NBA Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns Live Streaming Online Free basketball

Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns
Date: 24 October 2019
Time: 02:00 UTC
Stadium: Talking Stick Resort Arena stadium, Phoenix
TV: Fox | FoxSports

The 2019-20 NBA season kicks off Wednesday for the Portland Trail Blazers as they host the Denver Nuggets. Both teams will be looking to build on successful 2018-19 seasons. The Nuggets won the Northwest division with a record of 54-28, while the Blazers were right behind them at 53-29. Portland got the better of Denver in the playoffs, squeaking past the Nuggets in a hard-fought seven-game series.

Denver and Portland both have their eyes on another deep playoff run, but with all the player movement among Western Conference teams, last season’s successes will be difficult to replicate. Starting off the season with a win against a tough divisional opponent would be a good step in the right direction.

What to watch for
New rotations. While Portland and Denver had similar success last season, they had wildly different offseasons. Denver maintained its core—the addition of Jerami Grant their only significant roster change. Portland, however, has completely reworked its roster while locking in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum long term. It will be interesting to see how coach Terry Stotts plans to divide up the minutes. Rodney Hood, Zach Collins, and Hassan Whiteside are expected to start with Lillard and McCollum. Kent Bazemore, Anfernee Simons, Anthony Tolliver, and Mario Hezonja figure to get the bulk of the bench minutes.
Slowing down Jokic. Nikola Jokic, a potential MVP candidate, poses a problem for most teams, Portland included. The 24-year-old center finished fourth in MVP voting last season (two spots ahead of Lillard), averaging 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. He upped those averages in the playoffs to 25.1, 13.0, and 8.4, respectively. The Blazers will lean heavily on the newly acquired Hassan Whiteside to help contain Jokic. With Pau Gasol injured and Jusuf Nurkic not expected back for a while, Portland doesn’t have a lot of options for defending Denver’s big man. Zach Collins has reportedly put on some muscle, but will still be giving up some size in that matchup. How Portland defends Denver’s All-Star could go a long way in determining who wins this one.
Lillard, McCollum, and Hood scoring. Expect Portland to run their offense primarily through Lillard and McCollum again. The two averaged 25.8 and 21.0 points per game last season. If Denver focuses their defensive efforts on Lillard and McCollum, Rodney Hood can help carry the load. Hood took advantage of mismatches in Portland’s playoff series with Denver, averaging 14.7 points on 58.3 percent shooting off the bench. If the Nuggets try to hide their weaker defenders on Hood again, look for him to take advantage.
What they’re saying
Ryan Blackburn of Denver Stiffs talked about how Jerami Grant is fitting in with Denver:

A universally accepted perfect fit for the Nuggets offense, Grant is going to do more than just be a great fit next to Nikola Jokic. As it turns out, he fits well with Mason Plumlee too. With his three-point shot hitting in the preseason at 58.3%, Grant has spaced the floor well for Denver’s bench units which have been the most successful on the team.

His ability to space the floor offensively has been impressive, both as a shooter and a cutter. He seems to know where he needs to be at any given time, and Malone commended him in practice for it last Sunday as having good enough chemistry and skill level to play with either the starters or the bench.

And that’s what I think he will do: split time with the starters and the bench this year. Paul Millsap will need rest days throughout the year, and Grant is still 25 and won’t turn 26 until late March. He can handle a bunch of minutes and will be relied upon to do so, aiding all three of Millsap, Jokic, and Plumlee with his springy frame, defensive IQ, and shooting stroke.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer placed the Nuggets fifth in his NBA power rankings (three spots ahead of the Blazers):

Look up and down Denver’s roster and you’ll find talent. Jamal Murray and Gary Harris perfectly complement each other, and they both work seamlessly with Jokic pick-and-rolls as both ball handlers or screeners. Malik Beasley is their 3-and-D backup and an emerging on-ball presence; someone will drop the bag for him as a restricted free agent next summer. Mason Plumlee is one of the best backup centers in the game.

