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The 2022-23 season tipped off with a doubleheader Tuesday night. First up, the Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in an early clash of Eastern Conference contenders. The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who scored 35 points each in the 126-117 win.
Out West, the defending champion Golden State Warriors received their rings after winning their fourth title in the past eight seasons. Looking to spoil the celebration was the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James, who began the season needing 1,326 points to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's career scoring leader. James scored 31 in the Lakers'123-109 loss at Golden State, moving him to 1,295 shy of the record.
Here's complete coverage from Boston and San Francisco with highlights, takeaways and the moments that mattered.
Warriors getting back to big rings, nice things
It's been a while since I heard the song that became the unofficial anthem of the Warriors during their five straight Finals appearances from 2015 to 2019. As Stephen Curry alluded during the Warriors' championship ring ceremony Tuesday night, the two seasons in between the Warriors' Finals appearances were long.
But it didn't feel that way when "Big Rings" by Drake and Future came on the loudspeaker at Chase Center. As it has throughout their dynastic run, the Warriors have a way of playing through whatever drama comes their way. All the controversy around Draymond Green's fight with Jordan Poole just seemed to melt away into one of the Warriors' 31 assists on the night. All the talk about the future and whether they'll be able to afford all their foundational players now that Poole and Wiggins have inked long-term extensions felt far away on a night Golden State led by as many as 27 points and for all but the first three minutes of the game.
A sign of things to come on the 3-point shooting foul ?
Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Ryan almost drew a 3-point shooting foul on Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry with less than 5 minutes left in the third quarter, but the replay indicated he was out of bounds before the shot. The near-miss fits into a theme for Tuesday's opening night games. Klay Thompson drew a 3-point shooting foul in the first minute of the first quarter. Curry drew another 3-point shooting foul and four-point play from Patrick Beverley in the fourth quarter. In the Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics game earlier Tuesday, James Harden drew three in the first quarter, and Jaylen Brown drew one early in the second quarter.
Last season, there was a rule change and larger emphasis from the league on making it more difficult to draw a foul on a 3-pointer. Does the outpouring of 3-point shooting fouls on opening night indicate perhaps this emphasis has been rolled back for this season already?
Strength in numbers for Warriors
Warriors coach Steve Kerr played 11 players in the first half, using all but two of the active players on his roster. Before the game, Kerr said a 10-man rotation was all but certain and an 11-man rotation was possible. Stephen Curry led all Warriors with 17 minutes played, while starter Andrew Wiggins and sixth man Jordan Poole played 16. Draymond Green played 13 and James Wiseman played 11.
All other players played in single digits but still found a way to contribute.
Depth is something Kerr and the Warriors boasted about heading into opening night. Kerr said for now he's uncomfortable playing Green and Klay Thompson their usual minutes because of their conditioning. Additionally, Andre Iguodala has still not yet been cleared to play, so having a deep bench is coming in handy.
James Wiseman nervous before NBA return
Warriors big man James Wiseman who hasn't played a regular-season game since April 10, 2021 told ESPN before Tuesday's game that he was excited for ring night, but also had butterflies. When asked if it was for ring night or because it was the first season opener he would be playing in since his rookie year in 2020, Wiseman said it was a little bit of both. To calm his nerves, he said he was planning on turning some music on and hopping in the steam room.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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