Cade Cunningham had 25 points and 10 assists as the host Detroit Pistons overcame a career high from Zach LaVine and defeated the Chicago Bulls 118-102 in their home opener on Saturday night.
LaVine scored 51 points as he knocked down 19 of 33 field-goal attempts and 6 of 8 free throws. DeMar DeRozan had 20 points and Nikola Vucevic chipped in 12.
Jalen Duren supplied 23 points, 15 rebounds and five assists as Detroit snapped its 15-game losing streak against the Bulls. Alec Burks contributed 18 points off the bench.
LaVine surpassed the 50-point mark with 4:28 left in the game on a layup. DeRozan made a jumper to cut the Pistons’ lead to 10, 109-99, but Detroit then scored the next nine points to put the game out of reach.
76ers 114, Raptors 107
Tyrese Maxey scored 15 of his 34 points in the second quarter and Philadelphia won in coach Nick Nurse’s return to Toronto.
Joel Embiid also scored 34 points to go with nine rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots. Nurse, who coached the Raptors for the previous five seasons, was honored with a video tribute during the first quarter. Nurse guided the Raptors to their only NBA championship in 2019.
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points for the Raptors. Gary Trent Jr. added 17 and rookie Gradey Dick contributed 16.
Timberwolves 106, Heat 90
Reserve Naz Reid scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as Minnesota pulled away down the stretch and beat short-handed Miami in Minneapolis.
Reid made 10 of 14 shots from the floor and tied a career high by hitting four treys as Minnesota’s bench contributed 42 points. Anthony Edwards added 19 points and seven assists and Gobert contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Playing the second night of a back-to-back, the Heat rested Jimmy Butler, the former Minnesota player who heard “Where is Jimmy” chants from the crowd. Caleb Martin (knee) and Kevin Love (shoulder) also sat out. Herro led the Heat with 22 points on 8-of-23 shooting and Bam Adebayo added 19.
Pacers 125, Cavaliers 113
Aaron Nesmith poured in a career-best 26 points in 30 minutes off the bench, Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner recorded double-doubles and visiting Indiana won its second straight game, outlasting Donovan Mitchell-less Cleveland.
Haliburton notched 21 points and a game-high 13 assists, while Turner had 20 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for the Pacers. With the Cavaliers resting Mitchell (sore hamstring) on the second night of a back-to-back, Evan Mobley went for 33 points and Caris LeVert 31 in Cleveland’s second loss in its first three games.
The hosts were within 109-107 when Mobley dunked with 4:08 to play, but Haliburton bombed in three 3-pointers in a 57-second flurry, the third opening up a 10-point cushion with just 2:46 left.
Wizards 113, Grizzlies 106
Jordan Poole led six scorers in double figures with 27 points, Corey Kispert added 22 off the bench and Washington won its home opener at the expense of Memphis.
Washington never trailed after taking the lead with just over 4 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter, then built its advantage to as many as 25 points. The Grizzlies, who were looking to avoid starting the season with a third straight loss, cut the deficit to six points with 1:50 left in the game.
Back-to-back baskets by Kyle Kuzma — part of his 21 points — pushed the Washington lead to 10. Kuzma also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. The Wizards got another double-double from Daniel Gafford, who finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 26 points and went 4-for-10 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Pelicans 96, Knicks 87
Brandon Ingram scored 26 points, Zion Williamson had 24 and New Orleans won its home opener, defeating New York.
RJ Barrett scored 18 points, Jalen Brunson had 14 and Julius Randle had 10 along with 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who made just 7 of 37 3-pointers one night after making 20 of 44 in a 126-120 victory at Atlanta.
Mitchell Robinson had 15 rebounds and Josh Hart added 10 as New York enjoyed 59-43 advantage on the boards. But that wasn’t nearly enough to slow down the Pelicans, who never trailed after tying the score at 2-2.
Suns 126, Jazz 104
Kevin Durant recorded 26 points and seven assists in three quarters to help Phoenix trounce visiting Utah.
Eric Gordon scored all 21 of his points in the first half as the Suns defeated Utah for the 10th time in the past 12 meetings. Grayson Allen scored 14 of his 17 points in the third quarter for Phoenix, which has won two of its first three games.
Lauri Markkanen made five 3-pointers for the second straight game while scoring 19 points for the Jazz, who have lost two of their first three games.
—Field Level Media
