The first Friday night of the new NBA season provided a clutch win for the Cleveland Cavaliers off a Kyrie Irving three-pointer, the first win for the new era Brooklyn Nets with Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin combining well, a one-man show for Russell Westbrook in an overtime win for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Kevin Durant leading the Golden State Warriors to their first victory of the season, leaving Anthony Davis with huge numbers but another disappointment.
Cleveland Cavaliers 94 Toronto Raptors 91: The Cavs lean on Kyrie Irving and a game-winning 3-pointer to beat the Raptors in a conference finals rematch. Despite 7 turnovers from Irving and 5 by James, Cleveland improved to 2-0 behind 26 points by Irving and 21 (along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists) from LeBron, getting only 10 points from their bench.
Indiana Pacers 94 Brooklyn Nets 103: A very impressive performance by the Nets, that included good defense on the Pacers (holding them to 37.8% from the field), but mostly a much better offensive look, as Brook Lopez came to life with 25 points and Jeremy Lin was one rebound and one assist short of a triple double, scoring 21. Sean Kilpatrick was terrific off the bench with 18 points.
Orlando Magic 82 Detroit Pistons 108: The Magic are at 0-2, looking very bad on their first road game of the season. They shot just 34.7% from the field, unable to cope with former player Tobias Harris, leading the Pistons with 18 points. Andre Drummond had a 12 points, 20 rebounds double double, and Ish Smith looked a lot better this time with 16 and 8 assists.
Phoenix Suns 110 Oklahoma City Thunder 113: The Thunder needed overtime and the best of Russell Westbrook to get through this one, scoring 51 points on 44 shots to complete a triple double, including 13 rebounds and 10 assists. T.J. Warren led the Suns with 30 points.
Charlotte Hornets 97 Miami Heat 91: The Hornets defense seems to be legit, getting a lot of help from their bench this time. Kemba Walker scored 24 points to help mount a comeback that erased a 19-point deficit, and Jeremy Lamb helped with 16 off the bench, as the Hornets subs scored 51 points. Hassan Whiteside had a 20-15 double double, but the Heat shot just 37.2% from the field.
Houston Rockets 106 Dallas Mavericks 98: There was something a lot more balanced in the Rockets offense this time, which paid off. Trevor Ariza led the way scoring 27 points on 5 three-pointers, while James Harden finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. The Mavs, playing without Dirk Nowitzki, were led by 31 points from Harrison Barnes as they fell to 0-2.
Los Angeles Lakers 89 Utah Jazz 96: The Lakers didn’t look so exciting in their second night under Luke Walton, held to just 38.1% shooting against the Jazz stifling defense. George Hill scored 23 points, and Derrick Favors helped out off the bench with 15, just like Rodney Hood. Lou Williams led the Lakers scoring 17 points.
Golden State Warriors 122 New Orleans Pelicans 114: The Warriors started strong and held on to the lead from there. Kevin Durant scored 30 points and combined for 81 along with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Anthony Davis seems to be in a bad spot. He finished with 45 points and 17 rebounds, but it hasn’t been helping the Pelicans win so far.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 2 |
| 2 | Charlotte Hornets | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 2 |
| 3 | Chicago Bulls | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 4 | Atlanta Hawks | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 5 | Boston Celtics | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 6 | Toronto Raptors | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 7 | Detroit Pistons | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 8 | Miami Heat | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 9 | Brooklyn Nets | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 11 | Philadelphia 76ers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 12 | Milwaukee Bucks | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 13 | Washington Wizards | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 14 | New York Knicks | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 15 | Orlando Magic | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.0 | 2 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 2 |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 2 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Clippers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 4 | Denver Nuggets | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 7 | Sacramento Kings | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 8 | Houston Rockets | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 10 | Utah Jazz | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.0 | 2 |
| 14 | Dallas Mavericks | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.0 | 2 |
| 15 | Phoenix Suns | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.0 | 2 |