Lillard, Trail Blazers light up Phoenix in win
PHOENIX — Damian Lillard scored 27 points and the Portland Trail Blazers opened the season by handing the Phoenix Suns the most one-sided loss in the franchise’s 49-year history with a 124-76 win on Wednesday night.
Pat Connaughton added a career-high 24 points, making 4 of 6 3-pointers. The Trail Blazers outshot, outrebounded and outhustled the Suns from the opening tip.
The 48-point rout exceeded Phoenix’s previous record, a 44-point loss to Seattle (151-107) on April 2, 1988.
The Blazers dominated even though they were without one of their best players, guard C.J. McCollum, who was suspended one game for leaving the bench area during a tussle involving Phoenix’s Alex Len and Caleb Swanigan in a preseason game a week ago.
• Bucks 108, Celtcis 100 — At Boston: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, and the Milwaukee Bucks opened their season with a victory over Boston to spoil the homecoming of a Celtics team coming off a late and emotional season opener.
One night after a gruesome broken ankle just six minutes into the season cost Boston top free agent Gordon Hayward — perhaps for the entire season — the Celtics fell to 0-2 by giving up an 111 run that left Milwaukee with a 97-90 lead and under three minutes to play.
Antetokounmpo added 13 rebounds, Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points and Khris Middleton had 15 points and nine rebounds. Matthew Dellavedova scored 15 points, hitting a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left after the Celtics cut the lead to two points.
• Spurs 107, Timberwolves 99 — At San Antonio: LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and San Antonio held o beat Minnesota while opening the season without leading scorer Kawhi Leonard.
The Spurs were without Leonard and Tony Parker, but had enough to hold off the revamped Timberwolves.
• Pistons 102, Hornets 90 — At Detroit: Tobias Harris scored 17 of his 27 points in the first quarter, helping Detroit celebrate its return downtown with the victory over Charlotte.
The Pistons and Hornets opened the season in Little Caesars Arena, a new facility that brought them back to the city for the first time in nearly four decades. Eminem made a surprise appearance, grabbing the microphone to fire up the crowd just before tipoff. Kid Rock, another Motor City musical artist, sat in a baseline seat near Detroit’s bench.
• Wizards 120, 76ers 115 — At Washington: John Wall scored 28 points, Bradley Beal rebounded from a rough start to add 25 and Washington beat Philadelphia to spoil the NBA debuts of top picks Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz.
The Sixers cut their deficit to two in the final minute. A pair of Philadelphia turnovers and a 3-point miss by J.J. Redick allowed the Wizards to hold on.
• Pacers 140, Nets 131 — At Indianapolis: Victor Oladipo scored 22 points in his Indiana debut, Darren Collison added 21 points and 11 assists in his return to Indianapolis, and the Pacers held off Brooklyn.
The Pacers, in their first game since trading All-Star Paul George, had their highest point total since a 144-point game against Denver on Nov. 9, 2010. Myles Turner had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
• Hawks 117, Mavericks 111 — At Dallas: Dennis Schroder scored 28 points in his first game as the front man for Atlanta and the rebuilding Hawks spoiled rookie Dennis Smith Jr.’s solid Dallas debut.
Marco Belinelli, a familiar face for the Mavericks as a former rival with San Antonio, added 20 points and was 4 of 6 from 3-point range for the Hawks in their first game after letting Paul Millsap leave in free agency and dumping Dwight Howard.
• Magic 116, Heat 109 — At Orlando, Fla.: Evan Fournier scored 23 points, Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Orlando held off Miami.
Fournier stalled the Heat’s rally by scoring seven points in the final 2:27, including a driving basket with 30 seconds left. The Heat trailed by 17 early in the fourth quarter, but cut the deficit to two with 2:39 to play.
• Grizzlies 103, Pelicans 91 — At Memphis, Tenn.: Mike Conley scored 27 points, rookie Dillon Brooks added 19 and Memphis beat New Orleans.
Marc Gasol had 14 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 3:05 left. Memphis won its opener for the second straight year, a first in franchise history.
• Jazz 106, Nuggets 96 — At Salt Lake City: Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 10 rebounds in Utah’s victory over Denver.
The new-look Jazz — without Gordon Hayward and George Hill — trailed most of the night before Alec Burks took over with a spectacular fourth quarter.