Rookie guard Payton Pritchard scored on a put-back with two-tenths of a second left to give the Boston Celtics a 107-105 win over the host Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-2 Pritchard followed up on a missed drive by Marcus Smart.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with a game-high 27 points. Jaylen Brown added 21 points for the Celtics, who were eliminated by the Heat in last season’s Eastern Conference finals.
Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 26 points to lead the Heat, who have alternated a loss with a win in each of their seven games this season. Robinson had 16 points, and Bam Adebayo was brilliant with 15 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Smart, who returned after missing one game due to a thumb injury, scored nine points and dished out a team-high six assists.
Orlando Magic 105 – Cleveland Cavaliers 94
Terrence Ross scored 20 points and Dwayne Bacon added 19 to propel host Orlando to a victory over Cleveland.
Nikola Vucevic scored 16 points and Aaron Gordon had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who answered a modest two-game skid with back-to-back wins over the Cavaliers. Magic guard Markelle Fultz sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the first quarter and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Cleveland’s Collin Sexton scored 21 points to set a franchise record of eight straight games with at least 20 points to start a season. The record was formerly held by LeBron James in 2004-05. Andre Drummond notched his eighth consecutive double-double after collecting 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have dropped four of their last five games.
Charlotte Hornets 102 – Atlanta Hawks 94
Gordon Hayward scored a career-high 44 points as visiting Charlotte snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Atlanta.
LaMelo Ball came off the bench to add 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Terry Rozier scored 14.
The Atlanta offense never got in gear. Trae Young, who entered the game averaging 28.6 points, scored only two points in the first half and finished with a season-low seven points. John Collins led the Hawks with 23 points while pulling down 11 rebounds. Kevin Huerter came off the bench to make a season-high five 3-pointers to score 19 and De’Andre Hunter added 17. Clint Capela had a season-high 19 rebounds.
Indiana Pacers 114 – Houston Rockets 107
Malcolm Brogdon scored a career-high 35 points and Myles Turner recorded eight blocked shots as Indiana held on for a victory over Houston at Indianapolis.
Brogdon added seven assists and three steals in 39 minutes. He recorded just one turnover. Domantas Sabonis added his eighth double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Justin Holiday scored 20 off the Indiana bench while Victor Oladipo totaled 18 points and nine boards.
The Rockets, playing without center Christian Wood (sore left knee), were led by John Wall (28 points) and Eric Gordon, who scored 20 points off the bench. Harden paired 15 points with 12 assists while Nwaba added a season-high 15 points. DeMarcus Cousins, making his first start since April 2019, had nine points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for the Rockets.
Philadelphia 76ers 141 – Washington Wizards 136
Joel Embiid scored 38 points and hit all 13 of his free throws to lift host Philadelphia past Washington.
Seth Curry added 28 points to help offset a career-high 60 by Bradley Beal as the Sixers won their fifth in a row overall and their 20th straight at home. The Sixers have won seven of eight to open the season, and they sport the best record in the league.
Tobias Harris and Shake Milton contributed 19 apiece, Ben Simmons had 17 points and 12 assists, and Danny Green added 15 points. Beal tied a franchise record of 60 set by Gilbert Arenas in 2006.
New York Knicks 112 – Utah Jazz 100
Austin Rivers scored 14 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter for New York, which continued its resurgence by overcoming an 18-point second-quarter deficit to beat visiting Utah.
The comeback win was the second straight for the Knicks, who trailed by 15 points in the third quarter Monday before beating the Atlanta Hawks. It is the first time New York has overcome 15-point deficits in back-to-back wins since victories over the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 5-7, 2017.
Rivers finished with 23 points off the bench for the Knicks, who have won three in a row and five of six to improve to 5-3 — the first time they have been two games over .500 since Dec. 22, 2017. Julius Randle had a game-high 30 points and 16 rebounds while Elfrid Payton finished with 22 points and eight assists and Reggie Bullock added 12 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder 111 – New Orleans Pelicans 110
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points and George Hill made two free throws with 12.1 seconds remaining to lift visiting Oklahoma City to a victory over New Orleans.
Darius Bazley had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Mike Muscala scored 18 and Hill finished with 13.
Zion Williamson led the way for the Pelicans with 29 points, Brandon Ingram had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Lonzo Ball scored 15. Eric Bledsoe and Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in with 13 points each and Steven Adams had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Milwaukee Bucks 130 – Detroit Pistons 115
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a home win over Detroit.
Khris Middleton had 23 points and seven assists, Brook Lopez scored 17 points and Bobby Portis added 16 points off the bench for the Bucks. Milwaukee won its third straight and swept the two-game set with the Pistons after winning the first on Monday.
Jerami Grant scored a game-high 31 points and Saddiq Bey had 20 points for Detroit, which lost its third straight.
Phoenix Suns 123 – Toronto Raptors 115
Devin Booker scored 15 of his 24 points in the third quarter and Phoenix defeated visiting Toronto.
Jae Crowder added 21 points for the Suns, who have won six of eight games to start the season. Cameron Johnson added 16 points for the Suns and Dario Saric had 15. Deandre Ayton scored 11 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, Mikal Bridges chipped in with 13, Chris Paul had 12 points and Cameron Payne had five points and 10 assists.
Pascal Siakam scored a season-best 32 points for the Raptors, who have lost six of their first seven games. Kyle Lowry added 24 points and nine rebounds. OG Anunoby had 20 points, Fred VanVleet added 13 points and seven assists and Norman Powell contributed 13.
Los Angeles Clippers 108 – Golden State Warriors 101
Patrick Beverley and Nicolas Batum combined for three consecutive 3-pointers in a late flurry that propelled visiting Los Angeles to a victory over Golden State in San Francisco.
The Pacific Division rivals will meet in a rematch Friday night, also on the Warriors’ home floor.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George scored 21 points apiece for the Clippers, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back after a 116-113 home loss to San Antonio on Tuesday.
Sacramento Kings 128 – Chicago Bulls 124
Richaun Holmes scored 24 points and Marvin Bagley III added 21 as Sacramento showed how good it felt to be home by ending a three-game losing streak with a victory against Chicago.
Harrison Barnes added 20 for the Kings, who dropped all three games on a just-completed road trip. The victory came in the opener of a seven-game homestand. All was not completely positive for the Kings, who lost point guard De’Aaron Fox in the first quarter with right hamstring tightness.
Coby White scored a career-high 36 points for the Bulls and Zach LaVine added 32. Chicago was playing for the second consecutive night after earning a victory at Portland on Tuesday. The Bulls entered with four victories in their past five games.
–Field Level Media
