Two teams, one east and one west, remained unbeaten as part of a nine-game slate on Friday.
Darius Garland (25 points) and Donovan Mitchell (22 points) led the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a 34-16 advantage after one quarter, past the Orlando Magic 120-109 to improve to 6-0 for the first time since the 2016-2017 season, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are 5-0 for the first time since 2011-2012, the result of a decisive 137-114 win in Portland as the Trail Blazers fell to 2-4.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 12-for-18 led the Thunder (who shot 54 percent for the game), while Jalen Williams (8-for-12) put up 22 points in 26 minutes.
In the losing effort to the Cavaliers, Magic guard Jalen Suggs (28 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists on 10-for-20) was the top performer while Franz Wagner (8-for-19) put up 17 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds.
Jerami Grant’s 17 points and Deandre Ayton’s 14 led the Blazers in their defeat.
Around The League
With his 27 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds with zero turnovers on Friday night in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 131-125 win over the Toronto Raptors, LeBron James became the oldest player in league history (39 years, 307 days) to register 25 points, 10 assists, and zero turnovers, passing Steve Nash (38 years, 34 days).
The Raptors (1-5) climbed back from a 76-41 halftime deficit at home to make things close late before the Lakers (4-2) prevailed. While James got off to a hot start with 14 first quarter points, Anthony Davis (14-for-20, 10-for-11 from the line) led the Lakers with 38 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Austin Reaves was 12-for-14 from the line and finished with 20 points. R.J. Barrett (33 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds on 14-22 shooting) and Gradey Dick (31 points on 13-26 shooting) were the top performers for the Raptors.
The Boston Celtics (5-1) and the Charlotte Hornets (2-3) had no problems scoring in the first half of their contest as the Celtics led 71-67 at the break. A 32-23 fourth quarter by the visitors from Boston led to a 124-109 win. Jayson Tatum (32 points, 11 rebounds, 9-for-19) was tops for the Celtics in scoring while Jaylen Brown put together a line of 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists on 8-19 shooting.
For the Hornets, LaMelo Ball was the leading man with 31 points despite going 5-for-14 from downtown. Tre Mann scored 23 points in 30 minutes off the bench. The Hornets attempted 48 triples, making 19.
The New York Knicks (3-2) led 39-13 after the first 12 minutes of play against the Detroit Pistons (1-5) on their way to a dominant 128-98 victory in the Motor City. Jalen Brunson was the high man for the Knicks in the scoring column with 36 points while Karl-Anthony Towns went for 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. O.G. Anunoby also scored 21, Mikal Bridges 15, and Josh Hart 13. Cade Cunningham (10-for-19) led the Pistons with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
De'Aaron Fox paced the Sacramento Kings (3-2) with 31 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds in a 123-115 road win in Atlanta where the Kings scored 30-plus points in each of the first three quarters. All five King starters scored in double figures, with DeMar DeRozan putting up 27 points and 8 rebounds on 9-for-16 and Domantas Sabonis scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in addition to 6 assists. Trae Young scored 25 for the Hawks (who are now 2-4) and dished out 12 assists but made only 8-of-21 shots.
Zion Williamson's 34 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds on 14-for-20 shooting helped propel the New Orleans Pelicans (3-3) past the Indiana Pacers (2-4) by a score of 125-118 from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Williamson was aggressive in getting to the basket and finished on alley oops, looking more energized and finishing better than he did on Wednesday in San Francisco against the Warriors where he was just 5-for-20 shooting. Brandon Ingram scored 26 and Jordan Hawkins played very well in a starting role with 23 points. Ben Sheppard led the Pacers with 20 points in 33 minutes off the bench, while Bennedict Mathurin's 19 was the most out of the starting group.
The Brooklyn Nets (3-3) secured a 120-112 home victory over the Chicago Bulls (3-3) behind Cam Thomas' 32 points. Thomas was 11-for-23 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line. Cam Johnson scored 14 points and Nic Claxton put up 12 points and 9 rebounds off the bench while Ben Simmons nearly registered a triple-double with 8 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic (28 points, 11 rebounds) led the Bulls while Coby White and Zach LaVine contributed 21 points apiece.
Anthony Edwards’ has scored 149 points through five games, which is the most ever by a Timberwolves’ player to begin a season. 29 of those 149 (11-for-23, 7-for-14 from downtown) came Friday in Minnesota’s 119-116 win over the Denver Nuggets (2-3) at home. Julius Randle (23 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 8-for-13) was another top performer for the 3-2 Wolves while Naz Reid scored 16 points off the bench on 7-for-10 shooting.
The Nuggets were led by Nikola Jokic’s 26 points, 13 assists and 9 rebounds (8-for-16), and got 31 points and 11 rebounds from Aaron Gordon and 26 points from Michael Porter Jr. Both Gordon and Porter Jr. shot 11-for-18 from the field. Jamal Murray was 2-for-7 in 22 minutes before leaving the game due to concussion protocols. Christian Braun was 5-for-11 for 14 points, the most emphatic of which was a driving two-handed dunk on Rudy Gobert late in the game. After the dunk, Braun excitedly celebrated and Gobert reached and momentarily grabbed Braun around the neck, causing the pair to have to be separated and an ensuing scrum between players from both sides. The play gave the Nuggets a 110-102 lead and was part of an extended 27-5 scoring run. The Wolves responded with a 17-4 run to close out the game.
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