Leonard, Clippers top Lakers
Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points on 10for-19 shooting in 32 minutes in his Clippers debut to lead his team to a 112-102 victory against the Lakers on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Lou Williams added 21 points and
Maurice Harkless 17 off the bench.
In his debut for the Lakers, Anthony Davis (8-for-21) totaled 25 points and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes. Danny Green led the team with 28 points, while LeBron James (7-for-19) added 18 in 34 minutes.
♦ Fred VanVleet scored a career-high 34 points, Pascal Siakam fouled out with 34 points and 18 rebounds, and the defending champion Raptors beat the Pelicans 130-122 in overtime in the NBA’s season-opening game.
Kyle Lowry scored 22 points, including a pair of free throws that put the Raptors in the lead for good, and Serge Ibaka had 13 as the Raptors won their seventh consecutive season opener and posted their eighth win in nine meetings with the Pelicans.
♦ Warriors coach Steve Kerr insisted he isn’t ruling All-Star guard Klay Thompson out for the entire season, yet he cautioned that Thompson’s recovery from surgery July 2 for a torn ACL in his left knee is still expected to take nine to 12 months.
♦ Pistons forward Blake Griffin (left hamstring, posterior knee soreness) will miss the start of the season and will be re-evaluated for a return the first week of November.
MISCELLANEOUS Spartans’ Langford will miss time
Michigan State guard Joshua Langford had a setback in his return from a foot injury, and coach Tom Izzo says the senior will be re-evaluated in January. Langford played only 13 games last season, averaging 15 points.
♦ Michigan State’s Cassius Winston and Marquette’s Markus Howard headline The Associated Press preseason All-America team.
♦ Goalie Devan Dubnyk left the game in the second period after a collision in the Wild’s 3-0 victory against the visiting Oilers.
♦ The Red Wings waived longtime defenseman Jonathan Ericsson.
♦ The National Women’s Soccer League has announced that Louisville, Kentucky, will field a team starting in 2021.