Chicago Bulls 83, Washington Wizards 81 Derrick Rose, who started the first two Bulls games of the preseason, sat out as a precautionary reasons. The point guard had soreness in his surgically repaired knee and Bulls weren’t risking his health. This was the first NBA game ever played in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nene, who’s from Brazil — started at center for the Wizards and scored five points and six rebounds in 20 minutes. Taj Gibson, who coach Tom Thibbodeu called the best player so far in camp — blocked Glen Rice Jr.'s attempt at tying the game with 28 seconds remaining, helping the Bulls stay undefeated.
Boston Celtics 111, New York Knicks 81 Unlike their previous preseason matchup, the Celtics took this game early. The Knicks — who sat out Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler — never really had a chance. The Celtics outscored the Knicks 28-15 after the first quarter, and the extended until it got way out of hand. Boston coach Brad Stevens gets his first win as coach of the Celtics after two unsuccessful tries.
Detroit Pistons 99, Brooklyn Nets 88 Former Celtics forwards Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce debuted in front of Brooklyn’s home crowd; however, they are still aren’t jelling as a team, as they committed 21 turnovers and lost to the Pistons. Andre Drummond led Detroit with 15 points, six rebounds, three steals and a block. The game was competitive for the most part, but the Pistons took the lead for good in the final period, outscoring the Nets, 25-18.
Toronto Raptors 104, Minnesota Timberwolves 97 The Raptors shot 50 percent from the floor, and outscored the Wolves in the final period, 25-18, to win their third preseason game in four tries. Minnesota struggled vitally from the field, shooting 35 percent. Their guards, Alexey Shved and Ricky Rubio, had a lot to be blame for that — they went a combined 0-11 from the field. Kevin Love, who’s aiming to have a healthy season, scored 28 points and grabbed 11 boards in 28 minutes.
Charlotte Bobcats 83, Milwaukee Bucks 76 The Bobcats outscored the Bucks 33-9 in the final period, which included a 20-2 run. Jannero Pargo led the Bobcats scoring 10 during that unbelievable stretch. Milwaukee was headed for an easy victory, their first in the preseason, before the Bobcats turned a 17-point deficit into a seven-point victory.
Los Angeles Clippers 106, Utah Jazz 76 The Clippers took a 19-point lead at the half, and the second half wasn’t any different. DeAndre Jordan went 6-7 from the field for 14 points, while Blake Griffin had 12. For Utah, it was all about Trey Burke. The rookie, who was selected No. 9 in the 2013 NBA Draft, broke his right index finger and might need surgery.
This article was written by John Ledesma Follow him on Twitter here and read more of his work here.
