Damian Lillard scored 30 points while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 124-109 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams.
Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds and seven assists for Milwaukee. Bobby Portis chipped in 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench, while Taurean Prince also had 16 points, fueled by 4-of-5 success on 3-point attempts.
Tyrese Maxey shot 10 of 31 en route to 25 points for Philadelphia, which played without Joel Embiid and Paul George, both of whom are nursing knee injuries. Kelly Oubre Jr. pitched in 21 points, while Andre Drummond had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Sixers led by one point after the first quarter, and the score remained close for most of the second quarter before the Bucks began to create some separation. Milwaukee was up 58-47 at halftime before erupting for 42 points in the third quarter, including 15 from Lillard.
Pelicans 123, Bulls 111
Brandon Ingram scored 33 points and CJ McCollum added 23 as host New Orleans defeated Chicago in the season opener for both teams.
Dejounte Murray had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Jordan Hawkins scored 13 points and rookie Yves Missi chipped in 12 to help the Pelicans overcome the absence of Zion Williamson (illness).
Zach LaVine scored 27 and Nikola Vucevic tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls. Lonzo Ball, who played in a regular-season game for the first time since Jan. 14, 2022, after recovering from knee issues, scored five points in 14 minutes.
Pacers 115, Pistons 109
Myles Turner had 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks as visiting Indiana spoiled J.B. Bickerstaff’s first game as Detroit’s head coach in the season opener for both teams.
Pascal Siakam had 19 points, eight rebounds and nine assists and Bennedict Mathurin also tossed in 19 points for Indiana, which overcame a 12-point second-half deficit. Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points, and T.J. McConnell chipped in 14.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 28 points and eight assists. Jaden Ivey had 17 points, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley supplied 14 points apiece. Jalen Duren contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Tobias Harris added 13 points.
Magic 116, Heat 97
Paolo Banchero scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, leading Orlando to a season-opening win at Miami, spoiling a night when the Heat named their home court for team president and former coach Pat Riley.
Franz Wagner added 23 points for the Magic, and Wendell Carter Jr. had a game-high 14 rebounds. Orlando also got 18 points off the bench from Gary Harris, who went 6 of 9 on 3-point attempts.
Terry Rozier led Miami with 19 points, and Nikola Jovic had 15 points. However, Jimmy Butler was 1-for-8 shooting and finished with three points, and Bam Adebayo was held to nine points, five rebounds.
Cavaliers 136, Raptors 106
Evan Mobley scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds as visiting Cleveland routed Toronto in each team’s season opener.
Donovan Mitchell added 21 points for the Cavaliers, who took command of the game in the second quarter and led by 26 entering the fourth. Caris LeVert scored 15 of his 19 points in the third quarter for the Cavaliers and shot 8-for-9 from the field.
Chris Boucher scored 18 points for the Raptors, who began their 30th season. Gradey Dick added 16 points. Immanuel Quickley did not play in the second half due to a right pelvic contusion. He finished with 13 points and four assists.
Hawks 120, Nets 116
Trae Young collected 30 points and 12 assists and reserve Onyeka Okongwu added a career-high 28 points as Atlanta surged ahead in the fourth quarter and held off visiting Brooklyn in the season opener for both teams.
Young scored 12 points in the final quarter when the Hawks nearly blew an eight-point edge in the final 20.9 seconds. He shot 7-for-16 from the floor and hit 14 of 16 free-throw attempts. Okongwu had his way inside, sinking 11 of 12 shots, including four dunks, as the Hawks scored 37 points in the fourth.
Cam Thomas led all scorers with 36 points and scored 20 in the final quarter for the Nets, who committed 32 fouls in the coaching debut of Jordi Fernandez. Ben Simmons, returning from back surgery performed in March, totaled six points and eight assists in 24 minutes. He also committed six turnovers.
Hornets 110, Rockets 105
LaMelo Ball racked up 34 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds as visiting Charlotte opened the season by erasing an 18-point deficit in the first half to claim a victory over Houston.
Tre Mann chipped in 24 points off the bench for Charlotte, terrorizing the Rockets’ defense off the dribble en route to 8-for-16 shooting, which included 4-for-8 success from 3-point range. Ball made all 10 of his free-throw attempts, and Miles Bridges contributed 10 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 28 points, while Alperen Sengun added 25 points and 18 rebounds. Fred VanVleet put up 14 points and Amen Thompson scored all 13 of his points in the first half for Houston, which shot just 13-for-43 (30.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
Grizzlies 126, Jazz 124
Three Memphis players scored at least 22 points and the Grizzlies withstood a big rally from Utah for a victory in each team’s season opener in Salt Lake City.
Santi Aldama had team highs of 27 points and five 3-pointers, Desmond Bane scored 24 points and Ja Morant tallied 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Lauri Markkanen netted a game-high 35 points and added nine rebounds, and six other Jazz players scored in double figures.
Warriors 139, Trail Blazers 104
Buddy Hield made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points off the bench in his Golden State debut to help the Warriors notch a convincing victory at Portland in the season opener for both teams.
Andrew Wiggins dropped in 20 points and Stephen Curry added 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in three quarters for the Warriors, who opened a season without Klay Thompson on the roster for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.
Scoot Henderson led the Trail Blazers with 22 points off the bench. Jerami Grant scored 16.
–Field Level Media