Giannis Antetokounmpo, bloodied from a cruel elbow blow, finished with 25 points and Karl-Anthony Towns welcomed a respite from a COVID-19 family tragedy as 14 NBA teams embarked on their first preseason games Saturday.
Clubs are fine-tuning their rosters as veterans work on their roles and rookies seek to show they can contribute with the new NBA season less than two weeks away.
Just under two months have passed since the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th NBA title making it the shortest off-season in league history for some teams.
But for the eight teams who did not make it to the post coronavirus shutdown games inside a bubble in Orlando, Florida, it has been the longest …
Keep on reading: Bloodied Giannis, emotional Towns back on court for NBA preseason