NBA opening night: Our experts' first reactions to the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Kevin Durant

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It's going to take a lot more games like Tuesday's season-opening win over the Los Angeles Lakers for LA Clippers shooting guard Paul George to make people forget about his abysmal performance at the end of last season.

But this was a good start.

The much-maligned swingman finished with a smooth 33 points on only 18 shots to help the Clippers hold off the Lakers' comeback attempt. And he was just as effective defensively, giving up only five points as the Lakers hit just one of eight shots with George as the primary defender.

George said afterward that he's in a good head and physical space, acknowledging quite candidly in a postgame interview with TNT how much the two shoulder surgeries he had in the summer of 2019 affected him last season.

There was also a pretty frank discussion of some of the issues that George and the Clippers have faced since blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals -- and George stood there and answered them.

He addressed whether he'd been given preferential treatment. Whether he needed to be more aggressive offensively -- an oblique reference to George's comments that he wasn't always comfortable with how former coach Doc Rivers used him.

George explained that he's trying to find the right balance of being aggressive and letting the game come to him. That always has been George's challenge. His nature is to set up others, or to defer so they felt comfortable, too.

His high school coach once told me that he had a meeting with the whole team once where he went around to each player and asked them if they wanted George to be more aggressive. Each player told George they wanted him to shoot more because he was their best player. After that, George started attacking more and being more aggressive.

That's going to be his challenge for as long as he's a Clipper, playing alongside another star player in Kawhi Leonard.

Tuesday night, especially in the second half when George scored 26 of his points, he found that balance.

But it's going to take more than one game like that for George and the Clippers to prove themselves.

-- Ramona Shelburne

Clippers refresh around stars

You'd be hard-pressed to find an NBA team that wouldn't have enjoyed a longer offseason, but the quick turnover offered the LA Clippers one useful benefit -- the chance to begin the exorcism to cast out the demons from their playoff run. Tuesday night's win over the Lakers won't do anything to dispel the disappointment, but it offered a glimpse into how the 2021 Clippers will look perceptibly different than the team that collapsed after leading the Denver Nuggets 3-1 in the conference semifinals.

There's the obvious -- for example, a confident Paul George unleashing step-backs and gliding into pull-ups -- but also some more subtle strokes. The starting lineup featured two new faces, PF Nicolas Batum and C Serge Ibaka, each of whom serves to address a need.

Batum hasn't played relevant NBA basketball in ages, but he brings a skill set that can help a team that doesn't have a pure point guard. A capable playmaker, he led the Clippers in assists on Tuesday, slinging passes to perimeter shooters and working off the dribble at times with Kawhi Leonard and George. His length fits cleanly in a defense that requires switchability.

Ibaka provides a happy medium between Ivica Zubac and the departed Montrezl Harrell. He offers the size, strength and rim protection of a conventional center, along with the stretch and mobility of a modern big. Ibaka drained two of his three attempts from beyond the arc and was reliable defending the paint in 21 minutes. Zubac picked up the other 27 minutes, many of them with the second unit, where he thrived as Lou Williams' new partner in the two-man game.

Luke Kennard, another newcomer who was inked to a four-year, $64 million extension this week, played 21 minutes off the bench. Kennard hit only two of six of his field goal attempts in his Clippers debut but showed flashes of why he's another logical fit for a retooled Clippers roster: He is yet another big playmaking wing for a team that needs ball-movers in its newly structured offense.

Ibaka, Batum and Kennard are just supporting cast members for a team that will rise and fall with its superstars, and the Clippers won their season opener because George and Leonard shined. Though much of the Clippers' personnel is the same, some key components were not. The result was a team that will begin 2021 with a different look and feel than they ended the 2020 season last September.

-- Kevin Arnovitz

Center of acquaintance

Although both teams made other moves, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the offseasons for the Clippers and Lakers was how they made over their center rotations -- with Montrezl Harrell switching sides in free agency.

Making his Lakers debut, Harrell looked a lot more like the player who won the NBA's Sixth Man Award last season than the lesser, out-of-shape version who struggled in the playoffs after returning home following the death of his grandmother and being forced to self-isolate through the duration of the seeding games.

Harrell finished with a double-double in 32 minutes, scoring 17 points on typically efficient 6-of-7 shooting and adding 10 rebounds. The Harrell-Dennis Schroder pick-and-roll combo, which the Lakers surely hope can become their version of the successful partnership Harrell enjoyed with fellow Sixth Man Award winner Lou Williams for the Clippers, showed promising early signs as they connected for a pair of scores in the paint.

Still, the Lakers might have preferred not to need so much from Harrell. That happened in part because new starting center Marc Gasol spent nearly the entire night in foul trouble after picking up two in a 30-second span midway through the first quarter. Gasol played only 12 minutes and did not attempt a shot, drawing a charging call for his fifth foul on his only attempt to score. The Lakers have enough scoring threats that they don't need Gasol to average double figures, but to utilize his playmaking, he must be enough of a threat to keep defenses honest.

After losing Harrell, the Clippers moved quickly to replace him with Gasol's former Toronto Raptors teammate Serge Ibaka, who's returning to a full-time starting role. The Clippers prized Ibaka's ability to spread the floor while protecting the paint, and he delivered on that vision in his debut, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers and scoring 15 points in just 21 minutes of action.

