Austin Reaves exploded for a career-high 51 points, Deandre Ayton complemented 22 points with a game-high 15 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers, playing without injured stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James, downed host Sacramento 127-120 on Sunday night.
Taking the leading role after Doncic was a late scratch due to finger and lower-leg injuries, Reaves surpassed his previous NBA best of 45 points set last February against the Indiana Pacers. He also found time for 11 rebounds and nine assists, missing what could have been his fourth career triple-double by a single assist.
Rui Hachimura finished with 18 points, while LaRavia and Marcus Smart chipped in with 11 apiece for the Lakers, who played a third straight game without James, out with a back issue.
Zach LaVine paced Sacramento with 32 points, while Domantas Sabonis (10 points, 14 rebounds) and Dennis Schroder (18 points, 12 assists) posted double-doubles.
Spurs 118, Nets 107
Victor Wembanyama totaled 31 points and 14 rebounds and keyed a late run as host San Antonio beat Brooklyn to stay undefeated.
Rookie Dylan Harper added 20 points and eight assists for the Spurs (3-0) in the win, with Keldon Johnson scoring 19, Devin Vassell hitting for 16 and Julian Champagnie and Stephon Castle tallying 13 points apiece.
Cam Thomas poured in 40 points to carry the Nets (0-3) but had little help. Michael Porter Jr. added 16 for Brooklyn and Nic Claxton went for 10.
Mavericks 139, Raptors 129
Anthony Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Dallas to a victory over visiting Toronto.
D’Angelo Russell had 24 points off the bench, while starter Cooper Flagg added 22 points for the Mavericks, who earned their first win of the season following consecutive home losses. P.J. Washington and Max Christie scored 17 points apiece, Naji Marshall added 12 and Klay Thompson poured in 10 for Dallas, which shot 58.8% from the field, compared to Toronto’s 49% clip.
Scottie Barnes had 33 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to pace the Raptors, followed by Brandon Ingram’s 22 points and RJ Barrett and Sandro Mamukelashvili’s 16 apiece. Immanuel Quickley scored 14 points but made just 1 of 7 3-point attempts. Quickley is 2-for-18 (11.1%) from long distance through three games.
Clippers 114, Trail Blazers 107
Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points with 10 rebounds and Ivica Zubac added 21 points with eight boards as Los Angeles won for the second time in two home games with a victory over Portland.
James Harden added 20 points with 13 assists and John Collins scored 16 points as the Clippers continued to distance themselves from a season-opening road loss on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz. Los Angeles extended its winning streak to 12 games over Portland.
Deni Avdija scored 23 points and Jrue Holiday added 21 as the Trail Blazers fell in their second game under interim head coach Tiago Splitter. Head coach Chauncey Billups is out indefinitely after he was arrested on charges connected to an FBI gambling investigation. Shaedon Sharpe scored 19 points, Jerami Grant added 17 and Donovan Clingan had 10 rebounds for Portland.
Pistons 119, Celtics 113
Cade Cunningham had 25 points and eight assists as Detroit won its home opener, downing Boston.
Jalen Duren scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the Pistons. Duren had been ejected from Detroit’s previous game at Houston for throwing a flagrant elbow. Ausar Thompson contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Tobias Harris added 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 41 points. Payton Pritchard had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick White added 15 points and Anfernee Simons chipped in 12.
Heat 115, Knicks 107
Norman Powell scored 29 points to lead Miami to a home-opening win over New York.
Bam Adebayo scored 19 points and grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds for the Heat. Their reserves outscored the Knicks’ bench 44-21, led by Jaime Jaquez Jr. with 17 points. Miami also dominated on fast-break points, 31-10.
Jalen Brunson led New York with a game-high 37 points on 14-of-26 shooting. He made 5 of 11 from three, dished out seven assists and led an 18-5 fourth-quarter run that ultimately fell short. The Knicks also got 20 points from Mikal Bridges. Karl-Anthony Towns added 15 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
Cavaliers 118, Bucks 113
Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and Evan Mobley collected 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists as Cleveland won its home opener against Milwaukee.
Mobley went 12-for-12 at the foul line, including six in the final 16 seconds that allowed the Cavaliers to hold on after building an 81-63 lead in the third quarter. It was Cleveland’s second straight win following a season-opening loss at the New York Knicks.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo amassed game highs of 40 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, falling one helper shy of his 57th career triple-double. AJ Green had 20 points and Ryan Rollins added 14 points with eight assists.
Hornets 139, Wizards 113
LaMelo Ball scored 38 points as part of a triple-double and Charlotte rode a huge second half to a road victory over Washington.
Ball, who shot 13-for-25 from the field with five 3-pointers, had 13 rebounds and 13 assists. The guard’s point total was the highest in any of his 11 career triple-doubles. The Hornets overcame an 11-point halftime deficit by scoring 44 points in the third quarter and continued to dominate with another 44 in the fourth quarter, spoiling the Wizards’ home opener.
CJ McCollum’s 24 points led Washington, while Alex Sarr had 21 points and Tre Johnson came off the bench for 18 points. Khris Middleton (11 points) and Cam Whitmore (10) also reached double figures, but the Wizards shot 45.1% from the floor and committed 15 turnovers.
Timberwolves 114, Pacers 110
Julius Randle scored 31 points and Minnesota weathered the early exit of injured star Anthony Edwards to beat winless Indiana in Minneapolis.
Edwards, the Timberwolves’ two-time All-NBA guard, sustained what was announced as right hamstring tightness just three minutes into the game. Randle picked up the slack with a season-high point total on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor. He led five Timberwolves scoring in double figures, joined by Donte DiVincenzo with 17, Naz Reid with 16, Rudy Gobert with 14 and Jaden McDaniels with 11. Gobert pulled down 18 rebounds and Reid 10.
The Pacers’ Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 33 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished eight assists. He added three steals to his near-triple-double stat line, stepping up for an 0-3 squad missing leading scorer Bennedict Mathurin (foot).
