The German NBA stars suffered defeats at the start of the new season. The number one draft pick caused a sensation in his first game.
No German basketball player was able to win with his team in the NBA opener. The Dallas Mavericks with Maxi Kleber gave away a 21-point lead on Wednesday night (local time) and lost 105-107 to the Phoenix Suns. Isaiah Hartenstein with the New York Knicks conceded a 112-115 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, Franz Wagner lost 109-113 to the Detroit Pistons with the Orlando Magic.
Daniel Theis was officially absent for the Indiana Pacers’ 107-114 loss to the Washington Wizards due to knee trouble, while Dennis Schröder was absent for the Los Angeles Lakers’ 109-123 loss to the Golden State Warriors the day before after undergoing thumb surgery.
The Mavericks were very superior against the Suns in the first half and went into the break with a 62:45 lead. But after that, the Suns worked their way back and took the lead with just over three minutes to go. Slovenian star Luka Doncic was the best scorer in the end with 35 points, Kleber finished with two points, five rebounds and an assist.
27 points for Banchero – 20 points for Wagner
Paolo Banchero caused a stir in his debut for the Magic. In the first NBA game of his career, the forward selected first in the
first overall pick in the draft, recorded 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Only Grant Hill and LeBron James have scored at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in their NBA debut before him in league history. Franz Wagner also had a good game with 20 points, five assists and four rebounds.