Jaylen Brown scored 32 points as the Boston Celtics slipped past host Philadelphia 109-108 on Friday, handing the 76ers their first loss of the season on the opening night of NBA Cup action.
Anfernee Simons added 19 points for Boston, while Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each chipped in with 15 points. The Celtics have won three straight games since starting the season 0-3, including a one-point loss to the Sixers in the season opener.
Tyrese Maxey had 26 points and 14 assists to pace Philadelphia. Four other Sixers scored in double figures, including Joel Embiid (20 points) and rookie VJ Edgecombe (17).
Philadelphia trailed by 10 with less than three minutes remaining but got within one and had the ball with 3.8 seconds to go. Quentin Grimes overdribbled on the final play, leaving Embiid with nothing but a desperation attempt as time expired.
Clippers 126, Pelicans 124
Kawhi Leonard capped a 34-point performance by sinking a tiebreaking 22-footer with four-tenths of a second left as Los Angeles edged visiting New Orleans.
James Harden finished with 24 points and a game-high 14 assists while Ivica Zubac had 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who improved to 3-0 at home.
Jordan Poole came off the bench to score a team-high 30 points for the Pelicans, who fell to 0-5 on the season.
Trail Blazers 109, Nuggets 107
Jerami Grant made two free throws with 1.4 seconds remaining and Portland rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to record a victory over Denver in NBA Cup play.
Deni Avdija scored 23 points and Shaedon Sharpe added 19 for Portland, which won its third consecutive game. Grant had 16 points and Jrue Holiday registered 11 points and 13 assists for the Trail Blazers, who scored the game’s final seven points in the last 54 seconds.
Jamal Murray scored 22 points and Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets, who had a three-game winning streak halted.
Bulls 135, Knicks 125
Josh Giddey scored a career-high 32 points and Nikola Vucevic added 26 as Chicago beat visiting New York to improve to 5-0, the Bulls’ best start since the 1996-97 campaign.
Chicago has relied on its depth during its hot start, and that was on display again as the Bulls outscored New York 53-21 in bench points.
Ayo Dosunmu added 22 points and Matas Buzelis 13 for the Bulls, while Giddey added 10 rebounds and nine assists. Jalen Brunson scored 29 points for the Knicks, who have lost three straight.
Lakers 117, Grizzlies 112
Luka Doncic returned after a three-game injury absence to lead visiting Los Angeles past Memphis, dropping the Grizzlies to 1-8 all time in NBA Cup play.
Doncic finished with 44 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes. Austin Reaves added 21 for the Lakers, following a stretch in which he averaged 40 points and 10 assists in the three games without Doncic.
For the Grizzlies, Jock Landale and Jaylen Wells had 16 points each while Ja Morant struggled from the outset and finished with only eight points on 3-of-14 shooting. Morant did not score in the second half and went 0-for-6 from long range.
Suns 118, Jazz 96
Devin Booker sank six 3-pointers and scored 36 points as host Phoenix broke a four-game losing streak with a victory over Utah.
Ryan Dunn amassed 13 points and 10 rebounds, Grayson Allen had 14 points and seven rebounds and Royce O’Neale added 13 points for the Suns, who avenged a 138-134 overtime loss at Utah on Monday.
Lauri Markkanen finished with 33 points and four 3-pointers, Keyonte George had 17 points and Walker Kessler grabbed 13 rebounds for the Jazz, who took their second straight loss while opening a five-game road trip.
Hawks 128, Pacers 108
Jalen Johnson posted 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as Atlanta beat Indiana in a battle of depleted lineups in Indianapolis.
The Hawks put the game away with a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Pacers 34-17, held a 20-8 advantage on the glass and limited Indiana to 5-for-24 shooting. Pascal Siakam topped the Pacers with 17 points.
Atlanta was without Trae Young (right knee sprain) while Indiana, which remained winless through five games, was missing several players because of injuries.
Raptors 112, Cavaliers 101
Brandon Ingram collected 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists while RJ Barrett and Jamison Battle also had 20 points apiece as Toronto beat the short-handed Cavaliers in Cleveland.
Scottie Barnes posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Raptors, who had lost four straight since a season-opening win.
Reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley scored a season-high 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds while De’Andre Hunter scored 26 for Cleveland, which played without four injured starters, including Donovan Mitchell.
–Field Level Media
