NBA Notebook: Jaylen Brown is Ray Allen for these loaded Celtics

Jaylen Brown did it several more times in Friday's win. After the Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden jumped all over him for seemingly slipping off his pivot foot and struggling to control himself on the ball, the TD Garden fans groaned when he left the ball behind him charging in transition late in the second quarter. He stole a pass at half court one minute later then bounced it off Heat Dru Smith. That the miscues came against the Miami Heat, five months after the Celtics' Game 7 loss to them became marked by Brown's eight-turnover mess, the low point of his career brought back memories.

"It's team we got a history with," Brown said on Friday morning. "Tonight we come out, start of a new season looking to set the tone early...any time you come up short of your ultimate goal, you're gonna have motivation. I didn't have a great Game (7), but we didn't have a great game as a team either. I think that's given ... everybody in the organization motivation to come back and be better."

How Brown would receive the opportunity to do so emerged as one of the biggest questions following an opening night victory where he shot only 11 times and 0 in the fourth quarter. Brown's positional overlap already left him prone to stretches where he disconnected with Jayson Tatum, leaving Brown floating and lapsing when the ball came his way again on either end. His status as the second option and massive strides as a scorer positioned him as an All-NBA talent one year ago -- earning him a record contract and star status. Now, despite Kristaps Porziņģis arriving as a likely preferred target for Tatum and Jrue Holiday starting as another ball-handler next to Derrick White, Brown sounded satisfied with taking a step back.

Brown set the tone for some of those preseason prerogatives, emphasizing a defensive identity and showing he can do some of the dirty work when shots don't come his way on opening night. He defended Jalen Brunson tough, holding him to three points in their 19 possessions against each other, while his high screen helped pull the defense up on a late play where Tatum found Porziņģis for game-sealing free throws. With the 2008 parallels emerging as another training camp them on a team coached by Sam Cassell and surrounded by Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo late in the offseason, Brown and Tatum took away two lessons from the last Celtics champions, making everyone on the roster feel involved and understanding how to sacrifice to win. 

"Us getting close the last two years and not getting over that hump allows guys to buy in more," Tatum said in New York. "With the mindset of doing whatever each individual to make the team better. I'm not going to overreact, it's one game ... we know how special (Brown) is. Everyone's going to have not great shooting nights, but he still impacted the game in other ways, he got some key rebounds and loose balls at the end to give us some more possessions. I'm not gonna shoot the ball great some nights, K.P.'s not, but it's all about how you impact the game in other ways. J.B.'s gonna be fine, he's probably gonna have a great game on Friday, but we won. Everybody was happy and that's all that matters." 

He did -- overcoming a slow start to finish 11-for-22 with 12 points in the fourth quarter, Brown capping the comeback win over the Heat with a catch-and-shoot three from Holiday. While on the subject of 2008 parallels, my Garden Report colleague John Zannis compared Brown's situation to Ray Allen, a Hall-of-Fame talent who became a complimentary player on that championship team and the contenders who followed. Allen averaged 26.4 points per game in his final season with Seattle before the Celtics traded for him, seeing his shots per game cut from 21 to 13.5 and his scoring slashed by nearly 10 points per game. Allen, like Brown on Wednesday, took only 10 shots in his first Celtics debut and 0 in the fourth quarter, grabbing three rebounds and hitting a pair of free throws before taking a seat for the final 2:30 with Boston ahead by 23 on Washington. 

The Knicks proved tougher competition than Gilbert Arenas' Wizards did for Allen in 2007, New York cutting off back-to-back fourth-quarter passes by Brown, shooting ahead in crunch time. Brown played a clean, albeit quiet game prior. He found an opportunity in the first quarter two nights later against Miami on the offensive glass, not typically an area where he contributes, averaging 0.9 career offensive rebounds per game prior to this season. 

Plays earlier, Brown resisted passing to Porziņģis in the post with help rotated away from White, finding White instead for three. He also stopped Bam Adebayo on an early post-up. After, he became the beneficiary against Miami mismatches, lining up Dru Smith for a driving and-one finish. He reemerged after his second-quarter turnovers, spacing in the right corner before catching-and-shooting a skip pass from Porziņģis out of a double-team. Dare to compare it to the ones Kevin Garnett threw 15 years ago.  

