Deni Avdija recorded 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and the Portland Trail Blazers recorded a 121-119 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night to hand the defending NBA champions their first setback of the season.
Jrue Holiday scored 22 points and Jerami Grant added 20 off the bench for Portland, which trailed by 22 points in the opening quarter and did not lead until five-plus minutes into the final stanza.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander registered 35 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City, which won its first eight games and was the NBA’s last remaining unbeaten team. Aaron Wiggins scored 27 points and Ajay Mitchell added 21.
The Thunder had a chance to force overtime when Isaiah Joe (14 points) was fouled with 0.6 seconds to play. Joe’s right foot was on the 3-point arc, so he was only awarded two free throws. He made the first and intentionally missed the second, but the tip-in attempt was unsuccessful.
Lakers 118, Spurs 116
Luka Doncic amassed 35 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds as Los Angeles extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over visiting San Antonio.
Deandre Ayton contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds and Marcus Smart added 17 points as the Lakers rallied from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit. Los Angeles won without Austin Reaves (groin) for the second consecutive game, while LeBron James (sciatica) has yet to play this season.
Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 19 points and eight rebounds but fouled out with 1:40 remaining. Stephon Castle produced 16 points and eight assists, while Jeremy Sochan also had 16 points. But both Sochan and Harrison Barnes also fouled out.
Kings 121, Warriors 116
Russell Westbrook notched his record-extending 204th career triple-double to lead Sacramento past visiting Golden State. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points and Malik Monk had 21 off the bench in the win.
Westbrook racked up 23 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for the Kings, who trailed by 13 points in the first half before finishing strongly despite being without Zach LaVine (back) and Domantas Sabonis (ribcage).
Rookie Will Richard posted 30 points in his first career start for the short-handed Warriors, who were without their three most experienced players — Stephen Curry (illness), Draymond Green (rib contusion) and Jimmy Butler III (lower back strain).
Celtics 136, Wizards 107
Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 35 points to help Boston end a two-game skid with another win over visiting Washington.
Brown shot 13 of 21 from the floor and made 7 of 9 free-throw attempts while Josh Minott added a career-best 21 points for the Celtics, who have won their past nine games against the Wizards.
Washington turned the ball over 19 times, and the Celtics had a 30-3 edge in points off giveaways. Alex Sarr led the Wizards in points (31), rebounds (eight) and blocked shots (three). The Wizards have lost six in a row and have surrendered at least 119 points in seven of their eight games.
Cavaliers 132, 76ers 121
Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 46 points and Jarrett Allen collected 24 points and 10 rebounds, powering Cleveland to a win over visiting Philadelphia.
Evan Mobley had 23 points and Darius Garland scored eight in 26 minutes in his season debut for Cleveland, which never trailed and built a 116-90 advantage early in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers won their second straight.
Tyrese Maxey scored 14 of his 27 points in the second quarter and dished nine assists, while Quentin Grimes also had 27 points for Philadelphia. Andre Drummond added 13 points and 13 rebounds as the 76ers dropped their second in a row after opening the season 5-1.
Knicks 137, Timberwolves 114
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns each posted double-doubles for New York, which remained perfect at home this season by pulling away from Minnesota.
Brunson (23 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds) flirted with his first career triple-double. Towns finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in his seventh double-double in eight games this season for the Knicks, who have are 5-0 at home. OG Anunoby scored a team-high 25 points and added eight rebounds while Josh Hart (18 points) and Miles McBride (14 points) each got into double figures off the bench.
Julius Randle scored 32 points for the Timberwolves, whose two-game winning streak ended. Donte DiVincenzo had 21 points while going 5 of 11 from 3-point land. Anthony Edwards, who returned after missing four games with a strained right hamstring, scored 15 points while Jaden McDaniels added 13.
Nuggets 122, Heat 112
Nikola Jokic produced 33 points, 16 assists and 15 rebounds, Aaron Gordon scored 24 points, and Denver remained unbeaten at home with a win over Miami.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 points off the bench for the Nuggets, who have won 11 straight regular-season games against the Heat.
Miami, which has lost three of its past four games, played most of the night without Bam Adebayo. He left late in the first quarter with a left foot injury and didn’t return. Norman Powell led the Heat with 23 points.
Pistons 114, Jazz 103
Cade Cunningham scored 28 of his 31 points in the second half and added 10 assists as host Detroit pulled away from Utah.
Jalen Duren powered in 22 points and 22 rebounds in Detroit’s fourth consecutive win. Ausar Thompson contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Isaiah Stewart had 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Caris LeVert chipped in 10 points.
Svi Mykhailiuk led the Jazz with 28 points, while Lauri Markkanen tossed in 25. Keyonte George added 19 points, and Jusuf Nurkic grabbed 17 rebounds. Utah shot just 38.4% from the field.
Nets 112, Pacers 103
Michael Porter Jr. collected 32 points and 11 rebounds to propel visiting Brooklyn to a victory over Indiana for its first win of the season in Indianapolis.
Assisting Porter in the effort were Nic Claxton (18 points and 10 rebounds) and Noah Clowney (17 points). Tyrese Martin also drained four 3-pointers as part of a 16-point performance. The Nets outscored the Pacers 32-20 in the fourth quarter to snap a season-opening seven-game losing streak. However, Brooklyn lost Cam Thomas in the first quarter to hamstring tightness.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers’ attack with 23 points and nine rebounds, Ben Sheppard dropped 18 points and Jay Huff sank four 3-pointers en route to 16 points off the bench. Head coach Rick Carlisle received back-to-back technicals and was ejected eight seconds into the second half as Indiana suffered its seventh loss in its first eight games.
Rockets 124, Grizzlies 109
Amen Thompson scored a season-high 28 points with 10 rebounds and Alperen Sengun added 20 points and 16 boards to lead Houston over host Memphis for its fifth straight win.
Thompson also added seven assists while shooting 13 of 26 from the field. The Rockets have defeated their past five opponents by an average of 19.2 points.
Cam Spencer and Santi Aldama paced the Grizzlies’ bench with 19 and 16 points, respectively, while Ja Morant led the starters with 17 points and eight assists. Memphis got 60 points from its reserves but only shot 38.2% from the field.
Pelicans 101, Mavericks 99
Saddiq Bey scored a season-high 22 points against Dallas to help visiting New Orleans win its second straight game after going 0-6 to open the year.
Jeremiah Fears and Jose Alvarado scored 13 points apiece for the Pelicans, who announced on Tuesday that star forward Zion Williamson would miss at least seven to 10 days due to a strained left hamstring. Herbert Jones had 12 points, while Derik Queen and Trey Murphy scored 11 apiece.
Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 20 points. P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford each scored 15 points, Max Christie added 12, Klay Thompson had 11 and Brandon Williams chipped in 10. Washington had 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have lost three straight.
–Field Level Media
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