The 2019 NBA season tipoff is tonight - get your fantasy lineups set, get comfortable, and enjoy the show.
Though tonight is the official start of the 2019 NBA season, the fun really continues all week long with an impressive slate of games each day. A TNT double-header kicks things off at 7:00 PM Central starting with the defending champion Toronto Raptors taking on the young New Orleans Pelicans.
Without Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, the Raps will be a much different, but still entertaining team. Unfortunately, their opponents the Pelicans will be without star rookie Zion Williamson, who is expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks after successful arthroscopic knee surgery. The Pelicans are to be featured again Friday in a matchup with Dallas, so it is a shame they are missing their biggest draw.
If nothing else, grab a coffee during the opening game so you can stay up for a premier matchup to follow at 9:30 PM Central. This one does feature Kawhi Leonard, in his new Los Angeles Clippers home, though he won’t be playing alongside fellow newcomer, Paul George. PG13 is expected to miss 10 to 20 games with a shoulder injury. Injuries suck.
Facing the Clippers is their Staples Center rival, the LA Lakers. LeBron James was a Laker last season, but expectations weren’t near as high as they are now that he is playing alongside Anthony Davis. With more specialists in place this year instead of a bizarre mix of Magic Johnson’s “playmakers,” Davis and James should be primed to push the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference standings.
Tomorrow night, we get a great game out of the East, with the Celtics traveling to Philly to face Joel Embiid, former teammate Al Horford, and Ben Simmons, who is projected to hit a few triples this season. Wild. The late game to come after features the stacked Nuggets and consistent firepower of the Portland Trailblazers. Look for our friends Monte Morris and Anthony Tolliver in that one!
Another TNT double-header is in store per usual on Thursday, highlighted by the reigning NBA MVP. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks will get a strong challenge early against the Houston Rockets. Finally, we will get a true glimpse of what the James Harden and Russell Westbrook tandem looks like. Only one thing is certain there, it’s going to be entertaining.
Following the Buck and Rockets, we get the Clippers again, who face another big test in the Golden State Warriors. No Durant, no Thompson (likely out for the regular season), no lofty expectations. However, it isn’t a stretch to think that Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and new acquisition D’Angelo Russell can’t still hang with the very best. It will be another highly intriguing game.
Lakers again Friday taking on the Jazz, a three-game slate Saturday that will bring first looks at Jimmy Butler’s Heat and RJ Barrett’s Knicks, and then Sunday to catch your breath. This is a good week.
The Basketball Movement loves… well you know. Basketball. The NBA is the highest level of the sport in the world. We are lucky to have worked with many of these guys and love working with others interested in taking the sport all the way to this level. It is a great opportunity for athletes of all ages to watch and learn what it takes to be the best. Also, it’s a helluva lot of fun.
We hope you tune in too! Drop by anytime to talk basketball, because you know we’ll be watching. Stay tuned here as well for coverage and be sure you’re following along on Twitter. Enjoy the season!