It is finally that time of the year when sports are at an all-time high. The MLB is in its playoffs, the NFL season is going strong, and last but not least, the NBA regular season is finally starting.

The first two games on October 18th showcase the Philidelphia 76ers vs the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Golden State Warriors.

The Celtics pulled off a 126 – 117 win against the 76ers, making it the first official win for the NBA season in the TD Garden. Forwards Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the team, scoring an amazing 35 points each. Coming off their loss in the NBA Finals to the Warriors last year, the Celtics are definitely looking to redeem themselves this season.

During the game, it looked as if Sixers center Joel Embiid was trying to hurt Celtics guard Marcus Smart, so his teammate Jaylen Brown quickly intervened, pulling Embiid away from Smart. Brown commented on this after the game and said, “He was getting away with a lot of unnecessary pushing and shoving. It seemed like he was trying to hurt Smart in a sense…we’re not taking no mess this year”

Sixers guard James Harden put up 35 points against the Celtics and was the leader score this game. Hardens last season was heavily criticized by fans and members of the NBA community as he was not in proper shape and could not be the leader his team needed him to be. Over the offseason, Harden has miraculously improved himself and fans are looking forward to his performance during this 2022-23 season. Sixers Center, Joel Embiid also had quite the performance, scoring 26 points with 15 rebounds and 5 assists.

Wayne Hills sophomore Christian Soreal said, “I am excited to see how the Lakers improved following their down year and also how their new Head Coach will do.”

After a pretty much even start, the Golden State Warriors were able to pull ahead and win 123 – 109 against the Los Angeles Lakers at their home court, the Chase Center. Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry led the team with points, scoring 33 with 7 assists and 6 rebounds. After tearing his Achilles in 2020, and playing less than half the 2021 – 2022 season, guard Klay Thompson is slowly starting to make a full return to the team, scoring a solid 18 points. Forward Andrew Wiggins also contributed a great 20 points toward the Warrior’s win.

The Los Angeles Lakers, although a team full of future Hall-Of-Famers and all stars, had a very depressing season last year. Lots of fans were shocked when the team did not even make the playoffs. Many people are hopeful for the new season, but this is not what they had in mind for the first game. Even with NBA all-time great forward Lebron James scoring 31 points with 14 rebounds and 8 assists, the Lakers could not close out the game. James was heavily supported by his teammate, center Anthony Davis who had 27 points. Due to his poor performance last year, Russell Westbrook became one of the most criticised players in the media. Even though he still goes through the criticism to this day, Westbrook was able to put up 19 points and 11 rebounds.

With the daily streaming of games, fans can tune into all the action the league has to offer. This is just the beginning of what will definitely be an incredible NBA season.