Jamal Murray had 23 points, Nikola Jokic notched his second straight triple-double to start the season and the Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 133-111 on Saturday night in Denver’s home opener.
Christian Braun scored 20 points and Aaron Gordon had 17 points two nights after posting a career-high 50 for Denver, which had seven players score in double figures and shot 51.2% (43 of 84) from the field.
Jokic finished with 14 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds. He took just eight shots, making five, and didn’t attempt a field goal until a goaltending call on Phoenix with 2:26 left in the second quarter. His first shot attempt was a free throw with 4:18 left in the first half.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 31 points, Grayson Allen scored 17 and Dillon Brooks had 15. Phoenix shot just 43.2% (38 of 88) from the field.
Thunder 117, Hawks 100
Chet Holmgren overcame back soreness that almost kept him out to produce a double-double and help Oklahoma City remain unbeaten with a win in Atlanta.
Holmgren was listed as questionable on the pregame injury report and spent time rubbing his back during dead-ball situations. But he played through discomfort to score a season-high 31 points and grab 11 rebounds. He was 8-for-12 shooting from the floor (6-for-8 on 3-pointers).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 of his 30 points in the third quarter. Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the team with 17 points. Trae Young scored 15 points and had 10 assists, his league-best 22nd straight game with at least 15 points and five assists.
Bulls 110, Magic 98
Josh Giddey scored a team-high 21 points, five reserves combined for 58 more and Chicago held off host Orlando to win back-to-back games to start the season.
Jalen Smith and Ayo Dosunmu led the Bulls bench crew with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Starters Nikola Vucevic (15 points) and Tre Jones (13), and reserves Patrick Williams (12) and Kevin Huerter (11) made it seven players — including four backups — in double figures.
Despite 7-for-21 shooting, Paolo Banchero was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points for the Magic, who lost at home for the second consecutive night. Orlando went just 3-for-24 from beyond the arc.
76ers 125, Hornets 121
Quentin Grimes had 24 points off the bench and drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to lift host Philadelphia over Charlotte for the 76ers’ second straight win to open the season.
After trailing by 10 points with less than six minutes left, the 76ers finished the game on a 23-9 run. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 28 points and nine assists, while Joel Embiid added 20 points.
LaMelo Ball had 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Charlotte, while Collin Sexton added 21 points. Rookies Ryan Kalkbrenner and Kon Knueppel scored 14 points apiece, while Sion James had 10 points off the bench for the Hornets.
Grizzlies 128, Pacers 103
Rookie Cedric Coward erupted for 27 points behind a torrid 3-point shooting effort as Memphis rolled past visiting Indiana.
In just his third NBA game, Coward knocked down all six of his 3-point attempts off the bench. Ja Morant added 19 points and eight assists, anchoring a clean offensive game which saw the Grizzlies commit just four turnovers.
The Pacers got little consistent offense outside of Bennedict Mathurin, who finished with 26 points before exiting with a sore right foot. Aaron Nesmith added 15 while Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin each scored 13.
