The NBA 2013 Season Opener saw the conclusion of the first three games of the new basketball season. Here are the results with final scores and stats from every game. The Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and all had strong starts as they battled in their first games of the 2013 NBA season.
The most surprising game of the evening had to be the Los Angeles Lakers' result against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Lakers were fast, they challenged the Clippers and they did not go down despite having Kobe Bryant on the bench and depending on a roster jammed with scrappy players.
Guys like Nick Young, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry impressed in the season opener, proving the Lakers have some exciting players that can play side-by-side with Bryant when he fully recovers from his Achilles injury.
The Lakers bench stepped up, scoring 76 of the team's 116 points. Lob City was present early on, but the Lakers closed the game on a ridiculous 22-5 run. Jordan Hill fueled the offense, grabbing seven offensive rebounds and scoring 12 points in this game.
Lakers Win Final Score 116-103
The Indiana Pacers are out to prove that they are a force in the Eastern Conference. They got off on the right foot in their game against the Magic. They might have slept on this Magic team as the Pacers trailed by two at the end of two quarters.
However, their intensity picked up later in the game, closing out the game on fire and finishing with a 97-87 victory.
Though Victor Oladipo plays for the Magic, he received a huge ovation as he made his return to Indiana after playing Hoosiers basketball in college. Oladipo finished his first NBA game with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
The Pacers' defense came up huge, finishing with 18 blocks, led by their big man Roy Hibbert who finished with seven muffs along with 16 rebounds and eight points. David West also filled up his stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, five blocks, three assists and two steals. Paul George also added 24 points for the game high along with six rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Indiana Pacers win 97-87
The Miami Heat are looking for their third consecutive championship and they began their defense of the 2012-2013 title in great fashion. However, they proved vulnerable late in the game. Like their fans, the Heat appeared to have given up and they seemed to leave the arena.
Miami owned a 21-point lead at the half and that quickly evaporated. Things got off to a slow start as the Heat led 17-15, but they turned it up before the half, taking a 54-33 lead. The Heat then allowed 62 points in the second half, watching the Bulls make a run and making things interesting in the closing minutes of the game.
LeBron James was one of seven Heat players to finish in double figures. It was Carlos Boozer who finished with the game-high, scoring 31 points and Jimmy Butler added 20 of his own.
This will be a matchup to follow as the Bulls and Heat are expected to finish at the top of Eastern Conference.
Miami Heat win 107-95
