Luka Doncic capped a 49-point performance by hitting a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 26.1 seconds left as the host Dallas Mavericks executed down the stretch of a 125-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.
Doncic hit four of his nine 3-pointers in the final 2:59 and scored 14 of the Mavericks’ final 17 points.
Tim Hardaway Jr. put up 19 points for Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving contributed 17, seven rebounds and six assists in his first game against the Nets since being traded from Brooklyn at last February’s deadline.
Cam Thomas moved into the starting lineup in place of Cameron Johnson (calf) and led the Nets with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Former Maverick Spencer Dinwiddie received a warm reception from the crowd and added 23 points.
Knicks 126, Hawks 120
Julius Randle flirted with a triple-double and scored nine points in the final three-plus minutes for visiting New York, which held off Atlanta.
Randle finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Knicks, who bounced back from an opening night defeat to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
New York’s Jalen Brunson hit a career-high eight 3-pointers and finished with 31 points, and RJ Barrett scored 26 points. De’Andre Hunter topped the Hawks with 27 points. Trae Young had 18 points but shot just 4-for-16 from the field, and Dejounte Murray also put up 18 points.
Celtics 119, Heat 111
All five starters scored at least 17 points as Boston earned a home-opening win over Miami in a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Conference finals.
Jaylen Brown (27 points), Jayson Tatum (22), Kristaps Porzingis (17) and Jrue Holiday (17 points, 10 rebounds) rounded out the Boston starting lineup.
Tyler Herro scored a team-high 28 points with six assists and six rebounds for Miami. Bam Adebayo (27), Jimmy Butler (14) and Kyle Lowry (13) also scored in double figures.
Bulls 104, Raptors 103 (OT)
Alex Caruso drilled a go-ahead baseline 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in overtime and DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 33 points to lift host Chicago over Toronto.
Caruso (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (11 points, 12 rebounds) both notched double-doubles for Chicago, which sent the Raptors to their sixth straight loss at United Center.
Scottie Barnes posted 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Pascal Siakam scored 18 points to pace the Raptors. Gary Trent Jr. (16 points), O.G. Anunoby (11), Dennis Schroder (10), and Chris Boucher (10) followed in double figures. Schroder added 10 assists.
Warriors 122, Kings 114
Stephen Curry’s four-point play highlighted a third-quarter run that sent visiting Golden State past Sacramento in a rematch of the clubs’ first-round playoff series in April.
Curry finished with a game-high 41 points and Chris Paul delivered 10 points and 12 assists for the Warriors, who were coming off a season-opening loss at home to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
De’Aaron Fox had a team-high 39 points and Domantas Sabonis collected 19 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the Kings, who were playing their first home game since losing 120-100 loss to Golden State in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series last season.
Thunder 108, Cavaliers 105
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren hit consecutive 3-pointers to set up Lu Dort’s go-ahead floater with 28.6 seconds remaining as visiting Oklahoma City rallied late for a victory over Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 43 points, including four points and an assist during a 9-0 run that gave the Cavaliers a 100-90 lead with 2:37 remaining. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a team-high 34 points, and Dort added 25 points to pace the Thunder, who had made just nine 3-pointers before connecting on four in the final 2:18.
Evan Mobley grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds to go with 14 points for the Cavaliers. Caris LeVert chipped in with 17 points off the bench, while Isaac Okoro added 10.
Spurs 126, Rockets 122 (OT)
Devin Vassell scored 25 points and rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama had key baskets at the end of regulation and in the extra period as San Antonio came from behind to beat visiting Houston in overtime in an early-season Lone Star State showdown.
The Rockets led by seven points after three quarters and continued to hold the lead throughout the fourth period until Wembanyama tied the score at 111 on a driving layup with 20.2 seconds to play. Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. missed a 29-foot 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in regulation, sending the game into the extra period.
Wembanyama scored 21 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double. Johnson scored 20 points and Jeremy Sochan and Cedi Osman finished with 14 points each for San Antonio. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Fred VanVleet added 24 points, Jalen Green scored 22, Dillon Brooks contributed 17 points, Smith chipped in 13 and Jeff Green finished with 10 points.
Nuggets 108, Grizzlies 104
Nikola Jokic scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added seven assists, Jamal Murray chipped in another 22 points, and Denver led almost wire-to-wire en route to a win on the road over Memphis.
Six Memphis scorers, including all five starters, finished with at least 11 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 21 points, matched Ziaire Williams’ team-high nine rebounds, and blocked three shots. Marcus Smart added 20 points and Derrick Rose came off the bench to score 16 points.
Reggie Jackson came off the bench to score 16 points for Denver. Backup forward Peyton Watson chipped in nine points, and Zeke Nnaji finished with seven points.
Pistons 111, Hornets 99
Alec Burks scored 24 points off the bench and Detroit led most of the way to beat host Charlotte for the first win under new coach Monty Williams.
Jaden Ivey had 18 points, Isaiah Stewart added 15 points and Jalen Duren and Marvin Bagley III each notched 14 points for the Pistons, who are 1-1 after opening the season with a pair of road games. Cade Cunningham supplied 12 points for the Pistons, who shot 46 percent from the field.
LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier both scored 20 points for Charlotte, but 7-for-28 shooting on 3-point attempts doomed the Hornets. Ball came close to a triple-double, finishing with nine rebounds and nine assists.
Magic 102, Trail Blazers 97
Franz Wagner scored 23 points and older brother Moritz added 17 on 8-of-8 shooting to help Orlando post a victory over host Portland.
Cole Anthony had 18 points and fellow reserve Moritz Wagner collected nine rebounds as Orlando won its second straight game to start the season. Paolo Banchero had 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Jalen Suggs added 11 points and four steals for the Magic.
Shaedon Sharpe scored 24 points and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Portland. Jerami Grant scored 15 points and Deandre Ayton added 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.
Jazz 120, Clippers 118
Lauri Markkanen scored 35 points and Jordan Clarkson hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the final 30 seconds to lift Utah over Los Angeles in Salt Lake City.
Paul George scored a game-high 36 points, including 15-for-15 from the free-throw line, and gave the Clippers a one-point lead with two free throws with 41.2 seconds remaining. But Clarkson, who scored 13 on 4-of-13 shooting, hit his trey with 28.9 seconds left to give the Jazz their first win of the season.
Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook missed shots in the final seconds, resulting in the Clippers’ 11th straight regular-season loss at Utah. Leonard finished with 25 points and nine rebounds, and L.A. lost despite shooting 53.2 percent from the field.
—Field Level Media
