PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 43 points, including eight straight during a crucial fourth-quarter stretch, and rookie VJ Edgecombe added 26 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 136-124 without Joel Embiid to improve to 3-0.
Embiid, the 2023 MVP and two-time scoring champ, was sidelined to rest his surgically repaired left knee. After playing in just 19 games last season, Embiid played the first two with a restriction of 20 minutes.
Philadelphia did just fine without its star center. Maxey followed a 3-pointer with a driving basket with just over a minute left that gave the 76ers a comfortable 12-point advantage. He is averaging 37.0 points per game. Edgecombe, the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft, continues to impress and has 75 points through three games. Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 25 points.
Paolo Banchero had 32 points to pace the Magic, who opened a five-game, 10-day trip with their third consecutive loss. Desmond Bane chipped in with 24 points and Franz Wagner added 22.
The Sixers’ Andre Drummond finished with six rebounds, becoming the 32nd player in NBA history to record at least 11,000 rebounds.
CAVALIERS 116, PISTONS 95
DETROIT (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points in just 29 minutes, and Cleveland beat Detroit for its third straight victory.
The Cavaliers had a 14-0 run in the second quarter that turned a seven-point lead into a 43-26 advantage and Mitchell’s layup made it 63-41 at halftime. He scored 14 more in the third quarter and departed shortly after his basket made it 108-73 with 7:07 remaining.
Mitchell shot 13 of 18 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 7 for 8 from the free throw line. Jarrett Allen added 20 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, while Evan Mobley finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Cleveland beat Detroit for the 13th time in the last 14 meetings.
Cade Cunningham finished with 12 points for the Pistons, but shot 3 for 14 and committed five of their 25 turnovers. Ron Holland II and Tolu Smith each added 11 points.
ROCKETS 137, NETS 109
HOUSTON (AP) — Tari Eason scored 22 points, Alperen Sengun added 21 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Houston beat Brooklyn for its first victory of the season.
Kevin Durant had 19 points against his former team, which fell to 0-4. Eason made five 3-pointers off the bench and fellow reserve Reed Sheppard added 15 points and eight assists.
Houston lost in two overtimes against Oklahoma City in the NBA season opener and then fell by four against Detroit in its second game, but this one was never close.
The Rockets led 42-25 after shooting 62.5% in the first quarter, then outscored the Nets 32-17 in the third to extend an 11-point halftime lead to 103-77.
The lead grew to 33 points in the fourth quarter. Amen Thompson had 12 points and eight assists.
Terance Mann scored 21 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 18 for the Nets.
CELTICS 128, HAWKS 123
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anfernee Simons made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points, and Boston earned its first victory of the season by pulling away to beat New Orleans.
Payton Pritchard added 18 points for the Celtics, who outscored the Pelicans 31-4 in the final 9:14 after they led by just five.
Simons scored 12 in the fourth quarter for Boston, which had dropped its first three games. Luka Garza had 16 points, while Jaylen Brown and Josh Minott finished with 15 apiece.
Jordan Poole scored 22 points for the Pelicans, who played without Zion Williamson and fell to 0-3. Rookie Derik Queen had 12 points.
Williamson missed his first game of the season with a left foot bone bruise. He had scored 27 points in both of the first two games.
Poole’s 3-pointer cut it to 91-86 early in the fourth quarter before Simons made three 3-pointers and Sam Hauser had two in Boston’s powerful finish.
BULLS 128, HAWKS 123
CHICAGO (AP) — Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 points, Josh Giddey had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Chicago rallied to top Atlanta.
Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and 17 rebounds as Chicago came back from an early 13-point deficit to improved to 3-0, its best start in four years.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 27 points and Jalen Johnson 15 added in their return to the the Hawks lineup, but Atlanta dropped its second straight and the first of a four game trip to fall to 1-3.
Trae Young had 21 points and 17 assists, including some flashy setups. Onyeka Okongwu added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Eight Chicago players, including all five starers, reached double figures in scoring. Matas Buzelis had 16 points and Tre Jones added 14 with nine assists.
SPURS 121, RAPTORS 103
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and San Antonio remained unbeaten with a victory over Toronto.
San Antonio is 4-0 for the first time since 2017.
Stephon Castle added 22 points and Harrison Barnes had 18 for San Antonio, which did not win its fourth game until Nov. 7 last season.
Toronto lost its third straight after winning its season opener.
R.J. Barrett had 25 points, Collin Murray-Boyles added 19 and Immanuel Quickley had 15 for the Raptors.
Wembanyama, who was named Western Conference player of the week earlier Monday, continued to dazzle spectators. He drove to the rim past Jakob Poeltl, made a 360-degree spin to avoid a charging Scottie Barnes and put the ball off the glass for a layup in the first half.
Wembanyama finished 7 of 8 from the field and was 10 for 10 on free throws.
THUNDER 101, MAVERICKS 94
DALLAS (AP) — Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points and 12 points — and scored Oklahoma City’s only two field goals of the final 8:28 — as it withstood a furious Dallas rally to win and improve to 4-0.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points to lead the defending NBA champions. Chet Holmgren had 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Anthony Davis had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks (1-3), playing their fourth straight home game to open the season.
Oklahoma City led 93-74 before Dallas went on a 13-0 run before Hartenstein’s tip-in gave the Thunder a 95-89 lead with 2:52 to play. The Mavericks pulled within one point on a jumper by D’Angelo Russell with 54 seconds left, and Hartenstein answered with a left-handed layup with 33 seconds to play. Gilgeous-Alexander hit two free throws with 21.3 seconds left, and Holmgren added two more with 3.3 left.
The Associated Press