The arrival of Ibaka pushed incumbent Clippers starter Ivica Zubac into Harrell's old bench role, one in which he thrived Tuesday. Zubac had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and was on the court as the Clippers made runs in both halves. The Clippers outscored the Lakers by 17 points with Zubac on the court, tied with Paul George for team high.

-- Kevin Pelton

Nets 125, Warriors 99

Kevin Durant, as if he never left

For years, an Achilles tear was a death knell for professional basketball players -- a sure bet that returning to their previous level of explosiveness would be impossible. Dominique Wilkins' Achilles comeback was a step toward changing the catastrophic rhetoric around the injury.

And now, more than two decades later, here comes Kevin Durant.

Durant isn't ready to make any declarations of being "back." However, his former coach, Steve Kerr, said that he couldn't see a difference between pre- and post-Achilles-injury Durant. His teammates have been admiring his abilities since training camp. Nets coach Steve Nash has repeatedly gushed about Durant's dedication to the process that prepared him to not only start in the Nets' season opener but put up 22 points in 25 minutes of play. He added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

But you won't hear those sentiments coming from Durant -- at least not yet.

"It's mainly, how can we get the job done," Durant said of his mindset. "I know it's a lot of emotions and things. I got so many calls and texts about playing again. For me, I've got to focus on the first possession, and then try and get through that and move on each possession. I try not to make too much of a deal out of this whole thing, and realize I've been playing the game since I was 8 years old."

It's a small sample size, but between the preseason and opening night, Durant's game seems to indicate there isn't much that his surgically repaired Achilles can't do. He levitated toward the basket to deliver thunderous dunks, shook off defenders and made smart passes.

Tuesday, which was full of Durant and Kyrie Irving highlights, didn't prompt Durant to say that he was playing at a pre-injury level. But should Durant continue to build on how he played in the opener, he could be poised to further demystify the once-devastating Achilles injury and give a blueprint for the comeback that he is not quite ready to proclaim.

-- Malika Andrews

The East should be worried about these Nets

It's not typical for teams to make any sort of big decisions early in a season. But it's also not typical for there to be an in-his-prime former MVP sitting on the trade market this early, either.

Which is why a number of teams had to watch the Nets' impressive firepower, depth and chemistry on opening night and start to mull just where they should be in their pursuit of Houston Rockets star James Harden. In fact, the big winner out of opening night might end up being the Rockets and their high demands for their disgruntled guard.

There is a group of Eastern Conference contenders who have kicked the tires on Harden over the past several weeks. That list, of course, includes the Philadelphia 76ers, who have made offers that have included star Ben Simmons. There's the Miami Heat, who let it be known this week that they're out of the talks, at least for now. It also includes teams such as the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, who at least have touched base.

And the Nets, Harden's preferred destination, who right now owe it to themselves to see just how this group plays out together. Not that there has been much traction on those talks anyway.

If Harden goes East to one of the contenders, it very well could tip the balance of power in the tightly packed race. Especially when surveying the landscape. Between star players who have been recently traded to a bevy of All-Stars who have signed new deals or extensions in the past month, it's a bear market for game-changers at the moment.

This is a central reason why the Rockets have been so brazen in their asks in trade talks -- scarcity is on their side. And if you're in the East, not only are you watching the Nets look as formidable as feared, you're also wondering where you might fall in the pecking order if one of your rivals takes the leap and comes with the big offer Houston wants. But then, you also want to see how your team actually plays together.

It's a delicate moment with the unusual nature of this season, combined with parity, combined with the timing of Harden's demand. Is it a time ripe for a big mistake or the perfect opportunity?

That's not an easy question to answer and, frankly, Durant's strong recovery and the Nets' overall force out of the gate is making it even tougher.

-- Brian Windhorst

Wiseman flashes game that made him the No. 2 pick

While the focus Tuesday was rightfully on Durant's first game in 560 days, it was also the first action in more than a year for Warriors rookie James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick. The last of Wiseman's three games as a freshman on Memphis came last Nov. 12 before he decided to prepare for the draft instead of returning from an NCAA suspension. Wiseman's Warriors debut was further delayed when he missed the entire preseason.

Wiseman's debut showed both the undeniable promise of his combination of size and athleticism as well as his understandable rust. Warriors coach Steve Kerr started Wiseman at center, allowing him to play with Golden State's veteran starters -- something that should benefit the rookie even more when Draymond Green returns from a foot injury that has him day-to-day. Green's experience can help put Wiseman in the right place on defense, while his big-to-big passing can facilitate more above-the-rim finishes.

As it was, Wiseman's first NBA basket was a dunk in the opening minute off an Andrew Wiggins feed. He also was on the receiving end of a pair of Stephen Curry assists for scores around the hoop. Wiseman's efforts to create his own offense were predictably more of a struggle against the Nets' starters, including a charge on an ill-advised attempt to go end to end.

In the late stages of the blowout, Wiseman showed more of his offensive versatility while scoring nine points on 4-of-5 shooting. He knocked down a step-back 3-pointer and another long jumper as part of a personal 7-0 scoring run before adding another long 2 to finish with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting.

At the defensive end, Wiseman's inexperience was obvious, but he compensated at times with activity. Despite his size and athleticism, Wiseman often wasn't in position to affect shots around the rim as Brooklyn sizzled. He needs to ensure he's as fast getting back on defense as he is running the court in transition. On the plus side, Wiseman hustled his way into a pair of steals.

-- Kevin Pelton