Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points off the bench to help lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a win against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night at the Staples Center.
Anthony Davis had 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, LeBron James finished with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Russell Westbrook had 13 points and 13 assists for the Lakers, who avoided starting 0-3 for the second time in four years.
Ja Morant had 40 points and 10 assists, Desmond Bane scored 17 points and Steven Adams contributed 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who were trying to start 3-0.
Morant had a chance to tie the score with 1.9 seconds left after getting fouled on a desperation 3-point attempt. He made the first two free throws but missed the third.
Anthony grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He sank both free throws to seal the win. Anthony, who went 6-for-8 from 3-point range, passed Moses Malone for ninth all-time in NBA scoring.
Hornets 111, Nets 95
Miles Bridges scored 32 points and Charlotte remained unbeaten by pulling off another strong second half performance and spoiling Brooklyn’s home opener.
The Hornets improved to 3-0 by outscoring Brooklyn 61-37 after halftime when they trailed by eight. LaMelo Ball added 18 and Ish Smith fueled Charlotte’s ability to surge ahead in the fourth quarter by scoring 11 of his 15 points.
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 38 points. Durant made his first five shots and shot 17 of 24 from the floor. James Harden added 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and was the only other player to reach double figures for the Nets, who shot 43.7 percent from the floor and misfired on 26 of 35 3-point tries.
76ers 115, Thunder 103
Seth Curry hit seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points to lift Philadelphia over host Oklahoma City.
Joel Embiid added 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots for the Sixers. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey contributed 14 points apiece, Georges Niang added 12 and Danny Green had 11.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with a season-high 29 points, while Josh Giddey chipped in with 19. Luguentz Dort added 13. The Thunder have dropped all three games to open their season.
Celtics 107, Rockets 97
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and Grant Williams chipped in a career-high-tying 18 off the bench as Boston earned its first victory by defeating Houston at the Toyota Center.
Tatum shot 12-for-24 and grabbed nine rebounds as Boston overcame the absence of Jaylen Brown (knee) with a balanced attack. Williams started 4-for-4 from the floor, including 3-for-3 on 3-pointers while Dennis Schroder and Al Horford scored 18 and 17 points, respectively.
The Celtics assisted on 22 of their 38 field goals and scored 28 points on 20 Houston turnovers.
Magic 110, Knicks 104
Terrence Ross scored all 22 of his points in the fourth quarter Sunday night as visiting Orlando earned their first win of the season by pulling away for a victory over New York.
Cole Anthony, playing in the arena his father called home for his first four NBA seasons, posted his first double-double with 29 points and a career-high 16 rebounds as the Magic outscored the Knicks 36-24 in the fourth to avenge Friday’s 121-96 loss to New York in Orlando.
Anthony, who also had eight assists, is the son of Greg Anthony, who opened his 11-year NBA career with the Knicks. The win was the first for the Magic’s rookie head coach, Jamahl Mosley.
Warriors 119, Kings 107
Gary Payton II broke the game’s 19th and final tie on a 3-pointer with 8:53 remaining and Golden State overcame a late scoring drought by Stephen Curry to beat the host Sacramento Kings.
Curry finished with a game-high 27 points, but he didn’t score in the fourth quarter, which began with the Warriors leading 90-88.
Andrew Wiggins had two 3-pointers and Juan Toscano-Anderson made a third after Payton’s key long-distance hoop during Golden State’s pull-away, which began after Kings rookie Davion Mitchell had created the game’s last tie at 94-all in the third minute of the fourth quarter.
— Field Level Media
