Knicks win 119-111 over Cavs in Mike Brown’s debut

NEW YORK (AP) — OG Anunoby had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111 on Wednesday night in their first game under coach Mike Brown.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who had a 17-point lead in the first half, fell behind after Donovan Mitchell led a comeback, then regained the lead for good with a 14-0 run early in the fourth quarter.

Mitchell finished with 31 points, 21 in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers couldn’t pull out the win after starting last season with 15 straight en route to a 64-18 record, best in the Eastern Conference. Evan Mobley added 22 points and eight rebounds.

The Cavs and Knicks are expected to be two of the top contenders in the East, though neither is ready to look like it yet. The Knicks are without center Mitchell Robinson (left ankle injury management) and Josh Hart (lower back spasms).

The Cavs started the season with All-Star Darius Garland and swingman Max Strus recovering from offseason foot surgeries and on Wednesday were also without forward De’Andre Hunter, who averaged a league-high 16.9 points off the bench last season, because of a bruised right knee.

HORNETS 136, NETS 117

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 25 points in his first game since Jan. 15, Miles Bridges added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Charlotte defeated Brooklyn in its season opener.

LaMelo Ball added 20 points and eight assists and Collin Sexton provided a spark off the bench with 15 points as the Hornets enjoyed a successful reopening to the newly renovated Spectrum Center.

The Hornets had a franchise-record nine players finish in double digits in scoring including rookies Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner, both of whom started. It marked the first time in Hornets history two rookies started the season opener.

Nic Claxton had 17 points and Cam Thomas added 15 to lead the Nets. Day’Ron Sharpe and Egor Demin each pitched in with 14 points for Brooklyn.

Miller, who missed 55 games with a torn ligament in his wrist last season, sat out most of the first quarter after picking up two early fouls. But the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, hoping for a breakout season, scored 15 points in the game-changing second quarter as the Hornets outscored the Nets to 39-28 to build a 17-point halftime lead.

Charlotte shot 53.3% from the field and 47.2% from beyond the arc, while outrebounding the Nets 50-38.

MAGIC 125, HEAT 121

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner scored 24 points each, Desmond Bane added 23 in his Orlando debut, and the Magic beat Miami in the season opener for both teams.

Norman Powell led Miami with 28 points, and Bam Adebayo had 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Heat led by seven points midway through the fourth quarter before going more than four minutes without a field goal.

Magic guard Jalen Suggs, a surprise starter after missing the second half of last season and the entire exhibition season, finished with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Suggs came up with several defensive plays late in the fourth quarter, including a steal and layup that reduced Miami’s lead to 111-110.

Suggs’ short jumper with 58.7 seconds left put Orlando ahead to stay, and Wendell Carter’s two free throws finished the scoring with 6.1 seconds left.

Andrew Wiggins had 18 points for the Heat and Davion Mitchell had 16 points and 12 assists.

Bane, playing in his first game after signing a five-year contract with the Magic, hit his first two 3-point shots and finished 3-for-7 from behind the arc.

Miami led 39-38 after the first quarter, the highest-scoring quarter in the 143-game history of the intrastate series.

76ERS 117, CELTICS 116

BOSTON (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 40 points and VJ Edgecombe added 34 in his NBA debut to help Philadelphia rally to beat Boston in their season opener.

Edgecombe scored the most points in an NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain had 43 on Oct. 24, 1959.

Philadelphia led by four with 22 seconds left, but it was down to one when Edgecombe missed a pair of foul shots with 9.1 seconds to play. Payton Pritchard had two shots for the winner and missed both.

Joel Embiid played for the first time since February, scoring four points on 1-of-9 shooting. The 2023 NBA MVP and a two-time league scoring champion had six rebounds in 20 minutes as he returns after a 2024-25 season when he was limited to 19 games because of a sprained left foot, a sinus fracture and arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Jaylen Brown returned from a hamstring injury in the preseason finale to score 25 points. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP is expected to carry a heavier load this year with fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum, who watched the game from the bench in street clothes, recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

BUCKS 133, WIZARDS 120

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points and 14 rebounds, and Milwaukee never trailed in a season-opening victory over Washington.

