NBA roundup: Cavs set franchise mark with 9-0 start

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers set the record for the best start in franchise history at 9-0 with a 131-122 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Mitchell led a balanced attack as six players scored in double figures – including Jarrett Allen (16 points and 14 rebounds) and Caris LeVert (16 points off the bench).

The 1976-77 Cavaliers started their season 8-0.

Zion Williamson scored 29 points to lead the Pelicans, while Jose Alvarado scored 27 and Brandon Ingram had 20.

Nuggets 124, Thunder 122

Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 20 rebounds and 16 assists, Peyton Watson made a block with one second left and host Denver handed Oklahoma its first loss of the season.

Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, and Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun each had 24 as Denver ended a four-game losing streak against Oklahoma City. Jokic had his fourth triple-double of the season.

Jalen Williams had 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who had opened with seven straight wins. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 points.

Warriors 118, Celtics 112

Stephen Curry had 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help visiting Golden State extend its winning streak to five games with a victory over Boston.

The Warriors trailed by seven midway through the fourth quarter, but used a 16-4 run to take a 104-99 lead with 2:30 to play on a Curry layup. Boston pulled within 115-112 when Payton Prichard made three free throws with 16 seconds left, but the Warriors closed out the win by making 3 of 4 at the foul line the rest of the way.

Golden State, which improved to 5-0 on the road, made 12 of its 13 free throw attempts in the final quarter. Buddy Hield and Andrew Wiggins each added 16 points for Golden State. Jayson Tatum scored 32 points for the Celtics, whose three-game winning streak ended. Derrick White made seven 3-pointers and added 26 points.

Clippers 110, 76ers 98

Norman Powell scored 26 points and James Harden added 18 as Los Angeles spoiled Paul George’s return with a win over visiting Philadelphia in Inglewood, Calif.

Ivica Zubac scored 15 points with nine rebounds and Derrick Jones Jr. added 14 points as the Clippers won their second straight home game after dropping their first four at their new $2 billion arena, the Intuit Dome.

George scored 18 points for the 76ers in his second game of the season and first against his former team after leaving as a free agent in the offseason. The 76ers activated Joel Embiid (knee) for the first time this season, but the 2022-23 MVP remained out as he began serving a three-game suspension for an altercation with a newspaper columnist on Saturday.

Sun 115, Heat 112

Kevin Durant had 32 points and eight rebounds, and host Phoenix topped Miami to extend its winning streak to six games.

Devin Booker added 22 points and nine assists and Jusuf Nurkic had 20 points and 18 rebounds as Phoenix won for the seventh time in eight games this season.

Tyler Herro recorded 28 points and six assists and Haywood Highsmith added 19 points for the Heat. Miami had possession with a chance to tie, but couldn’t get a shot off in the final seconds.

Hornets 108, Stamps 107

Brandon Miller’s putback at the buzzer after a missed 3-point shot gave Charlotte a dramatic victory against visiting Detroit.

Miles Bridges pumped in 27 points and LaMelo Ball scored five of his 25 points in the final minute to help the Hornets end a three-game losing streak.

Miller, who missed time earlier in the season with an injury, finished with 19 points by rebounding Grant Williams’ missed 3-pointer and scoring just in time. Cade Cunningham posted a triple-double in the loss (20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists).

Pacers 118, Magic 111

Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner each recorded double-doubles, and Tyrese Haliburton capped his 17-point performance with a late 3-pointer as Indiana held off Orlando in Indianapolis.

Orlando was without injured star Paolo Banchero — who scored 50 points when these two teams met last week — and the Magic lost their fifth straight.

Indiana raced out to an early 18-point lead. However, the Magic rallied behind Franz Wagner’s game-high 28 points and made the game competitive throughout the second half until Haliburton hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a five-point lead with 33 seconds left.

Mavericks 119, Bulls 99

Luka Doncic had 27 points and 13 assists to lead host Dallas past cold-shooting Chicago, handing the Bulls their third straight loss.

The Mavericks celebrated with poor Chicago transition defense, scoring 21 fastbreak points and leading by as many as 30.

The Bulls, playing without All-Star Zach LaVine (adductor strain), shot just 41.9 percent from the floor and were 12-of-42 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range. Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 14 points in 25 minutes.

Kings 122, Raptors 107

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, including 11 in an impressive fourth quarter, to lead Sacramento past visiting Toronto.

Keegan Murray combined for 22 points with 12 rebounds, De’Aaron Fox contributed 21 points and Domantas Sabonis notched his 61st career triple-double – and second in five days – with 17 points, 11 boards and 13 assists.

RJ Barrett scored 23 points and Davion Mitchell added 20 for the Raptors, who led by four points after three quarters before being outscored 33-14 in the fourth.

Hawks 121, Knicks 116

No. 1 overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher had a career-high 33 points and seven rebounds to lead Atlanta past visiting New York.

Risacher was 11-for-18 from the field, including 6-for-10 on 3-pointers, with three assists, three steals and two blocks to help the Hawks end a three-game home losing streak to the Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 34 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and Miles McBride came off the bench to add 16 points and seven assists.

Grizzlies 131, Lakers 114

Yes Morant scored 20 points before leaving the game late in the third quarter with an injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jaylen Wells also contributed 20 to lead Memphis to a victory over visiting Los Angeles.

LeBron James had 39 points to lead the Lakers, who were playing without injured big man Anthony Davis, the NBA’s leading scorer at 32.6 points per game. Austin Reaves added 19 for Los Angeles, which lost for the fourth time in five games.

Memphis was helped by its strong long-range shooting. The Grizzlies made 17-of-34 3-pointers, including 12-of-16 in the second half. Morant took a hard fall with 3:45 left in the third quarter while attempting a left-handed dunk. He went to the dressing room and did not return. He was later diagnosed with a right hamstring injury.

Rockets 127, Spurs 100

Fred VanVleet recorded his first double-double of the season, while Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun combined for 37 points as Houston cruised to a victory over visiting San Antonio.

VanVleet paired 21 points with 10 assists and also grabbed seven rebounds while enjoying a remarkable shooting night. He finished 10 of 11 from the floor, including 9 for 9 from inside the arc. Houston finished 44 for 69 (63.7 percent) on 2-pointers. Green (21 points, four 3-pointers) and Sengun (16 points) combined for 10 rebounds and eight assists.

The Spurs were undone by their 20 turnovers, which Houston converted into 20 points. Victor Wembanyama scored 15 points but missed 5 of 6 3-pointers, including his first five. Chris Paul, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham and Sandro Mamukelashvili each scored 10 points for San Antonio.

–Field-level media