Lakers miss James in loss to Oklahoma City
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, and the Thunder rallied from 26 points down to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City for their first win of the season.
Darius Bazley added 20 points and rookie Josh Giddey had 18 points and 10 assists for the Thunder, who opened the season with four losses.
The Lakers played without LeBron James, who sat out his second straight game with a sore right ankle.
Russell Westbrook, the former Thunder star, had yet another triple-double in Oklahoma City. He had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists for the 185th tripledouble of his career before being ejected in the final seconds. He was cheered loudly during pregame introductions.
Anthony Davis scored 30 points for the Lakers, who fell to 2-3.
HEAT 106, NETS 93 >> Bam Adebayo had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead Miami in New York. Jimmy Butler added 17 points for Miami. P.J. Tucker finished with 15, and Tyler Herro and Dewayne Dedmon each contributed 14. A preseason favorite to win the NBA championship, Brooklyn has alternated losses and wins through the first five games of the season and dropped to 2-3. Kevin Durant finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Joe Harris contributed 15 points on 5-for-15 shooting, including 5 for 11 from 3-point range. With his third 3-pointer of the game, Harris passed Jason Kidd as the franchise’s career leader in made
3-pointers. James Harden had 14 points and Bruce Brown chipped in with 12. TIMBERWOLVES 113, BUCKS 108 >> D’Angelo Russell scored 29 points, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards each added 25 and Minnesota held off the short-handed Bucks in Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 16 rebounds for the Bucks, who were without point guard Jrue Holiday and center Brook Lopez.
HAWKS 102, PELICANS 99 >> Trae Young scored 31 points and Atlanta Hawks capitalized on 21 offensive rebounds in New Orleans. The teams were tied at 98 when the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram, who had 20 points, attempted a transition 3-pointer for the
lead but missed the rim entirely. Atlanta went in front for good shortly after, when John Collins came straight down the lane unimpeded to put back Young’s missed 3 off the back rim with a dunk with 55 seconds left. RAPTORS 118, PACERS 100 >> Fred VanVleet had a season-high 26 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored a season-high 25 points, and Toronto won at home for the first time in 20 months. Scottie Barnes had 18 points and seven assists, and fellow rookie Dalano Banton came off the bench to score 10 points as the Raptors won in Toronto for the first time in four tries this season. The Raptors’ previous win in their home arena was Feb. 23,
2020 — also against Indiana. Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic forced the team to play home games in Florida at the end of the 201920 season and throughout 2020-21.
HORNETS 120, MAGIC 111 >> Miles Bridges scored 31 points, Gordon Hayward added 24 and visiting Charlotte earned its fourth win in five games. Bridges, who scored 30 or more points for the third time in four games, hit a 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining to put the game away for the Hornets, whose only loss of the season came in overtime against Boston on Monday night. Cole Anthony led Orlando with 24 points and six assists. Wendell Carter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who committed eight turnovers in the fourth quarter after leading for most of the game. Jalen McDaniels came off the bench to score 16 points, hitting a 3-pointer to put Charlotte ahead for keeps with 8:18 left. LaMelo Ball followed quickly with another 3-pointer, and Bridges returned to the court to help the Hornets stay ahead.
WIZARDS 116, CELTICS 107 >> Montrezl Harrell scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and had 11 rebounds for Washington in Boston. Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points, and Bradley Beal had 17 for the Wizards. Jayson Tatum had 23 points for Boston, Dennis Schroder added 22, and Robert Williams III had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Washington center Daniel Gafford had to be helped off the court and was brought straight to the locker room midway into the second quarter and didn’t return. The team he had a right quadriceps contusion.
NOTE >> Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announced that beginning Nov. 10, Ball Arena will require fans 12 and older to show proof they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the event for admission. Also, everyone over 2 years of age will be required to wear masks inside regardless of vaccination status. Ball Arena is home to several professional sports teams, including the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and, and the arena also hosts dozens of concerts. The new policy applies to all events.