It was an interesting day of NBA action. Here are some of the key takeaways we had from the games.

The Golden State Warriors might be in for a rough season

We already predicted that the Dubs would need an MVP-level season from Steph Curry to succeed. What we didn’t realise was just how awful the rest of his teammates might play. Steph himself had a decent game with 28 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST. The rest of his teammates weren’t particularly effective. D’Angelo Russell also found himself only playing 22 minutes thanks to an ejection. 

When a young team like the Thunder sees their highest-paid player in Chris Paul score only 10 points, but still whoop you by 28 points, it should set off some alarm bells. Shae Gilgeous-Alexander had himself a nice game too, showing up to post 19 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST for the day. Dario Gallinari and Dennis Schröder came up with over 20 points apiece too.

Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets need a break

On paper, the Nets had a pretty well-balanced game. Kyrie Irving led a balanced offence that say six players score in double figures with 37 PTS. Caris LeVert pitched in 27 PTS, while Jarrett Allen had a decent night out with 14 PTS and 13 REB.

They can’t seem to get a break though, as they came up against a young Grizzlies team that simply wouldn’t go away. They were led by Temetrius Moran’ts 30 PTS, 4 REB, 9 AST performance and a triple-double from Jonas Valančiūnas. Their biggest hero of the game, though, was Jae Crowder, who hit a soul-crushing buzzer beater to give the Grizzlies the overtime victory.

The Euro Duo in Dallas is worth watching

The Dallas Mavericks seemed to have one plan going into the season: figure out a way to get Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis to gel together. It seems to be working so far, even in the face of a 119-121 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Doncic was one assist shy of another triple double with 29 PTS, 12 REB, 9 AST. Porzingis hasn’t been a slouch since his return to full NBA action either, posting 32 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST. The Mavs are going to have to find a way to shoot better, though, as going 13 of 50 from beyond the arc won’t keep them close in a lot of other games.

The Blazers earned the win, though. Their efforts, as usual, were led by a big effort from their wing players. CJ McCollum scored 35, Damian Lillard chipped in 28 and Rodney Hood dropped 20 points.

The Lakers are looking better-rounded

Anthony Davis is starting to look more and more comfortable for the Lakers. Davis stepped up with 29 points on 10 of 19 shooting. James did show that he can still affect the game on multiple fronts, which was proven by his 20 points, 6 rebounds and assists. Dwight Howard had a good game too, providing 16 points on a perfect shooting night with 10 rebounds and 4 blocks.

The Hornets showed a few flashes of good play, but they are simply too young and lack the firepower to compete with the elite teams in the league.