The Denver Nuggets praise David Adelman and the Philadelphia 76ers win thanks to Quentin Grimes

On Sunday night, the Denver Nuggets galloped to an easy win against the Phoenix Suns, in which the starting five and especially Nikola Jokic played a lion’s share. In Philadelphia, Quentin Grimes caused ecstasy, while Joel Embiid is also gaining momentum.

Game of the night: 76ers celebrate thanks to Grimes

In the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets played an even game at 125:121, in which both teams conjured up brisk offensive basketball on the floor. In the first quarter, the All-Star guards on both sides had a private exchange of blows.

Tyrese Maxey (28 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) hit 4 three-pointers in the first eight minutes of the game. LaMelo Ball also showed himself in the mood early with 10 of his 27 points.

The third star of the evening, Joel Embiid, only played limited minutes, as he did in the season opener against the Boston Celtics. In 20 minutes on the floor, however, he was much more dangerous on offense and scored 20 points on 7/11 from the field and 3/6 hits from the three-point line.

While the first half (61:58) was dominated by the 76ers in their first home game, the Hornets took the lead after the break. At the start of the final quarter, the guests had taken a 10-point lead (96:86).

The 76ers once again worked themselves into a frenzy in the final 12 minutes (39:25), but it took until the final seconds to actually take the lead again. A three-pointer from Quentin Grimes, assisted by Maxey, with 14 seconds left ensured the 76ers victory and caused ecstasy among the 19,124 Sixers fans.

MVP of the night: Jokic makes history

Promptly post two triple-doubles in the first two games of the new season? Only Russel Westbrook (2020/21), Magic Johnson (81/82, 82/83), Jerry Lucas (72/73) and Oscar Robertson (61/62) had achieved this by Saturday evening.

Now Nikola Jokic also belongs to this illustrious group, with 14 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds, he achieved the second statistical feat of this kind after the triple-double in the opening game against the Golden State Warriors.

This makes him the MVP of the night for the first time this season. What was special about his performance was the influence he had on the game in typical Jokic style, only throwing to the basket eight times. He finished the 133-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns with a net rating of +27, the best of all players on both sides.

Scene of the night: Aaron Gordon delivers the highlight

Aaron Gordon presented himself as a good highlight provider in the first two games. After 50 points and 10 three-pointers for the Warriors on Friday night, the high flyer once again caused a spectacle in his team’s first home game.

Lineup of the night: Nuggets starters escalate

The Denver Nuggets’ starting five, which was reinforced this summer with Cameron Johnson, practically won the game against the Suns single-handedly. Jokic, Gordon, Johnson, Jamal Murray and Christian Brown all had at least 14 points, with Murray being his team’s top point scorer with 23 points.

In addition, head coach David Adelman’s starting lineup was extremely efficient. Ultimately, 28/55 FG were on the statistics sheet for the Nuggets top performers. In addition, there was a total of 29 rebounds, 25 assists, 10 steals and a perfect return from the free throw line on 28 attempts from the charity stripe.

Stat of the night: Magic with no luck from distance

For the Orlando Magic, nothing came together from a distance in their 98:110 home defeat against the Chicago Bulls. The often cited weakness once again turned out to be crucial in the second bankruptcy in a row. The Florida franchise only managed 3 hits in 24 attempts. The Bulls ultimately scored 10/27, which was enough for an away win at the Kia Center.

Paolo Banchero (1/4), Wendell Carter Jr. (1/2) and Anthony Black (1/3) ensured scoring from the three-point line. And yet Banchero & Co showed themselves to be equal for long stretches, going into the final quarter with a deficit of five points, which they ultimately lost 18:27.

German Ballin: German department in Orlando is giving up

Both Franz Wagner and Tristan da Silva have had a really good start to the season so far, regardless of the results. In the defeat against the Bulls, however, the latter in particular experienced a minor setback. Da Silva only hit 3 of his 11 attempts from the field. Like the rest of the Magic, the threesome didn’t want to fall (0/6). Nevertheless, the sophomore was one of three Magic players to record a positive net rating (+5).

For Wagner it was by no means a weak game, but one that, given its quality, would be classified in the lower drawers of his performance. 17 points (7/15 FG), 7 rebounds and 2 steals read passably. But he couldn’t help his team to their second win of the season.

Rookie of the Night: Cedric Coward

The Memphis Grizzlies responded to the heavy 114:146 defeat against the Miami Heat on the second night of their back-to-back. Because against the Indiana Pacers, who were hit by injuries, they caused their own blowout with a 128:103 win.

The hosts’ best man was rookie Cedric Coward, who set an early benchmark for his personal career high with 27 points. He made a positive impact in the first game with 14 points in the win against the New Orleans Pelicans. In the Grizzlies’ third game he ended up completely in the center.

With 6 three-pointers without a missed shot from downtown, he also wrote a little piece of Grizzlies history as he became the first rookie to achieve this for the Tennessee franchise.

Injury of the night: Brandon Miller concerns

Does it all never end? That will be the case with the Charlotte Hornets, who lost Brandon Miller early in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. In an actually inconspicuous situation, Miller slipped and tried to support himself with his left arm on his opponent Quentin Grimes. After the subsequent box-out, he held his left arm and left the floor while the game was still in progress.

The Hornets did not have a diagnosis ready after the game. The losing Hornets only spoke of problems with their left shoulder. “I honestly don’t know,” head coach Charles Lee said when asked what happened to Miller. “I turned around and saw he was trying to get out. For a second I thought maybe it was his wrist. I later found out it was his shoulder.”

Last season, he underwent scapholunate ligament surgery in his wrist, which ended his season after just 27 games. Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder) and most recently Derik Queen (Pelicans) are currently suffering from the same injury.

Voices of the night:

Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers): “The longer I sit outside, the shorter my appearances become – you just can’t get into the rhythm. You play for two or three minutes and have to go out again. Up and down two or three times? That’s literally nothing. I might as well stay at home and be with my family.”

Jamahl Mosley (Head Coach, Orlando Magic): “Part of it is that it’s a league where you either hit or you don’t. I think we had a few free throws. But it’s also part of converting them. You can praise Chicago for the way they flew around the court. But that’s not an excuse, we have to hit our shots.”

Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) praises head coach David Adelman: “He’s an offensive genius and just a really cool guy. I’m happy to play for him. Because he went from being our offensive coach to head coach, he no longer has to wait until the next video session to give us things.”

Tuomas Iisalo (Head Coach, Memphis Grizzlies): “[Cedric Coward] is super professional. When he comes into the hall, he is working. Between yesterday’s game and today’s game he basically did a full intensity workout. He does it every day.”