Boston held off a furious Brooklyn charge and escaped with an opening-game victory, spoiling the head-coaching debut of the Nets’ Kenny Atkinson.Brooklyn was down 21 points with 5 1/2 minutes left, and after the Boston starters re-entered the game, cut the deficit down to three in the final minute. However, Bojan Bogdanovich missed back-to-back 3-pointers on the same possession, and Isaiah Thomas iced the game with two free throws with 11.9 seconds left.
Heat 108, Magic 96
Hassan Whiteside had 18 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots, leading Miami past Orlando.It was the sixth consecutive season-opening victory for Miami and its first victory without star guard Dwyane Wade, who left for the Chicago Bulls during the offseason.
Pacers 130, Mavericks 121 (overtime)
Myles Turner had 30 points and 16 rebounds, including a crucial 3-pointer with 1:21 remaining in overtime, leading Indiana to a season-opening victory over Dallas.Paul George, who finished with 25 points, added a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left in overtime, pushing the Indiana lead to 125-118. Jeff Teague added 20 points and Monta Ellis 19 for the Pacers.Deron Williams led Dallas with 25 points, and Dirk Nowitzki and J.J, Barea each scored 22.
Raptors 109, Pistons 91
DeMar DeRozan set a franchise record for points on opening night with 40 as Toronto topped Detroit. DeRozan finished 17 for 27 from the field and went a perfect 6 for 6 from the line.Jonas Valanciunas added 32 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, while Kyle Lowry had 10 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Thunder 103, 76ers 97
Russell Westbrook scored nine of his 32 points in the last 4:09, including the go-ahead free throws with 35 seconds left, as the Oklahoma City beat Philadelphia in the season opener for both teams.Westbrook, who also had 12 rebounds and nine assists, snapped a 97-97 tie by connecting twice at the line.
Lakers 120, Rockets 114
Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to score 25 points, and Los Angeles tipped off the Luke Walton era with a season-opening win over Houston.D’Angelo Russell added 20 points, while Julius Randle chipped in 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, who made a winner of Walton in his debut as head coach.
