Preseason notes: Thunder newcomers make their case
Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz supplied Oklahoma City’s top scoring lines in a busy five-game preseason slate.
- Aday Mara: 22 points, 6 rebounds
- Kel'el Ware: 18 points, 12 rebounds
- Dalen Terry: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists
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Milwaukee Bucks 128, Oklahoma City Thunder 126
Preseason results do not count and say little, but Oklahoma City’s two NBA newcomers supplied the night’s most notable individual case-making. Aday Mara posted 22 points and 6 rebounds, while Bennett Stirtz added 20 points and 5 rebounds in the Thunder loss.
Neither Mara nor Stirtz has an NBA rating from last season. Milwaukee got 19 points from Myles Turner, whose -0.3 Keel Impact last season was below average, and 18 points with 12 rebounds from new arrival Kel'el Ware. Keel Impact is our plus-minus rating per 100 possessions; Ware posted a 0.4 Impact with the Miami Heat last season. Our outlook has the Thunder at 54 wins, second in the West, and the Bucks at 33 wins, 11th in the East.
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Portland Trail Blazers 123, Golden State Warriors 118
Miles Kelly gave Golden State 24 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, while fellow newcomer Dalen Terry had 23 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Kelly’s -1.5 Impact came in 14 games with the Dallas Mavericks last season; Terry’s was 0.3 in 48 games for the Chicago Bulls.
Deni Avdija led Portland’s posted scorers with 23 points after a 1.9 Impact last season. Damian Lillard, new to the Trail Blazers and new to the NBA in these facts, scored 15 points. Our outlook puts Portland at 39 wins, ninth in the West, and Golden State at 42 wins, seventh.
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Chicago Bulls 124, Phoenix Suns 117
Caleb Wilson scored 15 points in his NBA preseason debut for Chicago, with no NBA rating from last season. Matas Buzelis added 14 points after a -0.1 Impact across 77 games last season, a baseline he can improve on.
Phoenix got 24 points from Dillon Brooks and 12 from Jalen Green. Brooks carried a -0.4 Impact last season and Green a -0.9, so the scoring output is useful context even in a game that does not affect the standings. Our outlook has the Suns at 43 wins, sixth in the West; the Bulls are at 30 wins, 13th in the East.
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Orlando Magic 122, Memphis Grizzlies 118
Tristan da Silva scored 19 points for Orlando after a 0.6 Impact last season, while Jamal Cain supplied 15 points following a -0.5 rating. The Magic are projected for 43 wins and ninth in the East.
Memphis rookie Cameron Boozer had 16 points and 6 rebounds, with no NBA rating from last season. Ty Jerome added 17 points and 4 assists; his 3.2 Impact in 15 games last season is the strongest established rating among the players noted here. Our outlook has Memphis at 33 wins, 13th in the West.
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Indiana Pacers 123, Minnesota Timberwolves 112
Aaron Nesmith scored 19 points for Indiana after a -0.1 Impact last season, and Jay Huff added 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists after a 0.7 rating. The Pacers are projected for 31 wins and 12th in the East.
Anthony Edwards matched Nesmith with 19 points for Minnesota. His 2.6 Impact last season was a strong starter-level mark, while Jaden McDaniels posted 16 points after a 1.4 Impact. Our outlook has the Timberwolves at 45 wins, fifth in the West, before the regular season begins Tuesday, October 20.
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Also in this story
Bennett Stirtz
Anthony Edwards
Jalen Green
More on the Indiana Pacers
More on Aday Mara
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Results from the teams' own posts; the context from Keel Stats data. Every number checked against those facts.
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