The Nuggets are loaded at wing and forward. Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant, Will Barton, and Torrey Craig look like they’ll get minutes if Mike Malone’s rotation in their recent dress rehearsal was any indication of his regular-season plans. That means Michael Porter Jr. and Juancho Hernangómez probably won’t even play to start the season. It’s a good problem to have for Malone, as long as chemistry issues don’t emerge.

Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post wonders what the Nuggets have to do to be taken seriously by the rest of the league:

A recent poll of general managers recognized Jokic as the league’s best center, but also tabbed Denver as the most “fun” team to watch, which if you’re asking me, was akin to naming the Nuggets as Miss Congeniality.

Here’s further proof of what I mean: In a survey of 20 basketball analysts at ESPN, only two predicted Denver would even advance as far as the conference finals, with more love given to the Clippers, Lakers, Rockets and even the Jazz.

Fair or not, the Nuggets’ reputation is they’re still too young, too soft and too reliant on Joker to be more than a regular-season sensation that’s set up for a quick, hard fall in the playoffs.

Free NBA Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns basketball Live Stream 24 October 2019

Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns
Date: 24 October 2019
Time: 02:00 UTC
Stadium: Talking Stick Resort Arena stadium, Phoenix
TV: Fox | FoxSports

What to watch for as the Suns begin the regular season against the Kings
Though preseason is supposed to be the time of year when everyone is available and building familiarity on the court, the Suns were unable even once during the preseason to put onto the court a real semblance of their projected 2019-20 rotation.

Minor injuries hampered wing tandem Mikal Bridges and Kelly Oubre Jr. during training camp and kept them out of the team’s first preseason game, while a migraine and right knee soreness prevented Tyler Johnson from playing in two of the four preseason contests. A nasal fracture forced backup center Aron Baynes to miss time. Starting forward Dario Saric missed the final game with soreness in his right quad.

It’s been a rough go.

So head coach Monty Williams was careful about how he structured what the team called a “second training camp”, or the nine days between their final preseason game and the regular-season opener. The Suns scrimmaged several times throughout the week as they made final decisions about the rotation and plugged in more schematic layers.

And now we hear that both the first round rookies, Cameron Johnson (calf) and Ty Jerome (ankle), are banged up and will miss the opener.

All this makes for a group that is difficult to evaluate despite performing quite well at times during a 2-2 preseason. Here are the three biggest unanswered questions facing the Suns heading into the regular season.

Who fills out the starting lineup?
Follow me through the timeline here.

During Summer League in Las Vegas, Williams noted that while Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker and Ricky Rubio would start, the other two spots were up for grabs.

“Our team is set up to compete, and I’m so looking forward to that in training camp, watching guys compete,” he said of determining the starting lineup.

Here’s what Williams said about Oubre and the wing group when Oubre’s signing was announced mid-July: “Our guys have to be ready for those games where they put Kelly at the 4 or they put Mikal at the 2, that kind of thing, but in camp, we’re going to start out in positions because I think it’s easier to learn a new system. Hopefully as we grow organically, as Kelly said, we can learn other positions and I think he has the ability to play 2, 3 and 4.

During the preseason, Williams added Saric’s name to the group he would rattle off as starters despite a different starting lineup nearly every preseason game.

Finally, last Wednesday as the team began its “second training camp,” Williams seemed to nod toward the solidification of the starting unit.

“Being in that starting lineup at that 3 spot for us, that’s a huge position. He’s a bit of an X-Factor for us,” Williams said of Oubre. “If he can knock down shots and attack, he’s going to guard the toughest wing every night, so that’s a heavy load.”

It seems the answer is right there: Rubio, Booker, Oubre, Saric and Ayton will start. However, if the battle was truly fought during training camp, it’s tough to see how Oubre emerged victorious so quickly. He is paid much more money than Bridges and has been in the league longer, but looked very inconsistent on the court during the preseason.