"I was just being aggressive," Brown said. "That was it. Felt like I had some good looks that didn't go down, but stayed with it and was able to come out and make some shots down the line ... finding your flow, just being aggressive every time you touch the ball. They guarded us a different way. I was looking to get K.P. going. They had Kevin Love showing, so they were trying to get back to him and take away his pick-and-pops, because he puts a lot of pressure on that. It was a different look than (we saw in the) last game. Each game is going to continue to be different. We've just gotta be able to make the right reads." 

That aggressiveness aided Oshae Brissett, who found an opportunity to touch the ball immediately chasing Brown's free throw miss following his and-one through Smith, keeping the ball alive and leading to a Sam Hauser three. Tatum later credited Brissett with keeping Boston in the game, while Holiday and White put back three of Brown's misses midway through the game. With teammates picking him up for the bulk of the season, and Tatum finding Brown with an uncharacteristically high 12 passes against Miami, he followed an 8-0 White run in the fourth by driving and scoring in transition to go ahead by five, answering Adebayo's three-point play past Porziņģis with a pull-up three of his own, then running to the top of the arc to get the ball from Tatum with Lowry on him, spinning away from Adebayo's dig attempt to help Lowry, and pulling up over the smaller guard to retake a six-point lead. 

With Jimmy Butler threatening within five points after forcing Porziņģis to foul out on a put-back try, Brown lined up another Heat guard, and scored going left. Joe Mazzulla praised Brown's defense. Tatum saw him break open Miami's defense with movement and energy. It became Brown's night in a game where White out-scored him and Holiday made the decisive basket and pass to Brown in the final seconds -- all three players connecting on the play.

Following Allen's similarly quiet Celtics opener in 2007-08 -- he shot 16 times in an overtime win over the Raptors -- hitting seven threes and scoring 33 points.

"I feel good," Brown said. "It's important to get our flow, our spacing right. Each game is gonna be different, I think it's important to get the big fella going, get Kristaps feeling good, so it's a long journey. I'm excited to build chemistry, I know we got a great team and each given night it's going to be different, we've gotta be mature enough to handle that and be ready to go. Come out, control what you can control, your effort, your energy ... be a defender, make guys have tough nights, get out and run in transition, make the right play. Let the game tell you what to do."

"It's a great group that we have, it's an honor to play with so much talent on one team, so you've gotta be willing to sacrifice in some ways in order for the betterment or the longevity of what you're trying to accomplish. For me, it's all about playing the game the right way, coming out with an aggressive mindset ... if it calls for me to do what I've been doing my whole career, it's no issue for me. I'm always ready." 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (0-2): The Hawks allowed 38 points in the fourth quarter and Dejounte Murray struggled while losing to a Hornets team many expect to finish near the bottom of the league. More of the same tipped-off the season, a strong Trae Young game individually falling flat due to defensive lapses and Atlanta shooting 5-for-29 (17.2%) from three. They gave up 126 points to the Knicks two nights later and Saddiq Bey struggled to replace John Collins in the starting lineup offensively. Quin Snyder faces a challenge getting this group to play consistently. 

Boston (2-0): Overcame a late six-point deficit after blowing a 12-point lead behind nine straight points from Kristaps Porziņģis on his way to a team record 30 for a newcomer that broke Dominique Wilkins' 25 in 1994. Porziņģis led the league in shot contests on opening night, and alongside Jayson Tatum's 34 points pulled Boston out of some familiar offensive lapses. Jaylen Brown shot 11 times, 0 in the fourth quarter, and struggled to fit in alongside Jrue Holiday, who combined with Porziņģis for eight blocks in a defensive masterclass against the Knicks. Al Horford came off the bench, scoring eight points on 3-for-5 shooting, after a Celtics team meeting last week between the top-six players agreed to collectively sacrificing. Tatum joked on Twitter he'd even go to the bench for a game, praising Horford for his leadership before the opener in New York. The bench struggled, mustering only 12 points combined. 

