NBA Recap - Scores and highlights: Lakers get first win, Curry drops 51 points vs Wizards

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Benyam Kidane
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With 11 games on the schedule today, there was no shortage of action around the NBA.

First up Trae Young and Luka Doncic squared up in a much-anticipated rookie duel, with Young's Hawks escaping with a narrow victory, thanks to a big night from Kent Bazemore.

LeBron James and the Lakers got their first win of the season, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ben Simmons traded triple-doubles and Steph Curry popped off for 51 POINTS against the Wizards.

Missed any of today's games? Catch up with all the action from today's games:   Mavericks-Hawks  | Nets-Cavaliers  | Knicks-Heat  | Timberwolves-Raptors  | Hornets-Bulls  |  Jazz-Rockets  | Pacers-Spurs |  Sixers-Bucks  | Lakers-Suns  | Grizzlies-Kings  | Wizards-Warriors

Jazz 100 def Rockets 89

Box Score  |  Play-by-play

Donovan Mitchell put on a show in Houston, posting 38 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a huge win over the Rockets.

Houston trailed by as many as 16 points as they struggled to find their shot, opening the second quarter on 1-of-11 shooting, scoring 15 points in the period.


They shot 39% from the field and connected on just 11-of-40 from three-point land, meanwhile the Jazz were getting what they wanted, especially in the first half, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 20 points to guide Utah to a 52-44 half-time lead.

James Harden led the Rockets with 29 points on the night, but the Rockets will be sweating on his fitness after he left the game with 5:05 remaining with a hamstring injury.

With Harden out of the game, Utah seized their opportunity and went on a 10-0 run to stretch the lead to 15 points and put the game beyond reach.

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points off the bench on 9-of-17 shooting for Houston, helping fill the void left by Chris Paul, who was serving the second game of his suspension.

Aussie Joe Ingles finished with 11 points for the Jazz on 3-of-8 shooting, while Dante Exum chipped in nine points off the bench.
 

Hawks 111 def Mavericks 104

Box Score | Play-by-play

After trailing by as many as 26 points, the Atlanta Hawks roared home to edge the Dallas Mavericks in a thriller.

All eyes were on the rookie duo of Trae Young and Luka Doncic, who were traded for each other on draft night, and the youngsters didn't disappoint.

Doncic finished with 21 points and nine assists, while Young finished with 15 points, four rebounds and five assists.

Kent Bazemore led the way for the Hawks, with 32 points, seven assists and three steals on the night.

Thing started slow for the Hawks, who trailed 16-6 early in the game, giving up a whopping 42 points in the first quarter.  Seemingly flicking the switch in the second, Bazemore sparked the Hawks into life as they went on an 11-0 run and by half-time they trailed by just 10 points.


An 11-2 run to start the third brought them right back into the game, with Bazemore and Taurean Prince (24 points) combining on both sides of the floor to set up a grandstand finish.

Both teams traded the lead late, with Bazemore putting Atlanta up 103-101 with two minutes remaining. They kept up their impressive defense down the stretch, coming up with back-to-back stops to hold the lead, before Bazemore shut it down, with this monster jam with 1:06 left in the game!

For Dallas, Wes Matthews led the team in scoring with 23 points, Dennis Smith Jr had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. DeAndre Jordan posted an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double on the night.

Nets 102 def Cavs 86

Box Score | Play-by-play

After scores were tied at half-time, the Brooklyn Nets found another gear against the Cavs, dominating the third quarter 38-17, thanks to an 18-1 run early in the period.

D'Angelo Russell was the lead man for Brooklyn with 18 points and eight assists, with five other players scoring in double figures.

For Cleveland, it was a night to forget shooting the ball, hitting just 3-of-18 from the three-point line, with Kevin Love the only starter to score more than 10 points.

Heat 110 def Knicks 87

Box Score | Play-by-play

The third quarter made all the difference for the Miami Heat, as they piled on 45 points to blow the game open.

They connected on 8-of-10 three-pointers, while the Knicks missed all eight of their attempts from deep in the period.

Hassan Whiteside led the way with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Josh Richardson added 21 points, including 5-of-6 from the three-point line.

For the Knicks, Damyean Dotson scored 20 points, Tim Hardaway Jr added 14 and Mario Hezonja 13.

