#montrezl-harrell

#montrezl-harrell

PHILADELPHIA - Not like this.The Nets weren't supposed to lose this game.Especially not like this.Not against a 76ers team with Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey each out due to foot injuries.Not in Ben Simmons' first official game back at the Wells Fargo Center since the blockbuster trade that sent Harden to Philly.

The Raptors took the first game against the Sixers in dominant fashion and will look to repeat that performance again in the second game of this mini-series at home.This game was historic as it was the first time 3 Cameroonian players shared a court together in the NBA.It was a special night for the country of Cameroon and the future generation of overseas basketball players.

The Raptors kick off a three game homestand against an all-familiar 76ers team that eliminated them in the first round last season.It's the first matchup between Pascal Siakam and Joel Embiid since Spicy P's unfortunate elbow in Game six, that resulted in Embiid missing two games in the next round vs Miami and possibly changing that series.

Pity Steve Clifford and the Charlotte Hornets (7-18).The new old coach has faced many obstacles this season, from the basketball court (injuries to LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, Cody Martin, and now Dennis Smith, Jr.) to the people's court (Miles Bridges, Montrezl Harrell, and James Bouknight).The Hornets are 1-and-4 over their last five games, field the league's worst-rated offense, and are frontrunners in the pursuit of that basketball-playing giraffe, Victor Wembanyama.

O.G. Anunoby and the Toronto Raptors may have been so shorthanded against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks that Jeff Dowtin had to get minutes, but Toronto managed to eke out a 105-100 victory after managing to overcome a putrid offensive start.Anunoby not only scored 26 points and piled up nine rebounds while defending Doncic for most of the game, but he did so while playing the entire second half and logging 43 minutes in the game.

Since winning a title, the Lakers have put on a tremendous display on how not to sustain success.As it stands, only LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain from that 2020 championship team, as even its head coach was unceremoniously removed at the end of last season.What's interesting is for all their mistakes, an explanation could be offered, even the Russell Westbrook trade.