Brooklyn (0-2): The Nets fell 114-113 to Cleveland at home, Cam Thomas missing a last-second three after scoring 36 points. Ben Simmons grabbed 10 rebounds and dished nine assists, but shot 2-for-6 and went to the bench for the stretch run in his hyped return from back surgery. He flirted with a triple-double in the following loss to Dallas, scoring 10 points. The Nets showed flashes of ball movement, assisting 30 times on 42 field goals on opening night, making them worth monitoring after falling to some bad three-point luck against a hot Cavs effort.

"If you look at his age, he should be getting ready to start peaking now," Spencer Dinwiddie said. "Then it comes down to health, and you look at who he’s been historically. We need him to be an All-NBA, All-Defensive Team, All-Star-level guy for us to be good. We can’t make any guarantees, but that’s what we need to be a good team."

Charlotte (1-1): Miles Bridges began serving his 10-game suspension in a win over the Hawks where his backup PJ Washington, fresh off signing a long-term contract late in restricted free agency, led the Hornets with 25 points on 12-for-18 shooting. Mark Williams posted a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds to begin his second season, while rookie Brandon Miller 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting off the bench (3-7 3PT). LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier combined for 23 assists, reminding the league that this team looked much better when healthy and fully loaded. 

Chicago (1-1): The Bulls already had a team meeting after their first loss of the season, continuing some of the decline and dysfunction of last season between stars DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic entering DeRozan's final year under contract and the beginning of long-term deals for the latter two. Head coach Billy Donovan and Vucevic shared a heated exchange on the bench and Chicago lost the season opener 124-104 before pulling out an overtime win over Toronto through a messy finish for both teams into overtime. Alex Caruso hit the game-winning three with 2.3 seconds left.

"I'm not going to sit there and say that it was bad, like people were tearing up the locker room," Donovan said. "It was nothing like that. They were in there talking. I walked in and they said, 'Hey, Coach, can we talk?' I said sure and I left.' ... There's nothing personal about any of this stuff. These guys do care, and they want to be better, but they know there's habits they've got to change, and they've got to break. And they're talking about trying to do that collective as a group."

Cleveland (1-1): Jarrett Allen (ankle) missed the Cavaliers' first two games as his bone bruise from training camp lingered and Darius Garland suffered a left hamstring strain that cost him the team's home opener, which the Cavs lost to the Thunder. Max Strus matched Donovan Mitchell's 27 points in his Cavaliers debut in Brooklyn, where Cleveland escaped a last-second attempt by Cam Thomas for the win. Evan Mobley moved to center and Isaac Okoro to the four in Allen's absence, giving the Cavs a look at smaller lineups that could accentuate Mobley's offense. The defensive ceiling lowered on opening night, then the offense struggled against Oklahoma City with Garland out -- Okoro, Strus and Dean Wade combining for 26 points in the loss. 

“(Allen)'s back on the floor,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Friday. “He’s running and then it’s just a matter of once he’s comfortable, once his conditioning is where he feels confident and then where the medical staff is with him and their comfort level to let him get out there.”

Dallas (2-0): Won shootouts against the Spurs and Nets to start the season undefeated led by a Luka Doncic 33-point triple double in San Antonio then 49 points at home against Brooklyn. Doncic's late three downed the Spurs and he broke a 120-120 tie with the Nets with under 30 seconds remaining. Kyrie Irving averaged 17.5 PPG and 6.0 APG in the wins while Grant Williams helped key the Spurs win with 4-for-8 three point shooting in his Mavs debut. Dallas went back to its small ball looks to devastate its opponents with shooting and Doncic reminded everyone why his presence alone is a threat.

"I've seen it a million times," said Dorian Finney-Smith, his former teammate who Dallas traded to Brooklyn for Irving. "He plays around and he honestly works on those shots. You can't really fault him. I feel like we should have not let him get the ball back. That probably would have been the best option. Sh**, he couldn't even see the rim and he made that mug."

