Three days, 13 games and some long-awaited returns. From October 9 to 11, NBA teams continued their preparations for the regular season, with the China Games, Toronto’s victory over the Clippers and Boston’s blowout win against Philadelphia grabbing the headlines.
Before the weekend, we highlighted three major storylines: Dallas facing Houston twice, Kawhi Leonard’s potential reunion with his former team, and Jaylen Brown’s first meeting with the Celtics since his trade. So how did things actually unfold? Let’s review the biggest results with 888STARZ.
Mavericks vs Rockets: One Win Each and Irving’s Long-Awaited Return
October 9: Rockets 135–117 Mavericks
October 11: Mavericks 132–115 Rockets
The two games in Macao ended with the teams splitting the series. Houston dominated the opener, led by Alperen Sengun’s triple-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Tari Eason also contributed 20 points.
But the second game told a different story. After 19 months on the sidelines, Kyrie Irving finally returned to action and immediately led Dallas in scoring with 17 points in 22 minutes.
Cooper Flagg also showed plenty of promise, scoring 19 points in the opener and adding 14 in the rematch.
The biggest takeaway from the China Games? Dallas have their star guard back, while Houston demonstrated the depth and potential of their reshaped rotation.
Raptors vs Clippers: Toronto Win Without Leonard
October 10: Raptors 114–106 Clippers
The anticipated Kawhi Leonard reunion against his former team never happened. The forward sat out the game in Vancouver as he continued working towards a full return to the court.
Toronto still got the job done without him. RJ Barrett led the way with 20 points, Immanuel Quickley added 18, and Scottie Barnes grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Raptors controlled much of the game and entered the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead. The Clippers managed to close the gap but couldn’t complete the comeback.
It was a very different story from the one we expected in our preview. Instead of watching Leonard face his former teammates, fans saw his new team deliver a solid victory without him.
Celtics vs 76ers: A Blowout Instead of a Star-Studded Showdown
October 10: Celtics 144–106 76ers
Boston delivered the weekend’s most emphatic result, crushing Philadelphia by 38 points.
Jaylen Brown missed the opportunity to face his former club, while the 76ers were also without LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Paul George, meanwhile, made his Celtics debut and contributed 13 points.
Payton Pritchard led Boston with 25 points, followed by Jayson Tatum with 23. The Celtics completely dominated the boards, outrebounding Philadelphia 70–41 and controlling the game from start to finish.
What had looked like an intriguing clash between revamped star-studded rosters turned into a statement performance from Boston.
What Else Happened Around the NBA?
Golden State defeated Sacramento 111–106, while Phoenix edged San Antonio 102–98, despite 13 points from Victor Wembanyama.
Cleveland also beat Orlando 119–105, and Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double of 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as Denver defeated Chicago 133–128.
Preseason results don’t affect the standings, but these games are already giving us a clearer picture of where teams stand. Irving is back, Boston are looking sharp, and Toronto have shown they can win without their newly acquired star.
The NBA regular season tips off on October 20, when the games finally start counting.
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