Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: 5 Things We Learned On Opening Night

By Josh Cornelissen

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; General view during the ring ceremony and NBA championship banner raising ceremony before a game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; General view during the ring ceremony and NBA championship banner raising ceremony before a game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Oct 25, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) drives on Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) in the first half at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) drives on Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) in the first half at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

There Is Excitement Below Western Elite

Amidst the celebration in Cleveland and the hype in Oakland, a forgotten game took place Tuesday night between the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers. It was a matchup between last season’s surprise Western squad and the team hoping to hit the same chord this season.

Utah came within a whisker of the playoffs last season, and added veteran depth to propel them over the hump this year. That depth showed up last night for a team missing two starters and kept the game tight until the closing seconds.

Joe Johnson started for the injured Gordon Hayward and had a throwback performance, dropping 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the floor. He kept the Jazz apace of Portland throughout the entire third quarter, and 27 of his 29 points came in the second half.

Another offseason acquisition, George Hill, started at point guard and chipped in 19 points and six assists.

The opposition was every bit as exciting. A much more healthy Portland Trail Blazers team eventually pulled away at the end to secure the 113-104 victory. Damian Lillard put the league on notice that he deserves to be voted into the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.

His line of 39 points, nine rebounds and four assists was MVP-level.

His backcourt mates, C.J. McCollum and Allen Crabbe, put up 25 and 18 respectively. Unexpected scoring came from Noah Vonleh, who shot 5-for-5 in his 16 minutes and put up 11 points.

Neither of these teams are considered ready to truly challenge the Warriors, Spurs, or Clippers. But in the next tier a couple of exciting teams on the rise showed they are worth tuning into this season.