Milwaukee’s Kevin Porter Jr. scored 10 points before leaving with a sprained left ankle late in the first quarter.

Porter was heading backward as Washington’s Cam Whitmore was driving into the paint. Porter appeared to trip over the foot of teammate Bobby Portis, fell down and laid on the floor in pain before heading to the locker room.

Washington’s Khris Middleton scored 23 points in his first game at Milwaukee since the Bucks dealt the three-time All-Star at last season’s trade deadline. Middleton, a key player on Milwaukee’s 2021 championship team, received a standing ovation during pregame introductions and another hearty round of applause after the Bucks played a video tribute to him during the first timeout.

Milwaukee’s Gary Trent Jr. scored 17 points. Myles Turner had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists in his Bucks debut.

Kyshawn George had 21 points for Washington.

RAPTORS 138, HAWKS 118

ATLANTA (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 25 points and Brandon Ingram added 16 points and nine rebounds in his Toronto debut as the Raptors ran away from Atlanta for a victory in the season opener for both teams.

Scottie Barnes had 22 points and nine assists and Gradey Dick scored 19 off the bench for the Raptors, who set a franchise record for points on opening night and surpassed last season’s high. Toronto shot 57% from the field, including 69% on 2-pointers, as the Raptors repeatedly beat the Hawks in transition for easy buckets.

Ingram missed the final 56 games last season with an ankle injury. He was traded to Toronto midseason but never played for his new team. He shot 7 of 16 from the floor Wednesday and had three assists and two steals.

Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, who missed the final 38 games last season with a shoulder injury, had 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. He assumed more of the playmaking role that coach Quin Snyder envisions for him this season.

Trae Young finished with 22 points, but he was 1 for 7 from 3-point range and was constantly pressured by Toronto’s guards.

BULLS 115, PISTONS 111

CHICAGO (AP) — Nikola Vucevic had 28 points and 14 rebounds, Matas Buzelis scored 21 points and Chicago regrouped after blowing a 23-point lead to beat Detroit in the season opener for both teams.

Josh Giddey added 19 points and 11 assists, and the Bulls went from leading by 23 in the second quarter to knotted near the end of the game.

Detroit’s Ron Holland II tied it at 105 when he made a 3 with just under three minutes remaining. Vucevic hit an 8-footer that Detroit’s Cade Cunningham answered with a fadeaway jumper.

Buzelis threw down an alley-oop dunk before Cunningham drove for a layup that tied it 109. Vucevic then made a hook to put Chicago back on top with 1:31 remaining.

Giddey had a chance to make it a four-point when he got fouled with 34 seconds remaining. But after making the first free throw, he missed the second.

Detroit got the rebound, and Cunningham drove for a layup to pull the Pistons within one. He then was charged with a foul trying to poke the ball from Giddey after a successful challenge by Chicago.

Giddey hit both free throws to make it 114-111 with 14 seconds remaining. Cunningham and Tobias Harris missed 3s, and Giddey made 1 of 2 free throws with three seconds left to seal it.

Cunningham scored 23 points. Isaiah Stewart added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Holland had 19 points.

GRIZZLIES 128, PELICANS 122

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant scored 35 points, including a key basket with 32.9 seconds to play, and Memphis beat New Orleans in the season opener for both teams.

Morant’s basket gave the Grizzlies a 122-118 lead. Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Morant hit free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory.

Jaren Jackson finished with 18 points before fouling out. Caldwell-Pope finished with 15 points. Rookie Cedric Coward hit all five of his shots from the field for 14 points.

Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 27 points, nine rebounds, five steals and five assists. Herbert Jones, Jordan Poole and rookie Jeremiah Fears, the seventh pick in last summer’s draft, finished with 17 points each.

A 27-6 Memphis rally in the third quarter erased New Orleans’ lead. That was part of a 41-22 period for a 97-89 Memphis lead entering the fourth.

