Anthony sharp in OKC debut, Rockets look fine without him
NEW YORK: Carmelo Anthony was sharp in his first game with the Thunder, though Chris Paul and the Rockets look like they will be just fine without him.
Houston overcame Anthony’s 19 points in just 20 minutes and Paul George’s 15, spoiling their Oklahoma City debuts with a 104-97 victory on Tuesday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Paul had 11 points and seven assists in his Houston debut. The Rockets tried to acquire Anthony after getting Paul, but could not work out a deal during their summer-long discussions with the New York Knicks, who instead dealt their leading scorer to Oklahoma City on the eve of training camp.
“Being happy out there on the court again, being excited, being motivated to be out there on the court again, it’s back for me,” Anthony said. “That feeling is back for me.”
But the Rockets, who had one of the NBA’s most potent offenses last season, might not need the extra scoring. James Harden had 16 points and 10 assists, Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon scored 21 points, and the Rockets made 24 3-pointers. Gordon had six and Trevor Ariza hit five on his way to 18 points.
MVP Russell Westbrook didn’t play for Oklahoma City.
The Knicks played their first game without Anthony, losing to the Brooklyn Nets.
Nets 115 Knicks 107: D’Angelo Russell scored 19 points in his Nets debut to help Brooklyn take the first of two preseason meetings between the city rivals.
Acquired in a trade with the Lakers, the former No. 2 pick started in the backcourt with Jeremy Lin, who struggled to a 2-for-9 night and scored eight points.
Enes Kanter, acquired from Oklahoma City in the Anthony trade, and Tim Hardaway Jr. each scored 17 points for the Knicks.
Sean Kilpatrick scored 15 points for Brooklyn, which was 16 for 32 (50 percent) from 3-point range. Rondae HollisJefferson and Joe Harris each scored 13 points. Spencer Dinwiddie and Quincy Acy had 12 apiece. The Nets played without Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert because of ankle injuries.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 15 points for the Knicks. First-round pick Frank Ntilikina of France came off the bench and scored five points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field. Hardaway made five 3-pointers.
Bulls 113 Pelicans 109: Cristiano Felicio scored 15 points and the Bulls overcame a strong performance from the All-Star tandem of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins in New Orleans.
Davis had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Cousins added 20 points and 10 boards.
Nikola Mirotic and Justin Holiday each scored 14 points for the Bulls. Rookie Lauri Markkanen, whose rights Chicago acquired when they traded Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, did not play because of back spasms. He is expected to miss the Bulls’ first two preseason games. Denzel Valentine made four 3-pointers for his 12 points.
Suns 114 Trail Blazers 112: TJ Warren scored 23 points and the Suns rallied with a 41-point fourth quarter in Portland.
Damian Lillard had 18 points for the Trail Blazers.
No. 4 overall selection Josh Jackson scored 14 points for the Suns. Devin Booker had 19 points while Alex Len finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds.