Atlanta rolls in its opener
Young has 37, Huerter 11 in win
Trae Young scored 37 points and the revamped Atlanta Hawks pounded Chicago 124-104 on Wednesday night, spoiling Billy Donovan’s debut as Bulls coach.
Atlanta shot 54 percent (43-for-80) from the field and had seven players score in double figures. Cam Reddish and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 15 points each and John Collins finished with 14. Danilo Gallinari had 13. Shenendehowa graduate Kevin Huerter and Deandre Hunter each scored 11.
Looking for their first playoff berth since 2017, the Hawks signed Bogdanovic, Gallinari, Rajon Rondo and Kris Dunn during free agency. Rondo and Dunn were held out on opening night.
While the newcomers could give Atlanta a big lift, the dynamic Young remains the engine that drives the Hawks. He seemingly scored at will against the Bulls, going 10-for-12 from the field, 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 12-for-14 at the line. He also had seven assists and six rebounds.
Donovan was hired in September.
Zach Lavine scored 22 points and Lauri Markkanen had 21 points for the Bulls.
Thunder-rockets postponed: The James Harden soap opera in Houston now comes with a postponed season opener — and a $50,000 fine for the league’s leading scorer. Houston’s opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night was scrapped after coronavirus cases and Harden’s violation of the NBA’S COVID-19 protocols left the Rockets without the league-mandated eight players available to start a game.
Spurs 131, Grizzlies 119: Demar Derozan had 28 points and nine assists, Dejounte Murray added 21 points as San Antonio used a balanced attack to defeat Memphis.
76ers 113, Wizards 107: Joel Embiid scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Philadelphia over Washington.
Timberwolves 111, Pistons 101: Malik Beasley scored 23 points and Karl-anthony Towns had 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, leading Minnesota.
Pelicans 113, Raptors 99: JJ Redick converted a four-point play with just more than a minute remaining and finished with 23 points, and Brandon Ingram led all scorers with 24 points as New Orleans rallied from an 11-point deficit.
Cavaliers 121, Hornets 114: Collin Sexton scored 27 points, Darius Garland added 22 and Cleveland topped Charlotte.
Magic 113, Heat 107: Evan Fournier gave Orlando the lead with a late 3-pointer, converted a three-point play in the final minute and scored 25 points in the Magic’s victory.