The NBA is back with it’s preseason action, and the MLB enters the postseason stage. Let’s take a look at the top events for the upcoming sports weekend.
Top Sports Events for This Weekend – October 8 – October 9
NBA Preseason | Houston Rockets VS Toronto Raptors
- Venue: Toyota Center, Houston
NBA preseason action takes place at the Toyota Center on Friday, with a matchup between the Toronto Raptors and the Houston Rockets. The Toronto Raptors have been victorious in seven of their most recent ten preseason games. The Houston Rockets have a record of 4 wins, two losses, and two draws during their previous eight preseason games.
The Toronto Raptors are allowing 82 points on 32.3% shooting while averaging 114 points a game and shooting 48.3% from the field. While Achiuwa is averaging 10 points and five rebounds, Chris Boucher is averaging 11 points and ten rebounds per game for his team. Pascal Siakam has four rebounds to his name, while Josh Jackson is the third player to score in double figures. The Toronto Raptors have a field goal percentage of 66.7 and a three-point percentage of 37.5 when shooting from beyond the arc. The Toronto Raptors are allowing just 25% of shots from beyond the deep and are collecting 46 rebounds per game on average.
The Houston Rockets are currently allowing 96 points on 35.5% shooting while averaging 134 points a game and shooting 54.6% from the field. Tari Eason averages 21 points and ten rebounds a game, while Jabari Smith Jr. averages 21 points and eight rebounds per game for his team. The third player to score in double figures is Eric Gordon, while Alperen Engün now has five rebounds. The Houston Rockets have a shooting percentage of 44.4% from outside the three-point line and a shooting percentage of 54.5% from the free-throw line. The Houston Rockets are allowing opponents to shoot from outside the arc at a rate of 26.2% while collecting 60 rebounds a game.
MLB Postseason | New York Mets VS San Diego Padres
- Venue: Citi Field, NY
This season, Steve Cohen and the Mets gave it their best in an effort to quickly turn around the whole franchise. To improve the offense, they added Mark Canha, Starling Marte, and Eduardo Escobar over the summer. In order to strengthen the rotation, they also traded for Chris Bassitt and signed three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer. New York won 101 games, the most victories for the club since their 1986 World Series Championship squad, and earned a postseason berth for the first time since 2016.
The Mets likely have bad taste in their mouth despite ending with the third-best record in the National League after the Braves swept them late in the year to win the NL East. Despite leading the division for 147 games, New York eventually missed out on the championship.
Over the last several years, San Diego has also made a lot of bold initiatives. Sean Manaea was acquired just before the start of the season, Josh Hader in August, and then, at the trade deadline, Juan Soto and Josh Bell were acquired in a huge spending spree.
During the regular season, these two franchises met six times, with the Padres finishing 4-2 and taking both series. However, since all three games will be played in Queens and Game 1 will feature a World Series winner, New York will have the home-field edge.