Last Night

LaMarcus Aldridge started the season off with a bang, leading all scorers as Portland lost to San Antonio, 106-97. After sinking the very first basket of the NBA’s 2007-08 season, Aldridge finished with 27 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Unfortunately, he often had difficulty getting rebounding position against the talented Tim Duncan, logging only three boards on the night. But on the plus side of the ledger, L.A. looked comfortable in Nate McMillin’s up-tempo offense. He ran the floor remarkably well for a big man, including one great fast-break dunk during a third-quarter comeback.

The Lakers staged a late rally to tie the Houston Rockets in the final seconds, but ultimately lost, 95-93. Maurice Evans and Chris Mihm provided some minutes off the bench, although Mihm did not even see the floor until the third quarter. Evans contributed with two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in his fourteen minutes of play. Meanwhile, Mihm saw most of the minutes at center eaten up by Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum. Chris played eight minutes, scoring three points and pulling down two boards.

Tonight

T.J. Ford and the Raptors kick off the season at home against the 76ers. (6 PM Central)

Royal Ivey plays his first game as a Buck when Milwaukee travels to Orlando. (6 PM Central)

The defending Eastern Conference champions start the season on national TV as Daniel Gibson and the Cavs host last year’s first-round flameout, the Dallas Mavericks. (7 PM Central, ESPN)

The Texas Exes doubleheader continues when Kevin Durant leads the Sonics to Denver in another nationally-televised game. (9:30 PM Central, ESPN)