Media and fans aren’t privy to nearly everything that goes on, and Bridges has dealt with his own injuries and mechanical inconsistencies as a shooter. Bridges also struggled in a new situation last Monday against Denver, playing power forward and defending the uber-athletic Jerami Grant. Bridges called the matchup “really difficult.”

“I’m not used to guarding people on the porch itself, trying to figure out my help situations,” he said of defending on the interior.

Grant went off for 22 points and beat the Suns backdoor several times. Playing the 4 is more natural to Oubre, a bigger player and springier athlete than Bridges. Perhaps letting Grant go off was the final straw for Bridges, or maybe it was decided long before that, when Oubre inked a lucrative new show-me contract.

Who is the backup point guard?
Williams is tight-lipped on this one. The Suns coach understands the delicate situation of two young players, Ty Jerome and Jevon Carter, competing for minutes and said he wants to be respectful of his relationships with them before uncovering who will play behind Rubio.

Both got the chance to battle Booker in one-on-one situations after practice on Wednesday, getting the same valuable experience Booker said he benefited from in his first two seasons.

You have that competitive respect for someone and know that they’re not going to back down no matter who they’re going up against,” Booker said of the value of these battles. “They’re trying to get better and going right at me. That’s what I expect out of them. Everybody knows that’s how you gain respect in this league — not being scared of competition and playing your hardest at all times.”

Regardless of who wins the competition here, Jerome and Carter have been two of the main standouts in October as the team worked together for the first time. Both should see time if injuries, foul trouble or poor play take others out of the rotation on any given night.

How will the Suns use Devin Booker?

The Suns’ star guard played just 69 minutes during the preseason. In that span, he didn’t look like his usual self. Pulled out per 36 minutes, Booker put up 21.3 points, 6.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds, but shot just 42 percent from the field and 33 percent from deep. The worst aspect of his performance was continued struggles with turning the ball over, as Booker matched his assist number with just as many fumbles.

Limiting Booker’s responsibilities was part of the preseason plan, Williams said.

“He’s had a number of systems and coaches and warm-up routines,” Williams said. “You’ve gotta limit the package so he can get used to it. He’s pretty smart and picks up stuff pretty quickly, but for me, I want to let our guys marinate in this for a minute.”

Again, Booker’s shot selection was heavy on the midrange, as 10 of his 31 attempts came from there, according to NBA.com. It’s unlikely that continues during the regular season, with Rubio handling the ball and Booker operating as a finisher more often. Booker instead can settle into the post, spot up from 3, and dominate in transition. The game should open up for Booker.

Again, Booker’s shot selection was heavy on the midrange, as 10 of his 31 attempts came from there, according to NBA.com. It’s unlikely that continues during the regular season, with Rubio handling the ball and Booker operating as a finisher more often. Booker instead can settle into the post, spot up from 3, and dominate in transition. The game should open up for Booker.

After a career-high 32.9 percent usage rate last season that coincided with a half-dozen maladies that forced him out of 18 games, limiting Booker’s workload is going to be a focus. Still, for the offense to reach its peak, the fifth-year scoring stud needs to be heavily involved. Finding ways to get him a heavy dose of shot attempts without exposing him to situations that will lead to turnovers and physical punishment is the greatest challenge facing Williams at the start of the year.

Few answers came during the preseason as Williams moved slowly. Can they figure out a balance quickly as the regular season begins?

NBA Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz basketball Live Stream Free Online 24 October 2019

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz
Date: 24 October 2019
Time: 00:30 UTC
Stadium: Vivint Smart Home Arena stadium, Salt Lake City
TV: Fox | FoxSports

The Oklahoma City Thunder are set to visit Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah for a Western Conference clash against the Utah Jazz. The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to continue their success from the 2018-2019 season as they went 49-33 which landed them at 6th place in the Western Conference as well as a playoff appearance. The Oklahoma City Thunder will need to replace most of their production from a season ago as Paul George (28 PPG, 8.2 RPG) signed with the Los Angeles Clippers and Russell Westbrook (22.9 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 10.7 APG) was traded to the Houston Rockets. The Thunder were able to receive veteran PG Chris Paul in the trade which should help make up production as they all-star averaged 15.6 PPG and 8.2 APG last year.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the top-scoring teams in the NBA during the 2018-2019 season as they scored an average of 114.5 PPG which ranked 7th. The Oklahoma City Thunder were average in keeping their opponents off the scoreboard last season as they allowed an average of 111.1 PPG which ranked 15th in the NBA.

