It's the first of four preseason games on the schedule for Los Angeles, the most the NBA allows. The Lakers will play the Clippers again in an exhibition game Sunday and then go on the road for games against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 16 and 18.<a href="nbadesign.com/arizona-cardinals/">Atlanta Hawks</a>

"Monday night saw the No.1 seed Milwaukee Bucks open their Eastern Conference semi-final matchup in the NBA playoffs with the Miami Heat. For anybody who has watched the Heat play this season, especially in Orlando, you’ll know that we were going to be in for an exhilarating series here. And Game 1 was just that.

There was plenty going on in this one, and if this game was a benchmark for the rest of this series then it’s going to be a special one. The Bucks haven’t looked themselves through their time in Orlando and that’s pretty worrying. But, when you have Giannis Antetokounmpo on your team, surrounded by the depth that he is, then all form goes out the window. The Heat, however, had different ideas, and the area of the game that effectively gave them the basis to go on and clinch this opening game was a surprising one.

The Milwaukee Bucks have the best interior defense in the entire NBA this season, allowing just 38.7 points in the paint per game, while the Heat rank 28th in scoring in the paint, with 43.9 points per game coming in that area. So you’ve got the best defense inside against one of the worst offenses inside. That doesn’t seem like a great thing considering the task that the Heat was coming up against in Giannis and the Bucks. But, that narrative didn’t seem to matter to head coach Erik Spoelstra and his team."

In most cases, this situation would foretell a Rubicon-crossing nightmare. But Christian Wood, one of the offseason’s most desirable free agents, gives Houston a silver lining, whether Harden sticks around or is dealt in the near future.<a href="nbadesign.com/tampa-bay-buccaneers/">Washington Wizards</a>

Bryant benefited from the attention Westbrook drew, scoring 22 points and making 7 of 12 shots. And Wizards coach Scott Brooks loved seeing an animated Westbrook celebrating Bryant's dunk with the foul and encouraging the big man in the first quarter.

LOS ANGELES -- With the Los Angeles Lakers' first preseason game looming Friday against the LA Clippers -- which will be just six days into training camp and 61 days since their clinching Game 6 NBA Finals victory -- coach Frank Vogel sounds like he's calling off the big guns.<a href="nbadesign.com/miami-dolphins/">New Orleans Pelicans</a>

"This is the nature of this season, so everybody's going to be dealing with it," he said. "Every team in the league. I think the way we're looking at it is we're lucky to be playing basketball. We're grateful for the opportunity to compete and play, and any difficulties to the season pale in comparison to what's happening out in the world, so there won't be much talk from our end about COVID and the protocols and what it means to our team ... What matters is the protocols and being healthy and safe and keeping everybody that way."

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“We are only one mistake at a young age from having it all taken away from us or losing everything we worked so hard to build. Or worst come to worst, being in between those yellow-taped lines,” Towns said. “We understand how precious and how important this moment is. For both of us to be Black men, me not only being Black but Afro Latino, we really understand that this moment is not supposed to happen for us. And we got to make the most of it to show the young generation that this is possible. It is possible to keep your morals and values, be a professional in all of this and not lose yourself. And to not follow the trends, but show the world what it is to be a good human being.”<a href="nbadesign.com/buffalo-bills/">Brooklyn Nets</a>