Denver (2-0): Nikola Jokić made easy work of Anthony Davis and the Lakers on opening night, stifling LA runs and making Davis, a defensive menace, look stuck in the mud on his way to 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jamal Murray added 20 points each on ring night in Denver before the Nuggets traveled to Memphis and edged out a tough Grizzlies effort 108-104 behind 44 from Jokić and Murray. Jokić did this:

Detroit (1-1): They impressed at the Heat on opening night, playing Miami within one point and creating a good look for Cade Cunningham from three to try to win his first game back since early last season. He scored 30 points and passed nine assists on 13-for-27 shooting in an otherwise sleepy offensive effort for Detroit aside from Cunningham and Jalen Duren's connection in the pick-and-roll. Duren scored 17 points with 14 rebounds. Ausar Thompson shot 1-for-7 in his NBA debut, but defended well and grabbed seven rebounds while blocking five shots. Killians Hayes shot 0-for-6 from three. Alec Burks and Jaden Ivey emerged off the bench in a win over the Hornets, potential starting point guard options if Hayes falls flat again. 

Golden State (1-1): Steph Curry hit seven threes and scored 41 points after sitting down with De'Aaron Fox to talk about their shoe partnership and budding rivalry before the Warriors beat the Kings 122-114 with Draymond Green (ankle) out again in a rematch of their seven-game first round series. Curry's greatness keeps Golden State in the contention conversation, while 22 points from Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody will prove a massive help whenever they can provide it. Chris Paul scored 14 points and threw nine assists in his Warriors debut, a close loss to the Suns, but he helped keep Golden State in the game when Curry faced foul trouble in the third quarter. Green could return next week during the Warriors' road trip.

"(Paul) just balances us out," Kevon Looney said. "Steph with the ball is always a great thing -- he can get any shot he wants. But sometimes, when he's a little tired or needs a break off the ball, or they're blitzing or something like that, [Paul gives] us a change of pace. You can put Steph off the ball and Chris is able to create shots for himself and others. I think that's gonna be big for us throughout the year so we don't wear Steph down."

Houston (0-2): A rough start for the Ime Udoka era as they try to rediscover themselves without Kevin Porter Jr., formerly a central piece in their rebuilding plans. Jalen Green now steps into the foremost creating and scoring role after battling efficiency and passing woes in his first two seasons. He scored 10 points with 0 assists on opening night, where only four Rockets reached double-figure scoring in a 30-point loss to the Magic. Playing through Alperen Şengün, who scored 25 points along with 14 rebounds and seven assists, opened up the offense in a narrow loss to the Spurs where Fred VanVleet and Green combined for 46 points. Like his opening months with the Celtics, this group will challenge Udoka, but there's some hope here. 

"Players and people within the organization feel the energy is different, the vibe is different. A big part of that is changing the environment mentality-wise and getting to winning habits. A lot of those things have stood out to some of the guys," Udoka said before opening night. "We’ll be judged by what we do on the court ultimately, but for the most part, I wanted to have a fresh approach. Get rid of some of those bad, losing habits and just notice an energy shift in the building." 

Indiana (1-0): Dropped 143 points on the Wizards on opening night with eight different Pacers scoring in double-figures. Tyrese Haliburton led the offensive onslaught with 20 points and 11 assists, increasingly a familiar line for him, while Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin combined for 35 points in their Indiana debut. Andrew Nembhard added 11 points and 10 assists after a hyped summer as the Pacers' bench facilitator, allowing the Pacers to attack in scary waves. This team will surprise people this year -- and has a chance to challenge the Celtics again on Wednesday night in Boston. Rick Carlisle, continuing to oversee their rebuild in his 22nd season as a head coach, received a multiyear contract extension after the win. Aaron Nesmith signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the team before the rookie scale extension deadline last week. He scored seven points off the bench. 

