Bennett, Curry Among Best Performers in Tuesday's NBA Preseason Games
Tuesday night's NBA action provided fans with six matchups between teams that are beginning to nail down their rotations and give starters quality minutes.
Several players took advantage of their time and excelled for their teams.
But what does this preseason performance mean for the teams going forward?
Pacers at Timberwolves
Anthony Bennett: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 7-of-9 FGs
The former No. 1 draft pick had a big game to help the Timberwolves to a preseason win while 2014 No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins was out with a back contusion, according to the team's Twitter account.
Bennett played limited minutes coming back from some soreness in his knee, though head coach and general manager Flip Saunders indicated to Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com Twin Cities that the soreness wasn't an issue and that his player was in excellent shape:
""He committed himself, lost some weight, got back in shape. He's still having some problems with a little bit of some knee issues, soreness, but he's fighting through it and he's been effective on the floor."
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Bennett seemed lighter and healthier. He also settled for fewer long jumpers than he would have a season ago.
He was active around the basket, making a few tip-ins and hustle plays that will help him get into a good offensive rhythm.
Jazz at Thunder
Enes Kanter: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 12-of-17 FGs, 2-of-2 3-point FGs
The Utah Jazz defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder behind the strength of their frontcourt, with Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors combining for 39 points and 22 rebounds.
Kanter did his offensive damage from multiple locations, including hitting both of his three-point attempts.
The big man had 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the first half and cruised from there to his final stat line.
Favors also had 11 points in the first half, suggesting the defensive attention Kanter's frontcourt mate was drawing likely contributed to his open looks and single coverage.
As long as the Jazz can continue to dominate down low, they will succeed. However, they will need to shoot better than the 7-of-27 mark they posted from three-point range to keep opposing defenses honest.
Rockets at Heat
Dwyane Wade: 26 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 11-of-17 FGs
Dwyane Wade (aka Way of Wade, aka Flash, aka Whatever He Goes By Now) looked fresh and ready to step back into a bigger role with the Miami Heat.
Working his way into the post at will, Wade abused James Harden from down low. He kept the Heat in the game in the first half, scoring 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while the rest of the team only managed 9-of-28 shooting.
Wade was able to get whatever shots he wanted (and actually made one of his three attempts from downtown).
Despite five turnovers, Wade looked strong and healthy, which will be important for this Miami Heat team if they mean to stay successful.
Trail Blazers at Nuggets
LaMarcus Aldridge: 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 8-of-20 FGs
LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Damian Lillard started the game by scoring 13 of Portland's first 15 points, and they both went on to have great performances.
Aldridge was Aldridge, making long jumpers and showcasing a variety of post moves to best Nuggets' power forward Kenneth Faried, who finished with only six points and six rebounds.
Aldridge and the rest of the Trail Blazers looked poised to at least replicate last year's success, if not exceed it.
Suns at Lakers
Isaiah Thomas: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 6-of-12 FGs, 12-of-13 FTs
The new addition to the Phoenix Suns was able to get to the basket, though he didn't make all of his shots.
The diminutive guard was able to get 13 free throw opportunities—12 of which he converted on his way to 26 points.
With the Suns down three, Isaiah Thomas was also able to make a clutch three to force overtime. Though some would argue that preseason overtime is worse for a team, the Suns were still able to win it for good measure.
With Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas in the backcourt, this Suns team will at least be fast and fun to watch this season. If they can focus just enough on defense to help their offense, they may even be able to make the playoffs in the competitive Western Conference.
Clippers at Warriors
Stephen Curry: 27 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 9-of-13 FGs, 4-of-5 3-point FGs
One half of the Splash Brothers was able to make four of his five threes on the way to a Warriors' win over the Chris Paul-less Clippers.
Stephen Curry made shots at will and found his teammates at a decent rate, but he will be unhappy with his five turnovers.
Curry and Klay Thompson looked to have good chemistry as they assisted one another over and over, even making a few highlight-worthy plays.
As long as the Warriors continue to get decent frontcourt production, it would appear the team made the right call in keeping Thompson this offseason.
