Another night, another reason to overreact to preseason NBA action. We know the games don't matter, but there's still plenty to be learned from preseason games -- you just have to be sure to take everything with a grain of salt. Wednesday saw the debut of the Milwaukee Bucks' new arena, Fiserv Forum, and with it the franchise's first game under new head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Below are the scores from Wednesday's games, along with some things we learned along the way.
NBA preseason scores for Wednesday, Oct. 3
- New York Knicks 107, Brooklyn Nets 102 (box score)
- Milwaukee Bucks 116, Chicago Bulls 82 (box score)
- Detroit Pistons 97, Oklahoma City Thunder 91 (box score)
- Phoenix Suns 91, New Zealand Breakers 86 (box score)
- Los Angeles Clippers 128, Minnesota Timberwolves 101 (box score)
Giannis unleashed?
In a pre-taped interview shown during the NBA TV broadcast on Wednesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo beamed as he discussed the brilliance of new Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer's offense. One game in, and the results look good. The ball was moving, players were moving, the Bulls defense -- well, it wasn't moving so much. Antetokounmpo finished with a smooth 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 22 minutes, but it was a confident, walk-up 3-pointer that had the Bucks -- and NBA Twitter -- very excited.
Giannis pulls up from downtown! 👌👌👌#NBAPreseason on @NBATV pic.twitter.com/ULZFC3Wnhd
— NBA (@NBA) October 4, 2018
Budenholzer, who helped popularize the "pace and space" offensive system when he was in Atlanta, is clearly emphasizing 3-point shooting with the Bucks. Milwaukee was 25th in the NBA with 24.7 3-point attempts last season -- they launched 45 of them, making 15, on Wednesday night.
Antetokounmpo was already an MVP candidate last season with absurd averages of 26.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 blocks. It's scary to think that coach Bud could unlock a whole new level of Giannis offensively.
Take it easy, Enes
It may be the preseason, but Enes Kanter isn't wasting any time establishing himself as arguably the Knicks' best offensive player with Kristaps Porzingis on the shelf. Kanter thoroughly dominated the Nets on Wednesday to the tune of 22 points and 20 rebounds (seven offensive) in 26 minutes. Despite his defensive deficiencies, Kanter's scoring and rebounding ability have never been in question. He has a chance to put up big numbers this season for the lowly Knicks.
Enes Kanter patrols the paint with 22 PTS, 20 REB in the @nyknicks win at Brooklyn! #NBAPreseason pic.twitter.com/RSQNlHrexO
— NBA (@NBA) October 4, 2018
Trier shows why preseason is great
You probably don't know much about Knicks guard Allonzo Trier, so it might be a bit shocking to find out that he scored 20 points in the first half alone in a win over the Nets on Wednesday.
Allonzo Trier is in attack mode, scoring 20 1st half points for the @nyknicks! #NBAPreseason pic.twitter.com/xhvtikLQ6w
— NBA (@NBA) October 4, 2018
Trier finished with 25 points in 26 minutes and showed tremendous energy all night. This is why the preseason is so great. Of course you want to see the stars, particularly those who have changed teams in their new surroundings, but you also get guys like Trier battling for roster spots. You never know when a night like this could be the start of a long NBA career.
Lopez-on-Lopez crime
OK, so Brook Lopez didn't exactly dunk on his brother Robin, but biting on the pump-fake was an essential part of the emphatic first field goal in the brand new Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Brook endeared himself to his new fans pretty quickly with this thunderous slam.
Brook Lopez stuffs it home to get on the board for the @Bucks! #NBAPreseason
— NBA (@NBA) October 4, 2018
WATCH on @NBATV pic.twitter.com/iawbETxgkj
Suns almost lose to New Zealand team
Just when you thought the Suns were turning things around ...
A few international teams have made their way stateside to play against NBA teams this preseason. It's great exposure for the clubs and NBA fans from other countries, but in most cases, the games aren't competitive. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2018-19 Suns! They were without their best player, Devin Booker, but Phoenix needed all of its might to hold off the pesky New Zealand Breakers on Wednesday night. They pulled out a five-point win, and it didn't exactly inspire confidence in the Suns' new direction.
Suns up 87-83 with 36.5 seconds left and Josh Jackson fouls out on an offensive foul.
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) October 4, 2018
Remember when it was exciting that Suns basketball was back?
Just for reference, in other international games this preseason, the Clippers beat the Sydney Kings by 19, the Jazz beat the Perth Wildcats by 58, the Mavericks beat the Beijing Ducks by 53 and the 76ers beat Melbourne United by 20. So, either the New Zealand Breakers are the Warriors of the southern hemisphere, or this was a disappointing performance for the Suns. We're going to lean toward the latter.
Don't mess with the Boban
If there is a time for Boban Marjanovic to shine, it's certainly the preseason. True to form, the charismatic Clippers colossus was a per-minute machine, scoring 15 points in just 11 minutes against the Wolves. You might think it was all dunks and put-backs, but Bobi also displayed a feathery touch over one of the best centers in the NBA, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Boban with the soft touch! #NBAPreseason
— NBA (@NBA) October 4, 2018
WATCH on @NBATV pic.twitter.com/zr0Gt22Mn2
Please let this guy get consistent minutes this season.