Clippers (1-1): Kawhi Leonard fell to his knees after missing a potential game-winning three and watching Russell Westbrook air-ball the follow-up shot before the buzzer in a 120-118 loss at Utah. Leonard and Paul George combined for 61 points in the loss as the only double-figure scorers in the starting lineup, posting 50 in their returns from injury on opening night against Portland in a much stronger Westbrook game where he posted 13 assists. The Clippers reportedly backed out of James Harden talks to begin the season, focusing on building around Westbrook and their star wings for now, but with their depth deteriorating aside from Norman Powell and a Bones Hyland offensive infusion, the temptation to pursue the star guard will linger in LA. 

Lakers (1-1): LeBron James dug deep and attacked the rim late to beat the Suns with 100 points, adding 21 himself with nine assists in another frustrating game for the Lakers' offense to begin the season. Taurean Prince scored 0 in the game, and while Anthony Davis bounced back with 30 against Phoenix, the first game between Kevin Durant and James since the 2019 season, Davis scored 0 points in the second half of LA's opening night loss to the Nuggets. Gabe Vincent started slow off the bench for his new team and opponents hunted Austin Reaves early and often through his first two games in the starting lineup. Christian Wood defended Durant well late, but with James continuing to carry the offensive and leadership burden -- can it last?

"We don't give a sh** about criticism about AD," James said on TV after beating Phoenix. "We don't care. Nothing bothers us. AD doesn't care. I don't know if guys have figured that out. AD does not care. He's not on social media, so he doesn't see none of the crap. He rarely talks, unless it's to us. So, we don't give a sh** about it, and he definitely doesn't."

Memphis (0-2): Scored 104 points in losses against tough Pelicans and Nuggets teams to begin the year, but Marcus Smart showed poise leading the offense with 17 points and three assists alongside Desmond Bane's 31 points on opening night, and 20 points with five assists in the loss to Denver. The Grizzlies' offense undoubtedly looks less dynamic without Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.'s offense inconsistency and sporadic availability given his foul trouble will make this an erratic team early in the year. Consider that they started 0-2 with Smart shooting 54% from the field. Memphis received devastating news on the eve of this season, learning that Steven Adams didn't recover from his knee injury last year and will miss this season too. 

"You're not going to replace him," Taylor Jenkins said. "We understand that, but we all got to take that onus knowing that if that's winning basketball and we got to (rebound) at an elite level, we can do it collectively. too."

Miami (1-1): Bam Adebayo dominated and forced Porziņģis to foul out, but the Heat looked overwhelmed by Boston's offensive width of talent on Friday and couldn't muck up the game how they typically do with defensive schemes. Tyler Herro's return proved welcome for the offense, scoring 44 points with nine assists between a win over the Pistons and loss to the Celtics, but the return to courting defensively vulnerable guards unlocked Jaylen Brown and Derrick White for Boston's offense. 

Jimmy Butler is starting the season quietly, typical for him, and new unsung bench players like Dru Smith look promising. The fact that Nikola Jovic couldn't get into the first two games and Jaime Jaquez struggled to impact either proved less encouraging. Josh Richardson (foot), Caleb Martin (knee) and Haywood Highsmith (MCL spain) all missed the loss in Boston, with Duncan Robinson and Jaquez also beginning the year playing through injuries. 

Milwaukee (1-0): Damian Lillard scored 39 points in his Bucks debut, a narrow win over the 76ers where he and Giannis Antetokounmpo only introduced the early potential of their pick-and-roll combination. Giannis added 23 points and 13 rebounds, shocking the NBA world by signing his extension before last week's deadline to remain with the Bucks for three-years, $186-million on top of the two years he already had remaining. He could've received more money and flexibility by waiting, but again showed his loyalty to Milwaukee after the team sold out to acquire Lillard in response to Giannis' interview rounds about prioritizing winning over the summer. Khris Middleton scored six points in 16 minutes in the win, still ramping up slowly. 

“One of the main things he kept saying was, ‘I’ma do what I do, and I want you to do what you do,’” Lillard remembered Antetokounmpo told him upon arrival. “And you close out games.”