JAZZ 129, CLIPPERS 108

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Walker Kessler had 22 points and nine rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 20 and Utah beat Los Angeles.

Brice Sensabaugh added 20 points off the bench for Utah, which set a team record for points in a season opener.

Kessler, the longest-tenured member of the Jazz, went 7 for 7 from the field. He blocked four shots and finished with four assists.

The new-look Clippers appeared confused on the court at times in a disappointing debut for a team with lofty aspirations. Ivica Zubac led Los Angeles with 19 points and seven rebounds. James Harden and Brook Lopez each scored 15. Kawhi Leonard had 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting.

It was Los Angeles’ most lopsided season-opening loss in 17 years.

Utah made its first 19 shots in the paint, as crisp passing and precise ball movement led to layups and dunks.

Widely expected to finish near the bottom of the NBA this season, the Jazz had 38 assists on 48 baskets and shot 55% from the field. Keyonte George led Utah with nine assists to go with his 16 points.

SPURS 125, MAVERICKS 92

DALLAS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 40 points and 15 rebounds in a highlight-reel return, helping San Antonio spoil No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg’s debut in a rout of Dallas.

Flagg, the second-youngest player to start in his NBA debut by two days behind LeBron James, didn’t score until the first possession of the second half, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The 18-year-old from Duke had more trouble getting into the flow than the second overall choice. Dylan Harper came off the San Antonio bench midway through the first quarter, started the run that put the Spurs in control and scored 15 points. Reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle scored 22 points for the Spurs.

Anthony Davis had 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Mavericks await the return of star guard Kyrie Irving, who is likely months away from his season debut while recovering from ACL surgery.

Wembanyama dominated the matchup of two of the three most recent top draft picks, with the 2023 No. 1 choice adding three blocks to several spectacular dunks and a couple of buckets with fouls that sent Davis and Dereck Lively II to the bench.

TIMBERWOLVES 118, TRAIL BLAZERS 114

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 41 points and Minnesota rallied late in the fourth quarter for a season-opening win over Portland.

Edwards, who set a career high last season with an average of 27.6 points, was questionable for the game because of back spasms, but started.

The Blazers went ahead 46-40 midway through the second quarter on Kris Murray’s 3-pointer. But Jaden McDaniels answered on the other end with an emphatic dunk over Portland’s 7-foot-1 rookie Yang Hansen.

The Blazers, who missed out on the playoffs last season for the fourth straight year, led 61-57 at the break and maintained a narrow edge until late in the fourth quarter.

Edwards hit a step-back jumper to pull Minnesota within 107-105, then made a 3-pointer to make it 108-107 with 3:36 left. Another Edwards 3 gave Minnesota a 114-112 lead and Rudy Gobert’s dunk with 32.1 seconds to go sealed it.

Julius Randle finished with 19 points for the Timberwolves, who went to the Western Conference finals last season.

Jerami Grant led the Blazers with 29 points.

SUNS 120, KINGS 116

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 31 points, Jordan Ott was victorious in his head coaching debut and Phoenix overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Sacramento.

Veteran guard Dillon Brooks added 22 points in his Suns debut and brought his usual swagger, irritating Kings star DeMar DeRozan with physical defense in the fourth quarter. Grayson Allen scored 18 points.

Booker — now in his 11th NBA season — made 10 of 19 shots and added five rebounds and five assists.

The Kings led by 17 points at halftime, but the Suns rallied to cut the deficit to 92-90 entering the fourth. Phoenix took its first lead of the second half when Royce O’Neale hit a 3-pointer with 10:31 left.

The Suns would push their advantage to 106-97 with 5:46 left, but the Kings scored the next seven points. Sacramento’s Malik Monk hit a short jumper to tie it at 110 with 1:15 left.

Brooks was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and made all three free throws to push the Suns ahead 113-110. They wouldn’t trail again.

Zach LaVine led Sacramento with 30 points on 13-of-24 shooting. DeRozan added 29, and Monk had 19 off the bench.