The Utah Jazz will be looking to continue their success from the 2018-2019 season as they went 50-32 which landed them at 5th in the Western Conference as well as a playoff appearance. The Utah Jazz will return their leading scorer from a season ago in all-star Donovan Mitchell who contributed 23.8 PPG. The Jazz made some big additions in the offseason by adding Mike Conley (21.1 PPG, 6.4 APG) and Bojan Bogdanovic (18 PPG).

The Utah Jazz were average at scoring the basketball during the 2018-2019 season as they scored an average of 111.7 PPG which ranked 17th in the NBA. The Utah Jazz were one of the top teams in the NBA at keeping their opponents off the scoreboard as they held them to an average of 106.5 PPG which ranked 4th in the league.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a complete roster overhaul this offseason while the Utah Jazz added some key pieces to make them a favorite in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder won’t be as successful as years past as they lost two all-stars in Paul George and Russell Westbrook, and it will take the roster a while to get going. The Jazz had one of the top duos in the conference last season with Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but the addition of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic gives this team more options to pick from. Utah is typically a tough place to visit for opposing teams,

NBA New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs Live Streaming Online Free MLB 24 October 2019

New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs
Date: 24 October 2019
Time: 00:30 UTC
Stadium: AT&T Center stadium, San Antonio
TV: Fox | FoxSports

The wait is finally over! It’s been almost 6 months since the San Antonio Spurs last played meaningful basketball, 6 long months since they played an ugly winner-take-all game in the first round against the Denver Nuggets in last April’s playoffs, coming up short and closing the curtain on a season that was marked by arguably the most uncertainty head coach Gregg Popovich has ever had to deal with since taking over the reigns in San Antonio all those years ago in the BD (Before Duncan) era of Spurs basketball.

There’s plenty of uncertainty heading into tonight’s opening night tilt with the New York Knicks (to which we have tickets available!) as well, but it’s of the positive variety. Aside from the Marcus Morris signing drama (who would have thought he’d be playing in the Spurs’ opener after all?), the Spurs were their usual, chaos-free selves this summer. There were no big free agent splashes (although the signing of DeMarre Carroll should pay dividends, and they did re-up with Rudy Gay as well), partly because their books were nearly full and mainly because they truly believe in the promise of this young core that they’ve drafted the last couple of seasons, as their recent, “Spurs’ Stories,” series on Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker IV, and Bryn Forbes would appear to suggest.

The youth, athleticism, skill-set, and growing experience these guys bring to the table, combined with the veteran leadership and games of proven players like the ever-steady LaMarcus Aldridge, 2nd-year Spur and professional scorer DeMar DeRozan, a healthy Gay, the wildly energetic Patty Mills, all led by the smarts of a coaching staff helmed by arguably the greatest coach in the history of the game has the Spurs thinking they can improve on last season’s 48-win, first round exit campaign.

Will Pop go big to start tonight?
Aside from their well-known shot selection last season, the big thing that stuck out about the 2018-19 Spurs was Pop’s decision to start big with Aldridge and Jakob Poeltl in the front court. The Spurs’ starters last season were already thin on shooting from beyond the arc, and adding Poeltl (a traditional big man) to the mix further congested the court for them.

Throughout the preseason, Pop tried 2 key things out with the starting line-ups when Aldridge suited up. The first was the usual Aldridge/Poeltl tandem from last year, while the second was the insertion of another summer free agent signing, Trey Lyles. While Lyles is almost the same height as Poeltl, he is also a willing 3-point shooter, averaging 2.6 attempts from beyond the arc per game for his career. While he had a very down year last season in Denver (shooting just 25.5 percent on 3.1 attempts), he was just .3 makes per game off from his best volume shooting season in 2016-2017 (1.1-3.0 compared to last season’s 0.8-3.1).