Minnesota (0-1): Extended all-defensive wing Jaden McDaniels on a five-year, $136 million contract before the rookie scale deadline last week, but suffered offensively on opening night as Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert again struggled to find a rhythm late. Minnesota managed only 20 points in the fourth quarter, falling to Toronto 97-94 after Towns turned the ball over with 25 seconds left attacking OG Anunoby trailing by four. 

New Orleans (1-0): The talk in the Celtics locker room after their opening night win in New York? Zion Williamson's return from injury, and the two crushing dunks he leveled on Jaren Jackson Jr., spinning around Marcus Smart and racing ahead of Desmond Bane for an alley-oop in transition. Williamson scored 23 points alongside CJ McCollum's 24 and double-figure scoring efforts from all five Pelicans starters, but the bench struggled. 

New York (1-1): Julius Randle struggled immensely, finishing 1-for-10 against his former teammate Jrue Holiday on opening night switches at Madison Square Garden, sucking the life out of the building. Mitchell Robinson faced foul trouble trying to guard Porziņģis as Knicks fans booed their former draft pick who downed them with 30 points. The game gave the Knicks plenty of silver linings though, with Boston looking like a force for any opponent. RJ Barrett held Tatum to 20% shooting in their matchups after struggling immensely against him in the past, Quentin Grimes hit big shots and Immanuel Quickley finished 7-for-11, devastating the Celtics' drop defense. New York bounced back with a 126-120 win over the Hawks two nights later. 

Oklahoma City (2-0): Did not disappoint to begin the season in two tough matchups against the Bulls and Cavs on the road. Chet Holmgren left disappointed with his NBA debut 11 points and 0 blocks at Chicago, getting dunked on as well, so he ramped up to grab 13 rebounds and block seven shots in the Thunder's win over the Cavs. Holmgren shot 3-for-4 from three, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort combined for 59 points and Oklahoma City carried over some unsung defensive strides from last season. They're a dangerous group that'll battle some youth inconsistency, but Holmgren's shot-blocking adds a new element. Rookie Cason Wallace combined for 22 points across his first two NBA games off the bench. 

Orlando (2-0): Edged out fellow rebuilding Portland and Houston teams in a potential sign that they're moving beyond that class of opponents, Cole Anthony leading a blowout win over the Rockets on opening night after signing a three-year, $39 million rookie scale extension last week. Moe Wagner joined Anthony scoring double-figures off the bench against the Blazers, Orlando showing a scoring-by-committee approach can work with defensive consistency. Jonathan Isaac returned to the lineup after undergoing another season-ending surgery last spring, scoring 11 points on opening night before playing eight minutes and posting 0 on Friday. 

"Jonathan was really good out there," coach Jamahl Mosley said. "He sets the tone defensively in so many ways and and just finding his comfort level offensively. He does so many little things, you saw the putback dunk that he had offensive rebounds he's getting to a shot when need be. But defensively, he's special. Beyond special."

Philadelphia (0-1): Reportedly stopped James Harden from joining them on the team plane after he arrived at the airport to travel with the Sixers and play on opening night against Milwaukee. The 76ers decided to leave Harden home after he missed the entire preseason and left the team for a personal matter in Houston, anticipating ramping him up for games down the line in the Sixers schedule. It's hard to imagine an increasingly tense relationship leading to that amicable reunion on the court though, and Philadelphia played well without him aside from Joel Embiid's late-game struggles and a baffling touch-pass turnover that helped the Bucks escape late with a win. Minimum signing Kelly Oubre shined in his debut, scoring 27 points. Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points with eight assists in place of Harden, with the offense looking stable enough to sustain any potential Harden holdout. 

The NBA, however, is investigating whether Philadelphia's decision to leave Harden home violated the new player participation policy that bars such calls.

"Initially, staying back was interpreted as a suggestion rather than a mandate, sources say. Harden proceeded to participate in portions of the session with the intention of joining the team on the flight to Milwaukee that afternoon," Chris Haynes wrote. "After practice, Harden arrived at the fixed-base operator airport to board the team flight, but he was stopped by a security official who notified him that he was not permitted to accompany the team, sources say. General manager Elton Brand and head coach Nick Nurse spoke to Harden to explain that the organization prefers he accepts and follows their workout plan, which includes staying at the practice facility while the team is away, sources say."

