Nikola Jokic against Giannis Antetokounmpo.
A super showdown between two historically great big men was obviously very appealing.
However, once the game actually began, the two teams looked completely different on the court.
The reason was simple.
Tonight, Damian Lillard was out for the Bucks with soreness in his left knee.
After losing their most dangerous perimeter scorer, the Bucks' level of play naturally took a significant hit.
On top of that, the Greek Freak wasn't in great form tonight, finishing with "just" 24 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block.
In the end, the Nuggets comfortably secured an opening-night win on the road, beating the Bucks 122–110.
Teacher Jokic put up 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists, then clocked out with ease.
With the opening-night game of the new regular season in the books, the NBA's new season was officially underway.
This very different New York Knicks team was finally about to step into the public eye and be put to the test by the entire league.
October 20.
The New York Knicks hosted their first opponent of the season at Madison Square Garden.
That first challenger was the Orlando Magic.
It was now 7:30 p.m.
The Knicks' home arena was packed to the rafters.
Tonight was Chen's true debut in this arena, for this team.
Naturally, it drew plenty of attention.
Just look at the celebrities seated courtside in the front row.
Famous superfan and acclaimed director Spike Lee, superstar singer Taylor Swift, top supermodel Bella Hadid, and many others.
From the basketball world, Knicks legends Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and even Charles Oakley had also come to watch.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the star power in the stands outshone even the players on the court.
And this was only a regular-season