The Baseline: NBA Recap

In The Baseline, we take a look back at the action from the night before, and break it down. Check back every morning to see what you might have missed.

Philadelphia 76ers at Bilbao Basket–

This was the 2nd game of the NBA Global Games that are happening this preseason. The Sixers started out controlling the game, and had the lead for 2 1/2 quarters, until Bilbao Basket took the lead in the 3rd quarter. The Sixers led late in the 4th until Bilbao hit 3 free throws late to tie it at 104. They then fouled Spencer Hawes and he hit 2 free throws with a few seconds left. Bilbao missed a 3 at the buzzer and the Sixers escaped with a 2 point win, 106-104. Evan Turner played well with 25 points, Thaddeus Young had 14, and rookie Michael Carter-Williams struggled; scoring only 3 points on 1 of 5 shooting.

Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers-

The Lakers played the second game of a back-to-back, but this time they had Steve Nash and Pau Gasol. After an impressive showing against the Warriors last night, the Lakers backed it up with one of the worst shooting performances in their history. They were without Chris Kaman and Jordan Farmar, but I don’t think they would have helped. All the Lakers were cold, and they finished shooting 32% from the field, and that was inflated from a few garbage-time shots. The Nuggets were equally as bad with 28 turnovers, and we witnessed some bad basketball last night. The Nuggets ended up winning 97-88. Steve Nash only took 2 shots in 22 minutes and didn’t score. Pau Gasol looked healthy, and he scored 13 points. Xavier Henry backed up his 29 point performance with a team-high 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting. For some reason, Ty Lawson was in until the end of the game, and he had 15 points and 10 rebounds. JaVale McGee started, and he looked as if he was still trying to find his footing. If anything, this game reminds you that preseason can produce some ugly play, and don’t take it too serious.