Phoenix (1-1): Bradley Beal (back) missed the Suns' first two games and Devin Booker (foot) joined him on the bench while Kevin Durant battled the Lakers on his own, keeping Phoenix in the game then struggling late against LeBron James' run. The early injury bug doesn't arrive as a good sign given the concerns around the team's top players staying available in recent years on a thin team, but some depth contributions led to an opening night win over the Warriors, where Josh Okogie scored 17 points, and Jordan Goodwin managed 14 against LA. Overall, Phoenix' offense underperformed. 

Durant passed Rockets icon Hakeem Olajuwon for 12th all-time on the NBA scoring list. Booker will undergo an MRI on his toe and hope to return Tuesday. Beal felt better in practices leading up the season, with Phoenix bringing him along slowly since. His return date remains unknown. 

Portland (0-2): Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points off the bench and Robert Williams III added 10 points and seven rebounds as the Blazers played the Clippers close on opening night in the former Celtics' debut for their new team. Brogdon scored 18 more against Orlando, looking back to form offensively while shooting 5-for-11 from three with six assists across his first two games. Williams III recorded three steals and a block against LA. Rookie Scoot Henderson struggled in the losses, shooting 35% from the field and 1-for-8 from three. Anfernee Simons underwent right thumb surgery and will miss 4-6 weeks, opening the door for more Brogdon minutes. 

Sacramento (1-1): De'Aaron Fox' 39 points and a near 20-20 game from Domantas Sabonis not coming close to beating the Warriors doesn't project well for the team building on its offensive breakout and defensive struggles from last season. Getting 33 points from Harrison Barnes swung their opening night victory over the Jazz, but six Warriors posted double-figures against Sacramento, while only Fox topped 19 points. Rookie Sasha Vezenkov scored 18 points in short minutes off the team's bench through his first two games. Klay Thompson left impressed by Keegan Murray. 

San Antonio (1-1): Victor Wembanyama scored 15 points with five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block while managing foul trouble early in his NBA debut against the Mavericks, losing rhythm early and falling out of the Spurs' actions late in a close loss to the Mavericks. Six Spurs scored double-figures though, including 23 from Devin Vassell, a positive sign that San Antonio surrounded Wembanyama with enough. They bounced back with a win over the Rockets where Wembanyama posted 21 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks, forcing overtime with a layup. Vassell added 25 and Keldon Johnson dropped 20 on the way to an 126-point offensive effort. It's a good start, but this group will clearly have its ups-and-downs early on. 

Toronto (1-1): Lost the ball in the back court, fouled DeMar DeRozan twice while he missed free throws trying to give the Raptors the game, but Toronto kept giving it back to a flailing Chicago team, fouling on an in-bounds pass that could've sealed the game and going on to lose in overtime. Dennis Schröder and OG Anunoby combined for 21 points in the back court after beating Minnesota with fewer than 100 points. They're still competitive and playing with more spirit than a year ago, throwing a party in the locker room for new head coach Darko Rajaković after his opening night win. This team struggled immensely to put points on the board and execute basic late game offense against a bad opponent previewed potential bad results to come. 

Utah (1-1): Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points and posted six assists on opening night to keep a loss to the Kings close, before guarding Kawhi Leonard and helping Lauri Markkanen reach 35 points in an upset win over the Clippers. Will Hardy's next trick as Utah's head coach looks like getting a ton out of Clarkson, Collin Sexton and rookie Keyonte George in a back court still picking up the pieces from losing Mike Conley in February. John Collins posted double-doubles in each of his first two games with the team. 

Washington (0-1): Host the Celtics on Monday after allowing 143 points on opening night in a loss to the Pacers, but Kyle Kuzma's 25 points in 25 minutes, solid debuts from Tyus Jones and Jordan Poole in the back court, and Danilo Gallinari scoring 16 points in 17 minutes to mark his return from ACL surgery projected positively for that side of the ball. It's hard to imagine them even figuring out where to begin covering the Celtics' offense though.