The threat of Lyles from beyond the arc is something that has likely been taken into consideration. It allows the Spurs to stay big, provides DeRozan, Murray (who is a developing shooter, but still unproven) and Aldridge some much-needed room to operate, solidifies the bench Center position with a very skilled big in Poeltl, and it lets Pop use Gay as a bench scorer, something that he’s shown a fondness for since Gay has been there.

Lyles got the nod in the Spurs final 2 preseason games, both wins, and even though he scored just 2 points in those games combined and missed all 5 shots he took, he was still in plus-territory in the Real Plus/Minus statistic.

Let the young dogs run and turn defense into offense
Last season, the Spurs were at the very bottom of the league in both transition possessions and points scored in transition, accounting for just 11.8 of their possessions and only 12.9 of their points. They were also last the in the league in steals per game (6.1), which did nothing for their transition attack. They were, for the most part, a grind-it out, scrappy, half-court offense, relying mainly on vets not exactly known for their defense and young guys.

The return of Murray alone should give them a boost in all of these categories. Murray, the youngest player to ever make an All Defensive Team. is a disruptive defensive player, using his long, wiry frame to play the passing lanes. He is also part of a Spurs stable (alongside White and Walker) that is young, athletic, hungry, and ready to be let loose.

This year’s Spurs have the talent and athleticism to run with some of the best teams in the league, and they could show off these traits in the very first game of the season against a younger Knicks team.

“Appropriate Fear,” already? Why not?
You hate to see a very good team lay an egg and stink it up against a team that you KNOW they should beat. The Spurs laid more than their share of eggs last season (including to these same Knickerbockers). Pop is constantly preaching appropriate fear to his players, and I think it’s fair to say it’s just as important in Game 1 of an 82-game regular season as it is in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

The Knicks have been one of the worst teams in the league for years now, and while they did make some solid moves this off-season after striking out on big-name free agents, most pundits expect them to miss the playoffs once again this year, even in a much weaker Eastern Conference. It will be up to the Spurs to get off to a good start for the 2019-20 season and handle their work tonight against a team that they should beat, because the early schedule doesn’t get much easier when you play out West.

NBA Washington Wizards vs Dallas Mavericks Live Streaming Online Free basketball 2019

Washington Wizards vs Dallas Mavericks
Date: 24 October 2019
Time: 00:30 UTC
Stadium: American Airlines Center
TV: Fox | FoxSports

Finally, finally, FINALLY our long wait is over. Basketball is here, real actual basketball that counts towards the standings as the Dallas Mavericks begin the long path towards the NBA playoffs.

The Mavericks open against the Washington Wizards at home in Dallas. Here’s what to watch for or think about leading up to game time.

How much will the Mavericks win by?
Yeah, this feels like tempting fate. The Wizards are going to be bad this season and everyone knows that. But it’s one thing to understand it and something else entirely to see it in action. Behold their starting line up:

Rui Hachimura, former Gonzaga player, was the eighth overall pick in the most recent NBA draft. His game is often described as being similar to Carmelo Anthony. For many NBA teams, he wasn’t even on their first round board. Thomas Bryant and Isaac Bonga are former second round picks by the Los Angeles Lakers sent over in a salary cap dump; neither would have ever seen the NBA in significant minutes, let alone start, on any other team. Ish Smith is an undrafted journeyman, a tough player but arguably not a NBA player.

And then All-Star player Bradley Beal. At least they have that going for them?

If the Mavericks don’t win this game then Dallas has much more serious problems than we’ve considered to date.

Luka Doncic’s turnovers
It’s probably nothing, but Luka averaged 5.3 turnovers in four preseason games whereas he averaged 3.4 per game all last season. Though, that small sample is boosted by the game against the Clippers where Doncic had nine turnovers and many of those were flat-out bad calls by the referees.




