NBA, Embiid chooses Team USA. And in the meantime the game is on: Minnesota beats Dallas in Abu Dhabi

Minnesota wins its first preseason game in the Middle East. Finally we’re playing, 19 days after the “real” start. And meanwhile Joel Embiid chooses the US national team for the Olympics, for Paris 2024. The NBA is back in the news with news from the field, a first from Abu Dhabi, and with those from the national “market”: the center of Philadelphia was contested from Cameroon, his country of origin, France and indeed Team USA which defeated the competition.

THE START

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Let’s start from the “field”: in the United Arab Emirates the Minnesota Timberwolves sweep away the Dallas Mavericks 111-99. First NBA game of the 2023-24 campaign, which will take us until next summer. And the countdown has started for the opening night of October 24th with the double matchup Denver-Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State-Phoenix on the calendar. The desire to see the overseas champions on the parquet was there, after months of chatter, with only the World Cup being played as basketball. But as expected in the Middle East it didn’t get serious despite the fact that Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony Towns were on the court. “Warm-up”, little else, in terms of reliability of performance and results. Of course the Texans could at least “pretend” to care…

THE MATCH

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For the Wolves the starting five is Conley, Alexander-Walker, McDaniels, Towns and Gobert. For the Mavericks Doncic, Irving, the new purchase from Boston Grant Williams and the freshmen Prosper and Lively. Ant Edwards is missing: he remains out as a precaution due to a slight sprain in his left ankle. Immediately 16-3 Minnesota on Conley’s triple. The Mavs start 0/7 shooting. 37-19 end of the first quarter, everything already decided. 14 of the Texans’ 19 points were scored by Doncic, alone like a hermit. Then 66-49 Minnesota at half time. There is no match. Different attitude: the Wolves take it seriously, the Mavs like a folkloristic trip to the Middle East with kids to test. Irving 1/6, 2 points, -22 plus/minus. He really doesn’t want to. Then 87-74 after 36′ with the “big players” already at rest. It ends 111-99. 17′ of use for Doncic and Towns: 25 points for the Slovenian, 20 for the Dominican.

THE PRE-SEASON CALENDAR

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In two days – Saturday 7 October from 6pm Italian time – it will be repeated. Same location, same teams in front. That night then the first “friendly” match on US soil: Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco. The international NBA schedule will be completed with the matches on October 8, Toronto-Sacramento in Vancouver, on October 10 in Madrid, Real vs. Dallas Mavs, Doncic against his past, and finally on October 12 in Montreal: Oklahoma City -Detroit. The pre-season will end on October 20th, on the 23rd the 30 franchises will have to formalize the personnel with which they will start the season.

EMBIID CHOOSES TEAM USA

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Joel Embiid, the center of Cameroon, the MVP of the past NBA season, has chosen to represent the US national team in Paris 2024. The 29-year-old African, who also has French and American citizenship, in recent days at the Philadelphia 76ers media day , of which he is the franchise man, had declared that he was torn between the different options. Cameroon is admitted to the pre-Olympic competition, but not yet qualified, France is rightfully eligible as the host country, Team USA qualified for the World Cup, which however ended only in fourth place this summer, in Manila, in the Philippines. France has Rudy Gobert, center of the Utah Jazz, and Victor Wembanyama, first choice of the 2023 draft, as “name” big men. The United States, on the other hand, struggled too much in Asia at the World Cup with Jaren Jackson, despite being an NBA defender of the year in 2023, at center, and they didn’t know what alternatives. Bam Adebayo and Myles Turner are the main ones: let’s not talk about phenomena. Or Anthony Davis from 5 for reasons of state. Embiid, who has so far never even managed to play in the Finals in the NBA, will start for Coach Kerr and will be able to enjoy a unique international showcase. Closing the Games with the gold medal around his neck would do wonders for him, to build an image of a winner that he can’t have for now, results in hand. Team USA has already received the official yes from Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Steph Curry seem interested in participating in the Olympic expedition. In short, the Americans showed off their reinforcements after the defeats suffered against Lithuania, Germany and Canada at the World Cup. In Paris they will be the big favourites, once again.