbourne United 82 (box score)
- Washington Wizards 121, Miami Heat 114 (box score)
- New York Knicks 106, New Orleans Pelicans 114 (box score)
- Memphis Grizzlies 120, Atlanta Hawks 110 (box score)
- Oklahoma City Thunder 113, Minnesota Timberwolves 101 (box score)
- San Antonio Spurs 117, Detroit Pistons 93 (box score)
- Denver Nuggets 96, Perth Wildcats 88 (box score)
- Utah Jazz 129, Adelaide 36ers 99 (box score)
- Portland Trail Blazers 115, Phoenix Suns 93 (box score)
- Golden State warriors 122, Sacramento Kings 94 (box score)
KD puts on a show in Seattle
Kevin Durant is one of two remaining NBA players who once suited up for the Seattle SuperSonics (Jeff Green is the other), so he received more than a warm welcome when he took the court to play in the Warriors’ game against the Kings on Friday night. Durant played up to the crowd as well, rocking a vintage Shawn Kemp jersey during pregame introductions and while he addressed the fans from center court.
Durant clearly wanted to put on a show, and succeeded, putting up 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 25 minutes.
Wading into deeper waters?
Dwyane Wade is in entering his final NBA season, but what will he provide for the Miami Heat? He proved last season (and postseason) that he’s still capable of being a playmaker and scorer off the bench, but will he be able to transition into more of a 3-point shooter — something Miami desperately needs? Wade had been ice cold thus far in the preseason, but got hot on Friday, hitting two of his three 3-point attempts in the first quarter.
Wade’s always been a streaky shooter from deep (29 percent for his career), and shot just 22 percent after coming back to the Heat late last season. But we’ve seen many players improve their 3-point shot in their later NBA years, and if Wade can get into the mid-30s it will help out the Heat bench immensely.
Getting physical with Trae
Due to his slight frame, opponents are going to try to bully Hawks rookie Trae Young all season long. He got a good taste of that on Friday against a tough Memphis Grizzlies defense, particularly veteran guard Mike Conley, who was all over Young from the opening tip. This is nothing new for Young — teams tried to do the same thing to him in college — but it was evident against the Grizzlies that he was playing against grown men.
To Young’s credit, he powered through to put up a solid game. He didn’t shoot well from deep (1-for-5 3-pointers), but he scored 15 points by getting to the free-throw line (6-for-6) and making tough shots in the paint. With teams playing Young for the 3, it’s going to be imperative that he affects the game in other ways. He did that on Friday, picking up two steals and a block while dishing out five assists, including this sweet one to Miles Plumlee for the poster dunk.
Welcome back, Paul George
Paul George made his preseason debut for the Thunder on Friday, and he didn’t miss a beat. He scored 23 points in 26 minutes as the focal point of the offense with Russell Westbrook still recovering from knee surgery.
With defensive stopper Andre Roberson suffering a setback and being ruled out for at least two months, George will be tasked with guarding some of the league’s best perimeter players. He’ll also have to maintain his usual high level of scoring, which is going to put quite a strain on the All-Star forward.
NBA is global
If you ever doubted the NBA’s international nature, Friday was a great reminder. Not only did the Mavericks and 76ers play a game in China, but four teams from international cities — three from Australia and one from Brazil — played against NBA teams on their home courts. And if you don’t think the international fans notice, just look at the joy displayed by this young Rio de Janeiro Flamengo supporter.
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