Joint effort: The James family makes NBA history
Basketball superstar LeBron James and his son Bronny have made NBA history: At the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener on Tuesday evening (local time), the two were the first father-son duo to play in a regular season game in the best league in the world stood together on the field. The Lakers celebrated a 110:103 home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
LeBron, 39, and 20-year-old Bronny James walked onto the floor together late in the second quarter, when the Lakers led 51-35. The moment was perfectly staged: Sitting on the sidelines were Ken Griffey senior and Ken Griffey junior, who made a historic appearance together as father and son for the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 1990s. “We made history, now we can see history,” said Griffey Jr., who posed with his father for photos with LeBron and Bronny James shortly before the game began.
The Lakers selected Bronny James in the second round, 55th, in the summer draft. In the preseason, LeBron and his son were on the field together in the 114:118 win against the Phoenix Suns. In the end, LeBron James scored 16 points against the Timberwolves, and Bronny had one rebound in his short stint of just under three minutes. The best thrower for LA was Anthony Davis with 36 points.
James Sr. has long dreamed of playing with Bronny in the NBA. But it won’t be easy for his offspring. It wasn’t until the dress rehearsal shortly before the start of the season that Bronny James managed to break free with 17 points, four rebounds and three steals. In the five previous test games he averaged 1.6 points in 12.4 minutes and a field shooting rate of 20 percent.
The anticipation of the James double team had dominated the Lakers’ preparations for the new season. Bronny James is expected to spend most of his rookie season in the G-League rather than on the Lakers’ first team.
NBA: Tatum leads defending champion Boston to opening win
Basketball superstar Jayson Tatum led record champions Boston Celtics to a dream start to the new NBA season with a brilliant performance. The reigning champion successfully began his mission to defend his title on Tuesday evening (local time) with a 132:109 win against the New York Knicks, with Tatum scoring 37 points as the best thrower.
Before the game, the Celtics’ 18th championship banner was pulled under the roof of the TD Garden in a triumphant ceremony – the franchise had once again become the sole record champion of the US professional league thanks to its triumph in the previous season against the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics only lost three games in the playoffs last spring.
At the start of the new season, the star ensemble immediately underlined its great ambitions. The hosts scored 43 points in the first quarter, Tatum delivered real fireworks from a distance – at halftime he already had 18 points from three-point throws. In the end there were 24.
All of the Celtics’ top performers played well and allowed the Knicks, who were also rated strongly, to run behind for long periods of the game. Four of the five starters – Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday – scored in double figures before halftime, helping the team to a commanding 74-55 lead at the break. Victory was no longer in danger.
“I’m really proud of the way we played. “Tonight was emotional – a celebration of what we accomplished last year,” Tatum said.
German rookie Ariel Hukporti came off the bench for short stints with the Knicks and recorded four rebounds. The 22-year-old center was drafted last (position 58) by the Mavericks at the end of June and was immediately traded to New York. He has a two-way contract, meaning he can play for the NBA franchise or in the G League for the Westchester Knicks farm team.
NHL: Draisaitl’s Oilers squander the lead – Stützle with an assist
The German ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl is not getting going in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. Against the Carolina Hurricanes, the title candidate lost a 2-0 lead in the final third and ultimately lost 2-3 after extra time. It was the fifth defeat in the seventh game. The 28-year-old Draisaitl prepared the goal to make it 2-0.
Things went better for Tim Stützle, who won 4-0 with the Ottawa Senators at the Utah Hockey Club and celebrated his fourth win in his sixth game of the season. Stützle (22) managed the assist to make it 4-0, which came in the final seconds of the first third.
Moritz Seider and John-Jason Peterka also each won one victory with their teams. Seider and the Detroit Red Wings won 1-0 over the New York Islanders, while Peterka’s Buffalo Sabers defeated the Dallas Stars 4-2.
However, the game day was less successful for Lukas Reichel, who lost 3:6 with the Chicago Blackhawks against the Vancouver Canucks, and goalie Philipp Grubauer, who also lost in his Seattle Kraken’s 2:3 loss against the Colorado Avalanche.
Meanwhile, Nico Sturm suffered another defeat with the San Jose Sharks. The 1:3 at the Anaheim Ducks was the seventh defeat for the Californians in the seventh game of the season.
