Fantasy basketball takeaways from NBA opening night

The NBA is back and what a night to kick off the season! With only two games to play on Tuesday, the championship banner was raised in Boston and history was made in Los Angeles. Aside from those moments, here's a recap of opening night in the NBA.

Knicks @ Celtics

🏀 Celtics defeat Knicks in record-breaking fashion

The Boston Celtics celebrated their 18th championship by defeating the New York Knicks 132-109. If you were looking for angry Jayson Tatum, you found him. Tatum led the team with 37 points, 10 assists and eight three-pointers, contributing to Boston's NBA record of 29 three-pointers. Teammates Derrick White and Jaylen Brown scored 24 and 23 points, respectively.

Despite being down by as many as 35 points, Jalen Brunson scored 22 points for the Knicks, while newcomer Karl-Anthony Towns only managed 12 points with seven boards in 23 minutes.

🚨 Waiver via bank transfer

• Miles “Deuce” McBride looked like a dark candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. He carried the Knicks in the first half, scoring 14 points (5-on-5, 2-2 3PT, 2-3 FT). He finished the game with 22 points, four 3s and two assists in just 25 minutes.

• Since he's only 10% on the roster, he should be used in all 12 team leagues as he'll likely get around 25 minutes per night.

👓 Players to watch

• I warned you about the Mikal Bridges draft, and that suspect sweater looks terrible. Bridges went scoreless in the first half, shooting 0-for-5 from the field and 0-4 from three. He calmed down after halftime and finished the contest 7-13 from the field and 2-7 from deep. He recorded a few assists, but otherwise the mid-round fantasy pick's performance was mediocre on both ends.

• It's just one game, so don't panic about OG Anunoby's forgettable four-point performance (1-7 FG, 0-4 3PT, 2-2 FT) with five boards, three assists and a steal. Playing a team-high 34 minutes (along with Bridges) is encouraging, and as long as he's healthy, he'll be one of the league's better stock-getters.

Timberwolves @ Lakers

🏀 The Lakers win their first home opener in eight years – and make history in the process

In a historic NBA moment, LeBron James and his son Bronny became the first father-son duo to play together, sharing the court for the Lakers in their 110-103 victory over the Timberwolves. Anthony Davis dominated with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, while LeBron finished with 16 points, five boards, four assists and two blocks.

Anthony Edwards debuted with 27 points (10-25 FG, 5-13 3PT, 2-3 FT), six rebounds and three assists. Rudy Gobert had 13 points on 14 boards (and got paid), while Julius Randle was just one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing his night with 16 points, nine rebounds and four dimes. Randle appeared disinterested several times during the game – which tells me it will take some time for his style to catch on with the Wolves. Minnesota's bench kept it close, scoring 36 substitute points between Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Nikeil Alexander-Walker.

😯 Unexpected developments

• The Lakers' signing of Davis will do wonders for his fantasy value. He was also vocal about his desire to win Defensive Player of the Year.

• Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht is playing well enough to be in the rotation, but with just 15 minutes in Game 1, he will likely need an injury or an increase in playing time to be fantasy relevant. I'm surprised he's at 34% of the roster.

• Mike Conley played 20 minutes compared to backup point guard Donte DiVincenzo, who played 31. It's a timeshare worth keeping an eye on because when Conley's age catches up with him, DVV could be the preferred option in real life and fantasy.

• Rui Hachimura acted aggressively and confidently on offense, attacking downhill and easily taking his places. He admitted after the game that the Lakers planned to take advantage of Julius Randle hanging around, and that's what they did. Hachiumura (53% on the roster) finished with around 18 points, five boards, one assist, two steals and one block. After impressing in 35 minutes, he is worth adding to any minor leagues.

Closing buzzer

Opening night gave us a taste of what's to come this NBA season: a barrage of three-pointers with a mix of heroics, history and standout (and disappointing) performances. For fantasy managers, the key takeaway is not to overreact, but rather be prepared to take action against players like Deuce McBride. We're back at the 10-game list on Wednesday, so happy hoops!