Victor Wembanyama made the tying basket with 20 seconds left in regulation, the opening basket in overtime and finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in his first NBA victory, helping the San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 126-122 on Friday night.
Wembanyama had 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the second half and overtime.
Devin Vassell scored 25 points and Keldon Johnson added 20 for the Spurs, who lost to Dallas on Wednesday in Wembanyama’s highly anticipated debut and trailed late in this one before the No. 1 pick helped them pull it out.
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Wembanyama’s layup while defended by Jabari Smith Jr. made it 111-111 all and his jumper sent San Antonio to a 6-0 run to begin OT.
Houston centre Alperen Sengun scored 25 points, Fred VanVleet added 24 and Jalen Green had 22. The Rockets have dropped their first two games of the season.
MAVERICKS 125, NETS 120
Luka Doncic scored 49 points and had a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 26.3 seconds remaining on a right-handed heave that banked in as Dallas beat Brooklyn in its home opener.
Doncic was standing near the right sideline, about 25 feet from the basket while being tightly guarded when he sent a hook shot with the shot clock about to expire. He scored the last four field goals for Dallas — all on 3-pointers.
Cam Thomas led the Nets with 30 points in his seventh career NBA start, a game after setting a league record by scoring 36 points off the bench in a season opener.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points, hitting six 3-pointers in the first three quarters. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points off the bench for the Mavericks, and Kyrie Irving finished with 17.
KNICKS 126, HAWKS 120
Jalen Brunson made a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points to power New York past winless Atlanta.
Brunson made 11 of 21 shots from the field, including 8 of 12 from beyond the 3-point line. The Knicks made 20 3s.
RJ Barrett added 26 points, including two baskets in the final four minutes after Atlanta closed within two points. Julius Randle had 17 points and iced the win with three free throws in the final 16 seconds. Randle added 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Dejounte Murray and Trae Young each had 18 points for Atlanta, while Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16. Young had 12 assists but continued his poor shooting to start the season by making only 4 of 16 shots from the field. Young was 4 of 19 in Atlanta’s 116-110 season-opening loss at Charlotte on Wednesday night.
THUNDER 108, CAVALIERS 105
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, rookie Chet Holmgren added 16 and 13 rebounds in his second NBA game and Oklahoma City made a furious rally in the final two minutes to stun Cleveland.
The young Thunder trailed 102-93 with 1:56 left before getting three straight 3-pointers — one by Holmgren — in an 11-0 run and closed with a 15-3 flurry to wreck Cleveland’s home opener.
Gilgeous-Alexander made his first two free throws with 4.6 seconds left, and Oklahoma City’s smooth guard then stole the ball from Donovan Mitchell to end it as the Thunder opened the season with their second straight road win.
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Mitchell scored 43 points for Cleveland, which was missing All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen with injuries.
Caris LeVert added 17 points — 15 after halftime — and Evan Mobley had 14 points and 15 rebounds for Cleveland.
PISTONS 111, HORNETS 99
Alec Burks scored 24 points, Jalen Duren added 14 points and 17 rebounds and Detroit defeated Charlotte for its first win of the season.
Jaden Ivey had 18 points and Isaiah Stewart had 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons, whose bench outscored the Hornets 58-19.
Cade Cunningham, who had 30 points in the season opener against Miami, was held to 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting before fouling out.
There were 52 fouls called in what was a physical game. Detroit was 21 for 25 from the free throw line, while Charlotte went 26 for 34.
LaMelo Ball had 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Hornets, who shot just 37.5% from the field. Terry Rozier scored 20 points and Gordon Hayward added 19 for Charlotte.
BULLS 104, RAPTORS 103, OT
Alex Caruso hit a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining in overtime and Chicago beat Toronto.
Caruso hit the winner off a feed from Zach LaVine after blocking Pascal Siakam. He finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and two steals.
DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points. Coby White added 17, and the Bulls came out on top in a game filled with wild swings.
Scottie Barnes had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for Toronto. Siakam scored 18, but Toronto lost for the first time under coach Darko Rajakovic, after opening with a win over Minnesota.
JAZZ 120, CLIPPERS 118
Jordan Clarkson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28 seconds left and then forced Kawhi Leonard into a tough missed shot at the other end in Utah’s win over Los Angeles.
Lauri Markkanen had 35 points and 12 rebounds and Kelly Olynk added 15 points.
Paul George scored 36 points and went 15 for 15 from the line, while Leonard finished with 25 points in his first appearance on the court here against the Jazz since Game 2 of the 2021 Western Conference semifinals.
Norman Powell scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Clippers’ comeback. The Clippers have lost 12 straight regular season games in Utah, with their last win coming on Feb. 13, 2017.
WARRIORS 122, KINGS 114
Stephen Curry picked up where he left off in last season’s playoffs against Sacramento, scoring 41 points in Golden State’s win.
This game was the first at Golden 1 Center since Curry eliminated the Kings with a 50-point effort in Game 7 of their first-round series last season.
Klay Thompson added 18 points and Chris Paul had 10 points, 12 assists and two turnovers in his second game with the Warriors.
De’Aaron Fox scored 39 points to lead the Kings. Domantas Sabonis added 19 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists.
MAGIC 102 TRAIL BLAZERS 97
Franz Wagner scored 23 points and Orlando won its second straight game to open the season, beating Portland.
Cole Anthony had 18 points off the bench for the Magic, playing the first of a four-game Western road trip. Paulo Banchero added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Shaedon Sharpe, starting in place of the injured Anfernee Simons, had 24 points for the Trail Blazers. Simons injured his right thumb in Portland’s opener and will miss up to six weeks. Deandre Ayton had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
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