Luka Doncic produced a triple-double to help the Dallas Mavericks spoil Victor Wembanyama’s NBA debut with a 126-119 victory over the host San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
The contest was one of 12 on the night, with all 24 teams making their season debuts.
Doncic posted 33 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists only hours after being cleared to play as he deals with a left calf strain.
Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4, 19-year-old forward from France who was the league’s top draft pick, finished with just 15 points and struggled with foul trouble. He played 23 minutes and scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter.
Celtics 108, Knicks 104
Kristaps Porzingis scored nine of his 30 points in the final 2:34 for Boston, which overcame a late six-point deficit to beat host New York.
Jayson Tatum put up 34 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who led by as many as 12 in the third quarter and opened the fourth with a nine-point lead before the Knicks stormed back.
RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley each had 24 points for the Knicks, who shot just 14 of 26 from the free-throw line, including 5 of 9 in the fourth quarter. Julius Randle had 14 points and 11 rebounds for New York, while Jalen Brunson scored 15 points but shot just 6-for-21 from the field.
Clippers 123, Trail Blazers 111
Paul George scored 27 points and Kawhi Leonard added 23 as Los Angeles made easy work of its season opener with a victory over visiting Portland.
Ivica Zubac had 20 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots while Russell Westbrook had 11 points and 13 assists for the Clippers, who extended their winning streak over the Trail Blazers to six games, including all three last season.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points off the bench in his Portland debut and Anfernee Simons added 18 as the Trail Blazers played their first game in 12 seasons without Damian Lillard on the roster. Lillard was moved to the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason after requesting a trade.
Hornets 116, Hawks 110
P.J. Washington scored 25 points and first-round draft pick Brandon Miller made a go-ahead 3-pointer as Charlotte defeated visiting Atlanta.
Washington made 12 of 18 shots from the field and had support from Terry Rozier’s 24 points, LaMelo Ball’s 15 points and 10 assists and Mark Williams’ 13 points and 15 rebounds. Miller had 13 points and Gordon Hayward added 10.
Trae Young provided 23 points despite horrific shooting from the floor and reserve Jalen Johnson posted 21 points for the Hawks. Atlanta, which shot 5-for-29 on 3-point attempts, received 15 points apiece from Saddiq Bey and Clint Capela, who grabbed 13 rebounds.
Pacers 143, Wizards 120
Bruce Brown drilled a career-high six 3-pointers to highlight his 24-point performance, lifting Indiana past Washington in Indianapolis.
Signed to a two-year, $45 million free agent contract in the offseason, Brown paid immediate dividends by making 8 of 11 shots from the floor, including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton collected 20 points and 11 assists in his first game since signing a five-year maximum contract extension in the summer.
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma scored 25 points in his first game since signing a four-year, $90 million contract in the offseason.
Cavaliers 114, Nets 113
Donovan Mitchell hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12.1 seconds left as Cleveland earned a victory over Brooklyn in New York.
Max Strus inbounded near the Brooklyn bench to Darius Garland. Garland quickly handed it off to Mitchell, who caught the Nets in a switch and calmly sank a trey from the left wing when Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson fell down.
Strus hit seven of Cleveland’s 17 3-pointers and finished with 27 points along with 12 rebounds. Isaac Okoro added 18 and Garland contributed. Cam Thomas scored 36 points for the Nets, and Johnson added 20.
Thunder 124, Bulls 104
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 31 points and 10 assists to lead Oklahoma City to a victory at Chicago.
Josh Giddey registered 16 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Thunder, who outscored the Bulls 45-26 over the final 15-plus minutes. Jalen Williams scored 16 points and Isaiah Joe added 14 points for the Thunder.
DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points for the Bulls. Zach LaVine scored 16 points but shot just 4-for-16, and Coby White had 15 on 4-of-14 shooting. Nikola Vucevic contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Kings 130, Jazz 114
Harrison Barnes scored 33 points and boosted Sacramento to a win over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Domantas Sabonis added 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while De’Aaron Fox contributed 18 points, five rebounds and six assists in the Kings’ lopsided victory. Keegan Murray chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds.
Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 24 points and six assists. Lauri Markkanen added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and offseason acquisition John Collins totaled 15 points and 11 boards.
Magic 116, Rockets 86
Cole Anthony and Gary Harris combined for 31 points off the bench as Orlando christened the start of its 35th anniversary season with a blowout of visiting Houston.
Anthony paired 20 points with eight rebounds, while Harris chipped in 11 points and five rebounds. That duo shot 13-for-20 from the floor to pace a bench unit that amassed 59 points.
Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks scored 14 points apiece in their Houston debuts. Alperen Sengun posted 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Rockets, who were undone by 19 turnovers.
Heat 103, Pistons 102
Bam Adebayo blocked a Cade Cunningham runner in the lane with 1:04 to go and host Miami, after nearly blowing a 19-point lead, had to sweat out three subsequent Detroit misses to escape with a win.
Adebayo put up a team-high 22 points while Jimmy Butler recorded 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat, who used a 13-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to go up 94-75.
Cunningham led all scorers with 30 points in 36 minutes while also finding time for a game-high nine assists. Jalen Duren (17 points, game-high-tying 14 rebounds) and Isaiah Stewart (14 points, game-high-tying 14 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for the Pistons.
Raptors 97, Timberwolves 94
Dennis Schroder scored 22 points in his Toronto debut and the Raptors overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to defeat visiting Minnesota.
Schroder added seven assists to help give new coach Darko Rajakovic a victory. OG Anunoby added 20 points for the Raptors.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Rudy Gobert had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Minnesota took a one-point lead into the final period, but Toronto had a five-point lead within the first 2:30 of the quarter.
Pelicans 111, Grizzlies 104
CJ McCollum scored 24 points and all five New Orleans starters scored in double figures as the visiting Pelicans defeated Memphis.
McCollum made 8 of 16 field-goal attempts, including 6 of 11 3-point tries. Zion Williamson added 23 points, and Brandon Ingram had 19.
Desmond Bane scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Grizzlies, who played without Ja Morant as he began a 25-game suspension. Former Celtic Marcus Smart scored 17 points in his Memphis debut, and Xavier Tillman added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
