Grant Williams matched his career highs of 25 points and seven 3-pointers and the Dallas Mavericks improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season by notching a 114-105 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded season highs of 24 points and seven 3-pointers for Dallas, which opened the season 4-0 for just the fourth time in franchise history. The Mavericks and Boston Celtics are the lone unbeaten teams in the NBA.
Luka Doncic contributed 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for Dallas. He leads the NBA in scoring at 33.8 points per game.
Zach LaVine scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for the Bulls.
Warriors 102, Kings 101
Klay Thompson drilled a contested jumper from just beyond the free-throw line with two-tenths of a second remaining, delivering Golden State another victory over Sacramento in San Francisco.
Golden State improved to 2-0 in early-season games against Sacramento, rematches of last season’s first-round playoff matchup that the Warriors won in seven games.
The Kings’ Domantas Sabonis (23 points, 11 rebounds) banked in a 20-footer from just above the foul line to put Sacramento up 101-100 with 14.5 seconds remaining. The Warriors subsequently were unable to free Stephen Curry, their leading scorer with 21 points. Thompson, with time running out, made his way close enough to get off his game-winning shot.
Lakers 130, Clippers 125 (OT)
LeBron James scored 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from an early 19-point deficit and ended an 11-game losing streak against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers with an overtime victory.
Anthony Davis produced 27 points and 10 rebounds and D’Angelo Russell also had 27 for the Lakers, who improved to 3-0 in home games this season. The Lakers defeated the Clippers for the first time since July 2020 in the NBA bubble near Orlando.
Kawhi Leonard scored 38 points and Paul George added 20 of his 35 in the fourth quarter as the Clippers lost on the same day James Harden’s trade to the team became official. Russell Westbrook contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds against his former team.
Celtics 155, Pacers 104
Jayson Tatum collected 30 points, 12 rebounds and four assists to lead host Boston to a victory against short-handed Indiana.
Boston stretched its winning streak to four games. It’s the first time the Celtics have started a season with more than three straight wins since 2009, when they won their first six games. Indiana trailed by as many as 53 points in the fourth quarter.
The Pacers played without point guard Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) and backup center Jalen Smith (knee). T.J. McConnell scored a team-high 18 points and had seven rebounds for the Pacers.
Raptors 130, Bucks 111
Pascal Siakam scored a season-best 26 points and Toronto defeated visiting Milwaukee.
Scottie Barnes added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who ended a three-game losing streak.
It was the second loss in four games this season for the Bucks under new coach Adrian Griffin, who was an assistant for the Raptors over the previous five seasons. Malik Beasley scored 20 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo was held to 16 points for Milwaukee, which was playing its first road game of the season.
Pelicans 110, Thunder 106
CJ McCollum scored a season-high 29 points to lead New Orleans to a come-from-behind victory over host Oklahoma City.
The Pelicans trailed by as many as 22 points in the first half, struggling in the absence of Brandon Ingram, who missed his second consecutive game due to right knee soreness. That early deficit turned into a 12-point advantage by the middle stages of the fourth quarter, and the Thunder missed their final five shots from the field.
Zion Williamson added 20 points and Jonas Valanciunas supplied 19 for the Pelicans. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 20 points, while Chet Holmgren added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Nets 109, Heat 105
Armoni Brooks, who was recalled from the G League earlier in the day, scored 17 points off the bench in his Brooklyn debut as the Nets rallied from a 16-point deficit to defeat host Miami.
Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas, who entered the night ranked third in the NBA with a 33.0 scoring average, was held to 13 points. He made just 4 of 19 shots and had four turnovers with just one assist.
Miami, which has lost four straight games, was led by Tyler Herro’s 30 points. Bam Adebayo, who missed the Heat’s previous game with a bruised hip, had 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Trail Blazers 110, Pistons 101
Shaedon Sharpe had 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists as visiting Portland rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat Detroit.
Jerami Grant supplied 24 points for Portland, while Deandre Ayton contributed 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.
Cade Cunningham carried the Pistons with 30 points. Ausar Thompson had 16 points and seven rebounds, and Isaiah Stewart added 12 points.
Cavaliers 95, Knicks 89
Donovan Mitchell scored Cleveland’s first 13 points and then scored five key points in the fourth quarter to stave off a rally by host New York as the Cavaliers held on for a victory.
Mitchell finished with a game-high 30 points as the Cavaliers salvaged a split of the home-and-home set despite playing both games without Jarrett Allen (ankle) and Darius Garland (hamstring).
Caris LeVert, who missed Cleveland’s 109-91 loss Tuesday due to a hamstring injury, had 19 points off the bench. Jalen Brunson topped the Knicks with 24 points but shot just 8-for-23 from the floor.
Hawks 130, Wizards 121
Dejounte Murray continued his hot scoring with 24 points — one of three Atlanta players with 20-plus points — as the Hawks extended their winning streak to three games with a victory over visiting Washington.
Murray shot 10-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. He added eight assists. The Hawks also got 23 points and 10 assists from Trae Young, who had been listed as questionable due to right Achilles inflammation. De’Andre Hunter added 23 points and seven rebounds.
The Wizards were led by Kyle Kuzma with 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Deni Avdija scored a season-high 22 points.
Rockets 128, Hornets 119
Fred VanVleet recorded a double-double to pace five starters in double figures as Houston secured its first victory of the season, defeating visiting Charlotte.
VanVleet paired 22 points with 11 assists and sank five 3-pointers to lead the Rockets’ barrage from behind the arc. Houston finished 21-for-37 from deep and hit seven treys in the fourth quarter to fend off the Hornets, who pulled to with five points late before their comeback stalled.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 23 points, and Dillon Brooks added 20 points. P.J. Washington paced the Hornets with 23 points, hitting 5 of 6 3-point attempts. Terry Rozier added 21 points.
Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 89
Anthony Edwards scored 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and eight rebounds and Minnesota cruised to a win over visiting Denver in Minneapolis.
Mike Conley contributed 17 points and a team-high six assists for the Timberwolves, who never trailed in the game. Naz Reid had 16 points in 19 minutes off the Minnesota bench.
The reigning NBA champion Nuggets sustained their first loss after winning their first four games of the season. Nikola Jokic finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Jamal Murray contributed 14 points, six assists and six rebounds.
Jazz 133, Grizzlies 109
Reserve Collin Sexton scored 23 points, Jordan Clarkson put up 20 points, Lauri Markkanen added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Utah rolled to a rout of Memphis at Salt Lake City.
Clarkson and Markkanen each went 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the decisive first half, combining for 35 points on 12-of-15 shooting as Utah went into the break up 79-46.
Desmond Bane scored 21 points in Memphis’ fifth straight loss to open the season. The Grizzlies, who won 51 games a season ago, are without suspended star Ja Morant for the first 25 games because of a suspension.
–Field Level Media