The first full day was not a good one. We have a lot of basketball left so let’s get to the recaps!

October 18th results:

What we got right:

Orlando at Detroit:

Paolo Banchero is going to be a star. The rookie had 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in his first game, albeit a loss to the improved Detroit Pistons. The numbers that Banchero put up in his debut was matched only by Kareem Abdul Jabar and LeBron James. That is pretty good company. Detroit had its own youngsters showcase as well, with rookie Jaden Ivey contributing 19 points in the 113-109 win.

Washington at Indiana:

Bradley Beal did start off hot this year, scoring 23 points for the Wizards in the 114-107 win. Tyrese Haliburton and Benedict Mathurin kept the game close for the Pacers, but they didn’t have enough help to overcome Beal and the Wizards.

New Orleans at Brooklyn:

We are patting ourselves on the back with this one. The Pelicans took control with a 32-14 first quarter lead, and never looked back in the 130-108 win. Zion Williamson played 30 minutes, which is probably the biggest victory of the night for the Pelicans. He had 25 points and 9 rebounds, and Brandon Ingram had 28 points to lead New Orleans.

Oklahoma City at Minnesota:

The game wasn’t as low scoring as we thought it would be, but the Thunder still covered in the 115-108 loss to the Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert had 23 points and 16 rebounds in his Minnesota debut, while Shea Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points in the loss for Oklahoma City. He will be one of the few bright spots in what will be a long year for the Thunder.

What we got wrong:

Chicago at Miami:

Zach LaVine didn’t play in this one for Chicago, but it didn’t matter as the Bulls beat the Heat 116-108. DeMar DeRozan dropped 37 points in the victory, and he actually made two three pointers. DeRozan led a balanced effort, with five Bulls scoring in double figures. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 24 points, but Kyle Lowry only scoring two points really doomed Miami.

Cleveland at Toronto:

The line was Toronto - 2.5. The Raptors ended up winning by three. Even early in the season Vegas knows what they are doing. This was a well played game between two solid teams. The Raptors and Cavaliers are both second tier Eastern Conference teams, behind Boston, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. They are both teams to keep an eye on.

New York at Memphis:

We here at Sports Predictions have been known to be wrong. This is one of those cases. We don’t know why the Knicks were only four point underdogs, but they ended up sending the game to overtime, before losing 115-112. The Grizzlies play hard, but no one plays harder at the beginning of the season than the New York Knicks. We should have known that.

Charlotte at San Antonio:

The Spurs are really bad. They are already the favorite for the worst team in the league after the 129-102 drubbing they took to the Hornets. Charlotte outscored San Antonio every quarter, and thoroughly outclassed them the entire game. Losing to a LaMelo Ball-less Hornets team by 27? Ouch.

Dallas at Phoenix:

For the first half this looked like a carbon copy of the last time these two teams played. Dallas was manhandling the Suns and raced out to a 62-45 halftime lead. Then the Suns put on a clinic in the second half, not only getting the game close, but actually winning 107-105. It wasn’t enough to cover the spread, but I doubt Phoenix cares about that.

Denver at Utah:

This was without a doubt the most surprising outcome of yesterday. The Jazz not only beat the Nuggets, they kicked the crap out of them. Denver has to be reeling after the 123-102 loss to a team that traded away its two best players in the offseason. Not the way you want to start. We here at Sports Predictions still like the Nuggets, but that loss had us shaking our heads.

Portland at Sacramento:

Talk about a roller coaster of a game. The Blazers raced out to a nine point lead at the end of the first quarter. Then the Kings took a four point lead into halftime. In the second half it was the balanced effort of Portland outlasting Sacramento, eventually coming away with a 115-108 lead. We still think the Kings are better than then the Blazers, but they weren’t on this night.

What we didn’t get right or wrong:

Houston at Atlanta:

The line was ten. The final score was 117-107. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray looked very comfortable playing together, combining for 24 assists and only three turnovers. They also combined for 43 points. It was a really good look for the Hawks, and if those two keep playing like that then good things are coming for this team.