Luka Doncic scored 37 points with 10 assists and LeBron James added 11 points in 30 minutes of his season debut as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 140-126 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
After missing the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica on his right side, James took the court to become the first player in NBA history to play in 23 consecutive seasons.
Austin Reaves scored 26 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 points with 14 rebounds and Jake LaRavia had 16 points as Los Angeles won its third consecutive game.
Keyonte George scored 34 points and Lauri Markkanen added 31 for the Jazz, who lost for the fifth time in their past seven games. Svi Mykhailiuk and Ace Bailey each scored 13 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 10 points with 10 rebounds in Utah’s only road contest in a stretch of seven games.
Magic 121, Warriors 113
Desmond Bane had a team-high 23 points, Anthony Black led a strong bench performance with a season-best 21 and Orlando took advantage of a road-weary Golden State team to claim a home win.
Franz Wagner chipped in with 18 points and Wendell Carter Jr. logged a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Magic, who won for the fourth time in their last five games.
Stephen Curry poured in a game-high 34 points and Jimmy Butler III scored 33 for the Warriors, who were playing their fifth road game in eight days, with a trip-ending sixth contest looming Wednesday night at Miami.
Pistons 120, Hawks 112
Cade Cunningham returned from a three-game absence and posted a double-double to help visiting Detroit to a victory over Atlanta, extending its NBA-best winning streak to 11 games.
Cunningham, who missed time with a left hip contusion, had 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds as the Pistons ended Atlanta’s five-game winning streak. It was Cunningham’s fifth straight game with a double-double and eighth of the season.
Detroit got 24 points and eight rebounds from Jalen Duren, 14 points apiece from Duncan Robinson and Daniss Jenkins and 13 points and nine rebounds from Isaiah Stewart. The winning streak is the Pistons’ longest since an 11-game run in 2007-08.
Spurs 111, Grizzlies 101
De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points and Harrison Barnes added 23 that included seven straight points in the final, decisive stretch as short-handed San Antonio ran past visiting Memphis.
Both teams were without superstar players as San Antonio was missing Victor Wembanyama (strained calf) and Stephon Castle (strained hip flexor), and the Grizzlies were missing Ja Morant (sprained ankle). Keldon Johnson contributed 18 points for San Antonio while Devin Vassell and Kelly Olynyk scored 10 points each.
Cedric Coward’s 19-point, 11-rebound double-double led the Grizzlies, who have dropped five straight games. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 points, Cam Spencer hit for 15 and Vince Williams Jr. produced 14 for Memphis, which also got 11 rebounds from Zach Edey.
Celtics 113, Nets 99
Jaylen Brown scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half as Boston did enough in the fourth quarter and moved above .500 for the first time this season with a victory over Brooklyn in New York.
The Celtics won their third straight and for the eighth time in 12 games since opening the season with a three-game skid. Payton Pritchard added 22 points and Derrick White contributed 15 for the Celtics, who beat Brooklyn for the 15th time in the past 16 regular-season meetings.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points, but the Nets dropped to 0-7 at home and were unable to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Day’Ron Sharpe added 16, Noah Clowney contributed 13 while rookie Egor Demin and Ziaire Williams finished with 12 apiece.
Suns 127, Trail Blazers 110
Devin Booker recorded 19 points, five assists and three steals in three quarters of action as Phoenix cruised to a road victory over Portland.
Reserve Collin Gillespie made four 3-pointers and also scored 19 points as the Suns won for the sixth time in seven games. Mark Williams had 15 points, backup Oso Ighodaro scored 14 on 6-of-7 shooting and Dillon Brooks added 12 points for Phoenix.
Shaedon Sharpe scored 29 points to lead the Trail Blazers, who lost their third straight game and fell for the fifth time in six outings. Deni Avdija tallied 19 points and Caleb Love had 17 off the bench for Portland.
