Austin Reaves made a driving jump shot at the buzzer to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-115 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
Reaves finished with 28 points and 16 assists to lead Los Angeles, which won despite playing without injured stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Jake LaRavia finished with 27 points on 10-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-6 success from beyond the 3-point arc.
Julius Randle amassed 33 points, five rebounds and six assists to lead Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels added 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting, going 3-for-4 from deep.
The Timberwolves led by one point as the Lakers lined up for an inbounds pass from just inside of halfcourt with 6.6 seconds to go. LaRavia fed the pass to Reaves, who weaved between McDaniels and Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert to drive toward the paint before lifting for a jump shot from inside the free-throw line.
Mavericks 107, Pacers 105
Brandon Williams’ 20 points led a 64-point night from Dallas reserves and rookie Cooper Flagg recorded a double-double as the Mavericks sent visiting Indiana to its fourth consecutive loss.
Dwight Powell (18 points) and D’Angelo Russell (14 points) also had big games off the Mavericks’ bench. Cooper Flagg bounced back from a two-point game on Monday to finish with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but Anthony Davis exited in the first quarter due to a left leg injury.
Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 27 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Pacers. On a scramble after an intentionally missed free throw in the final seconds, Aaron Nesmith had an open look at a potential game-winning 3-pointer, but his shot was no good.
Grizzlies 114, Suns 113
Ja Morant capped a 28-point effort by sinking the decisive basket with 7.6 seconds remaining as Memphis won at Phoenix, extending the Suns’ losing streak to four games.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 points while Cedric Coward and Santi Aldama had 14 points apiece off the bench for the Grizzlies, who have alternated wins and losses in their first five games this season.
Devin Booker put up 29 of his 32 points in the second half, and Mark Williams had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his first start for the Suns. Booker missed a contested trey at the buzzer.
Trail Blazers 136, Jazz 134
Jrue Holiday scored 27 points and hit four key free throws in the final seconds, lifting Portland to a win over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Deni Avdija added 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant each scored 18 and Toumani Camara netted 17 as Portland held on to win after blowing most of a 22-point fourth-quarter lead.
Lauri Markkanen recorded 32 points and Keyonte George poured in 29 points for the Jazz, who squandered an early 13-point lead. Walker Kessler contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Nuggets 122, Pelicans 88
Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to extend his triple-double streak to four games to start the season, and host Denver produced a 29-2 run to start the third quarter while routing New Orleans.
Jamal Murray scored 11 of his 17 points in the third quarter, Christian Braun also had 17 points for the Nuggets, who outscored the Pelicans 39-11 in the third.
New Orleans, one of three winless teams in the NBA, saw the return of Zion Williamson from a one-game absence, but he couldn’t make a difference. He put up 11 points, and Jeremiah Fears led the Pelicans with 21.
Rockets 139, Raptors 121
Kevin Durant scored 12 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and visiting Houston defeated Toronto for its second straight win.
Jabari Smith Jr. added 25 points for the Rockets, while Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson posted 18 points each. Steven Adams contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Scottie Barnes scored 31 points for the Raptors, who have lost four straight. Brandon Ingram added 29 points, and Collin Murray-Boyles logged 13 points in his first NBA start.
Pistons 135, Magic 116
Cade Cunningham poured in 30 points and handed out 10 assists as host Detroit pulled away from Orlando.
Tobias Harris had 23 points and Jalen Duren powered for 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Pistons prevailed for the third time in the past four games.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while Franz Wagner had 22 points and seven rebounds. However, the star forward duo missed 11 of 28 free-throw attempts in Orlando’s fourth straight loss.
Celtics 125, Cavaliers 105
Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 30 points and Josh Minott had 11 points and 14 rebounds to help Boston defeat visiting Cleveland.
The Celtics received 21 points from Sam Hauser, who came off the bench to make seven 3-pointers, and 19 points from Derrick White. Boston made 21 of its 57 3-point attempts (36.8%) in the victory.
Evan Mobley and Jaylon Tyson each tossed in 19 points while De’Andre Hunter had 18 as the Cavaliers’ three-game winning streak ended.
Bulls 126, Kings 113
Matas Buzelis scored 27 points and Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic both notched double-doubles to help surging Chicago defeat visiting Sacramento. At 4-0, the Bulls have matched their best start since 2021-22.
The Bulls connected on 53.8% of their shots and led by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter. Giddey contributed 20 points and 12 assists while Vucevic added 13 points to go with 14 rebounds and seven assists.
The Kings shot 53.1% but were just 7-for-28 (25%) from beyond the arc. Sacramento lost its third straight game despite 30 points from Zach LaVine in his return to Chicago.
Hawks 117, Nets 112
Jalen Johnson scored 23 points as Atlanta overcame an early 12-0 deficit and injury to Trae Young, holding on for a win over Brooklyn in New York.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 18 points, Luke Kennard added 17 and the Hawks’ bench contributed 59 points. Young left the game with a sprained right knee following a collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye late in the first quarter.
Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers with 32 points, but the Nets lost their fifth straight game to begin the season. Cam Thomas added 19 while Nic Claxton contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds. Brooklyn surrendered 27 points off 16 turnovers.