It’s probably nothing, but Dallas coach Rick Carlisle values ball control a great deal. If the Mavericks up their pace relative to recent seasons, they are going to turn the ball over more. How those two conflicting facts interact is worth watching over the long run. As Chuck Cooperstein said to me yesterday, the turnovers may really only matter if Dallas can’t shoot or defend. If they’re hitting shots, that papers over a number of problems.

Team three point shooting
The oft-repeated stat from 2018-19 was that Dallas shot the fourth most threes in the league with the fourth worst percentage. The preseason saw similar numbers: third most in attempts, bottom third in percentage. Again, it’s a small sample from pre-season and all while a volume shooter like Porzingis could not find his touch from distance.

But it’s a stat to keep an eye on. The Mavericks might be able to win by sheer volume some nights even if a ton aren’t going down. But if they hope to make a postseason case, they’re going to have to shoot the ball better as a team.

How to watch
The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest or NBA League Pass.

MLB Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals Live Streaming Free Live Score, Live video 2019 and H2H results

Washington Nationals at Houston Astros

Date: 22 October 2019

When: 8:08 p.m.

Where: Minute Maid Park in Houston

TV: Fox | FoxSports

The only two changes from the National League Championship Series are the additions of relievers Wander Suero and Joe Ross. The Nationals dropped relievers Austin Voth and Roenis Elías, neither of whom has pitched this postseason, to make room.

The back-of-the-bullpen shuffling likely won’t matter unless one game becomes an Astros blowout. The Nationals have shown throughout the postseason, including in an NLCS Game 3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, they’ll still use their best relievers when leading large (in that case, 8-1). If the games are close, expect what we’ve seen throughout this postseason — 25 of the team’s 28 relief appearances have been made by Rodney, Rainey, Hudson, Doolittle or a starter.

Suero makes sense because Manager Dave Martinez relied on the 27-year-old right-hander all season. He made a team-high 78 appearances. Ross could serve as a pinch-runner if need be and, for that reason, expect Guerra to get the first crack at any long relief situations.

The Washington Nationals will face the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night, but the main story line no longer appears to be the Nationals’ first trip there, or one of the best pitching matchups in recent history between Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole. The biggest story broke on Monday night, when reports surfaced of an Astros front office member yelling at three female reporters during a clubhouse celebration on Saturday night. Assistant general manager Brandon Taubman reportedly screamed that he was glad the Astros last season acquired closer Roberto Osuna, who was suspended early in 2018 for violating MLB’s policy on domestic assault.

On the field, the Nationals hope to gain clarity on what their rotation will look like back in Washington. They must choose a designated hitter for the American League ballpark. They will closely monitor the health of Astros reliever Ryan Pressly, the right-handed reliever whose absence could greatly impact the Nationals chances.

The pitching matchup offers a study in similarities. Scherzer against Cole pits two of the best, hard-throwing aces in the league. They have nearly the same repertoires, four-seam fastballs roughly half the time, a slider to complement it. Scherzer’s third pitch is his change-up, and Cole’s is his curveball, but they both throw it about 15 percent of the time — and they exchange fourth pitches (curveball for Scherzer, change-up for Cole) at almost the same rate too (roughly 8 percent).

After starting the season 19-31, the Nationals were pretty much left for dead by a majority of baseball punditry. Instead of succumbing to what many considered the inevitable, they were able to roar back and play some fantastic baseball down the stretch and capture a Wild Card spot. However, there wasn’t a whole lot of hope after that as Washington had spent years showing promise in the regular season only to get drummed out of the playoffs early and often. They looked headed for the same this year in the WC game until a dramatic 3-run rally in the bottom of the 8th stunned the Brewers and allowed them to advance

Roster:
Starters (four): Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Aníbal Sánchez

Relievers (seven): Daniel Hudson, Sean Doolittle, Tanner Rainey, Fernando Rodney, Wander Suero, Joe Ross, Javy Guerra

Catchers (two): Yan Gomes, Kurt Suzuki

Infielders (seven): Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick, Matt Adams, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Brian Dozier, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon

Basketball Toronto Raptors vs New Orleans Pelicans Live Stream,Free Online video H2H results

New Orleans Pelicans at Toronto Raptors

Where: Scotiabank Arena

Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2019.