Raptors 112 def Timberwolves 105

Box Score | Play-by-play

The Toronto Raptors move to 5-0 to start the season after taking care of the Minnesota Timberwolves at home.

Kawhi Leonard took over again, scoring 35 points on an efficient 15-of-23 shooting, giving Raptors fans some big defensive plays, none better than this no-look steal.


Kyle Lowry added 13 points and 10 assists and Jonas Valanciunas chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds on the night.

For the Timberwolves, Jimmy Butler led the way with 23 points.

Bulls 112 def Hornets 110

Box Score | Play-by-play

The Chicago Bulls are off the mark for 2018/19, grabbing their first win of the season against the Charlotte Hornets.

Zach LaVine continued his 30-point scoring streak to open the season, finishing with 32 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.

He also came up with the game-winning play  with five seconds on the clock, forcing a turnover on an inbounds play to Kemba Walker and then burying a pair of free throws with 0.5 seconds left.

LaVine got plenty of help from Cam Payne, who scored a career-high 21 points, with a franchise record seven three-pointers. Bobby Portis left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injuty. 

Kemba Walker continued his hot scoring start to the season, with 23 points and six assists to lead the Hornets.

Pacers 116 def Spurs 96

Box Score | Play-by-play

The Pacers turned in a strong defensive performance, to hold the Spurs to under 100 points for the first time this season.

Indiana held San Antonio to just 6-of-19 from the three-point line, with no Spurs player scoring over 18 points on the night.

The Pacers made good on the other end, hitting 17-of-32 three-pointers and much to the delight of coach Nate McMillan, Indiana racked up 34 assists on their 46 made field goals.

Bucks 123 def 76ers 108

Box Score | Play-by-play

It was a matchup of two of the East's young talented teams and the Milwaukee Bucks proved to be too much on their home court, thanks to a powerhouse performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Greek Freak had 32 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Bucks to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2001/02. Giannis also became the first player with four consecutive 25-point, 15-rebound games to open a season since Wilt Chamberlain in 1965/66.


Milwaukee continues to unleash their new-found three-point attack, connecting on 13-of-43 attempts, with Brook Lopez hitting five in a row in the monster second quarter. He finished with  21 points on the night.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 30 points, 19 rebounds and six assists, while Ben Simmons had a triple-double of his own with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. 

Lakers 131 def Suns 113

Box Score  |  Play-by-play

The Lakers are on the board for the new season!

It took a little longer than expected, but Los Angeles cruised to their first win of the season, bringing a little bit of Showtime to Phoenix!

Check out Lance and Lonzo's alley-oop!


LeBron James led seven players in double figures, scoring 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Stephenson added 23 points off the bench, while JaVale McGee went for 20 on the night.

L.A. led by two after the first quarter, but a huge 44 points in the second gave them plenty of breathing room from there. They led 98-78 late in the third, when LeBron went to the bench for good, getting some much-needed rest after an action-packed first week of the season.

Deandre Ayton impressed with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Devin Booker led the way with 23 points. He exited the game late in the third quarter, with a left hamstring strain. 

Kings 97 def Grizzlies 92

Box Score  |  Play-by-play

De'Aaron Fox continues his strong start to the new season, posting 21 points to lead the Kings past the Grizzlies.


Memphis took a 52-44 lead into the half, but they cooled off in the second half, shooting 15-for-45 from the field, including 8-of-26 from three and the Kings took advantage.

With the scores tied at 71-71 heading into the fourth, Sacramento took control with an 11-0 run to give them the lead and they never looked back.

Mike Conley jr did his best to get Memphis back in the game, scoring 15 of his 27 points in the final frame, but it wasn't enough as the Kings hung on to take the W.

Warriors 144 def Wizards 122

Box Score  |  Play-by-play

Steph Curry came out of the gates on a mission, giving the Wizards plenty of buckets in the first quarter as he posted 23 points to open the game.  

Kevin Durant added 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Klay Thompson had 19, making it a historic night for the trio.

Curry shot an efficient 15-of-24 from the field, including 11-of-16 from the three-point line.


 

It was Curry's sixth career game with 11+ three-pointers, which is even more ridiculous when you consider that all other players in NBA history have combined to do it seven times.

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Benyam Kidane Photo
Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor for The Sporting News.