Jayson Tatum nailed a go-ahead bank shot from deep with 1.5 seconds remaining as the Boston Celtics survived blowing a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead to stun the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 122-121 on Wednesday night in both teams' season opener.
Tatum's clutch shot capped a 30-point night and gave Boston a two-point lead, but the Bucks had a chance to tie when Giannis Antetokounmpo was fouled on the inbound pass with 0.4 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo made his first free throw before coming up short on the second, sealing the result.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 33 points while Jeff Teague added 19 off the bench in his team debut. Fellow newcomer Tristan Thompson scored 12.
Antetokounmpo scored 18 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth to go with 13 rebounds, and Khris Middleton had a 27-point, 14-rebound double-double. Prized offseason acquisition Jrue Holiday added 25 points.
Philadelphia 76ers 113 - Washington Wizards 107
Joel Embiid scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lift host Philadelphia past Washington in head coach Doc Rivers' debut with the 76ers.
Shake Milton added 19 points while Ben Simmons had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the 76ers. Simmons' dunk in the final 30 seconds sealed the victory. Seth Curry chipped in 13 points.
READ |
Russell Westbrook led the Wizards with 21 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds to become the first player in franchise history to post a triple-double in his debut. Bradley Beal scored 31 points and Davis Bertans added 14 for the Wizards.
New Orleans Pelicans 113 - Toronto Raptors 99
Brandon Ingram had 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds as New Orleans overcame an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to defeat Toronto in the season opener at Tampa, Fla.
Ingram, who shot 10-for-19 from the field, just missed his first career triple-double. The Raptors are playing their home games at Amalie Arena because of travel restrictions in Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
JJ Redick added 23 points and had six 3-pointers for the Pelicans. Eric Bledsoe scored 18 points, Lonzo Ball had 16 and Zion Williamson had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Pascal Siakam scored 20 points for the Raptors while Kyle Lowry amassed 18 points and 10 assists.
Minnesota Timberwolves 111 - Detroit Pistons 101
Malik Beasley had 23 points and Minnesota scored the last 10 points to rally past Detroit at Minneapolis in the opener for both teams.
Karl-Anthony Towns supplied 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and D'Angelo Russell tossed in 18 points for Minnesota. Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, the top pick in the 2020 draft, contributed 15 points, four rebounds and four assists in his debut.
ALSO READ |
ALSO READ | NBA: Defending champion Lakers fall to Clippers
Josh Jackson led Detroit with 19 points and pulled down six rebounds. Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose had 15 points apiece and Mason Plumlee added 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Cleveland Cavaliers 121 - Charlotte Hornets 114
Collin Sexton scored 27 points and Darius Garland added 22 to fuel host Cleveland to a victory over Charlotte in the season opener for both teams.
Cleveland's Andre Drummond collected 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Larry Nance Jr. had 13 of each to go along with eight assists. Nance was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Kevin Love, who sat out due to a right calf strain.
Charlotte's Terry Rozier sank 10 shots from 3-point range to highlight a 42-point performance, with 36 of those coming in the second half. Gordon Hayward scored 28 in his first game since breaking a finger on his right hand on December 14. Hornets forward Cody Zeller sustained a fractured left hand in the fourth quarter and did not return.
Orlando Magic 113 - Miami Heat 107
Evan Fournier scored 25 points and Aaron Gordon chipped in with 20 despite battling foul trouble to lift Orlando to a victory over Miami in both teams' season-openers.
Terrence Ross came off the bench and scored 19 points, while Nikola Vucevic added a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double for the host Magic.
Miami, coming off an NBA Finals appearance back in October, was led by Bam Adebayo who scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Goran Dragic poured in 20 points and Jimmy Butler also added 19 in the season-opening loss.
Indiana Pacers 121 - New York Knicks 107
Domantas Sabonis had game highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds, and T.J. Warren scored all five of his points midway through the third quarter to give Indiana a win over New York at Indianapolis in the season opener for both teams.
Myles Turner flirted with an unusual triple-double (10 points, eight rebounds, eight blocks) for the Pacers, who won the head coaching debut of Nate Bjorkgren and improved to 4-1 in their last five season openers. Victor Oladipo had 22 points and Malcolm Brogdon finished with 21 points and eight assists.
RJ Barrett hit all eight of his shots in the first half and finished with 26 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who fell in head coach Tom Thibodeau's first game at the helm. Alec Burks scored 22 points off the bench while Julius Randle had 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
San Antonio Spurs 131 - Memphis Grizzlies 119
DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points to lead a balanced offensive attack as visiting San Antonio beat Memphis in the season opener for both teams.
All five of the San Antonio starters scored at least 16 points and seven Spurs finished in double figures. Dejounte Murray had 21 points, LaMarcus Aldridge put up 20, and Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV each scored 16. Patty Mills had 13 points while Rudy Gay tallied 10. DeRozan added nine rebounds and nine assists.
ALSO READ |
The Spurs' all-around offensive prowess overshowed a monster game from Memphis' Ja Morant, who scored 44 points on 18-of-27 shooting. Dillon Brooks added 16 points for Memphis while Jonas Valanciunas scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Atlanta Hawks 124 - Chicago Bulls 104
Trae Young scored 37 points on 10-for-12 shooting and Atlanta coasted to a win over host Chicago in the season opener for both teams.
Seven players scored in double digits for the Hawks, who raced to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Cam Reddish and Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 15 points apiece, John Collins had 14 and Danilo Gallinari added 13 in his team debut.
Zach LaVine scored 22 points to lead Chicago, and Lauri Markkanen finished with 21 to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. It marked the first game for the Bulls under new head coach Billy Donovan.
Comments
SHARE