Time: 7:00 PM CDT

How: TNT

The first game on the 2019-20 NBA schedule is upon us and it’ll pit our hometown New Orleans Pelicans against the World Champion Toronto Raptors. You can catch the action on TNT starting at 7:00 p.m. Central, but if you’re interested, there will be plenty of pre-game material for your viewing pleasure beginning at 5:30 p.m.

While the excitement over the dawn of a new season was muted considerably yesterday with the news of Zion Williamson possibly missing up to two months, the first overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft was not expected to carry the torch on day one.

Are we disappointed that we won’t see the young phenom for what’s expect to be a period of six to eight weeks? You betcha. Has all hope for a good and fun season gone down the drain? No, I really don’t believe that.

Zion substantially elevated expectation levels in preseason through his stupendous play, but the depth on the Pelicans roster is real as it propelled New Orleans to a 5-0 exhibition record.

David Griffin has blessed Alvin Gentry with the right cogs for his system. We should continue to see the Pelicans play fast, together and put up a lot of points on the scoreboard. And if the preseason doesn’t prove to be an aberration, the team’s perimeter shooting might actually be a strength on the year, not a weakness.

Sitting on the opposite end of the floor, the Toronto Raptors will receive their championship rings and unveil a banner marking their monumental achievement before tip-off. Then they’ll attempt to defend their crown, but they’ll be missing one crucial component: Kawhi Leonard, who left for the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason.

However, before you try and write them off, did you know that the Raptors managed to post a 17-5 record in the contests Kawhi missed last season? That’s pretty impressive and rather telling, so don’t take their superstar-less roster for granted. They still have Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell and OG Anunoby.

Expect for Toronto’s experienced group to try and counter New Orleans attack with an opportunistic defense. Gentry wants to run at the fastest pace possible, but the Raptors are no slouches. They finished 4th in fast break points and 13th in fast break points allowed last season. We witnessed the same pattern this preseason, with Toronto finishing first in fast break points and 8th in fast break points allowed.

This will likely be the key to the game: whoever best controls the transition game. If New Orleans can keep turnovers and defensive breakdowns to a minimum, expect for them to have a really good chance to steal the victory — even without Zion.

Fred VanVleet or Norman Powell? That’s the big debate right now. Both had excellent training camps and played incredibly efficient basketball in the team’s four preseason games. Powell showcased an improved 3-point shot, averaging nearly 16 points and 3.0 3PM in just under 21 minutes per game, while VanVleet captained the starters, averaging 14 points and 7.7 assists in 26 minutes per game. Both guards were blistering from the field, with Powell hitting 69 percent of his threes, and VanVleet knocking in 43.8 percent from deep.

For years, we fans have yearned for the experience of winning it all, even though we had no idea what it was like. When last season began, we dreamed of the Finals, sure, but our number one priority was putting on a good show for Kawhi in the hopes the Raptors would re-sign him, and not have sacrificed our beloved DeMar DeRozan for nothing.

Looking back, it all happened so fast. As November rolled around, all we wanted was to be competitive with the oft-discussed powerhouse 76ers or the sneaky Celtics. But in a lot of ways, the team we bested to get to the Finals — the Milwaukee Bucks — were our contemporaries. They too had no idea what to expect entering last season — with one superstar and a new head coach — and when the two teams kept winning games, it was only then that our hopes began to firmly materialize.

From the Game 1 loss to D.J. Augustin, to Kawhi’s final free throw, the emotional path we took is what we’ll remember. I say it to this day — I have no recollection of the final two minutes of Game 6 in Oakland. But I’ll never forget the ride