Jalen Johnson and reserve Aaron Wiggins each scored 19 points as visiting Atlanta blew out the Charlotte Hornets 128-81 on Friday, the biggest margin of victory in Hawks history.
The 47-point gap topped the old record of 46 set in a 126-80 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Nov 15, 2017. Nickeil Alexander-Walker put up 14 points, CJ McCollum posted 13 points, Dyson Daniels contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and seven steals and Corey Kispert also had 11 points for Atlanta, which won its second straight to start the season.
It was a miserable home opener for the Hornets, who won two nights earlier at Brooklyn to start their campaign. They committed 27 turnovers. Naz Reid scored 17 points for Charlotte and Grayson Allen came off the bench for 11 points. Both players were in their home debuts with the Hornets. Reserve Tidjane Salaun also scored 11 points.
The gap reached 97-62 by the end of the third quarter. The Hornets couldn’t even get it cranked up when the margin was out of hand, needing about 6 1/2 minutes to reach a double-digit total in the fourth quarter.
Celtics 107, Knicks 103
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 36 points, including nine late in the fourth quarter, as Boston withstood a late comeback bid by visiting New York to escape with a victory.
Tatum finished with nine rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics, who have split their first two games. Paul George and reserve Neemias Queta had 15 points apiece while Derrick White added 12 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns (22 points, 10 rebounds), OG Anunoby (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Josh Hart (10 points, 12 rebounds) all had double-doubles for the reigning NBA champion Knicks, who have lost their first two games.
Bulls 132, Bucks 125
Norman Powell scored 25 points and rookie Caleb Wilson added 21 to help visiting Chicago earn a victory over Milwaukee.
Leonard Miller had 19 points, while Jalen Smith chipped in 14 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago, which rebounded after suffering a 43-point loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Buddy Hield scored 13, Isaac Okoro had 12 and Tre Jones tallied 11 points and eight assists for the Bulls, who trailed by 15 points after the first quarter.
Tyler Herro led Milwaukee with 34 points, followed by Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 19 points and 11 boards. Kyle Kuzma scored 14 and Myles Turner had 12, while Ryan Rollins, AJ Green and Kel’el Ware scored 11 apiece for the Bucks, who lost their second straight to open the season.
Mavericks 121, Pacers 105
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 24 points as Dallas defeated Indiana in Indianapolis, but the victory was overshadowed by a left shoulder injury to Mavericks star Cooper Flagg.
Flagg was hurt in the last minute of the first half when he was fouled from behind by Aaron Nesmith, who was assessed a flagrant-1 foul. Flagg finished with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists, while teammate P.J. Washington added 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Pascal Siakam paced Indiana with 23 points and Tyrese Haliburton contributed 18 points. Both teams ended the game with a 1-1 record.
Rockets 114, Spurs 110
Alperen Sengun pounded his way to 29 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, as Houston ground out a win over San Antonio in Austin, Texas.
Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson added 20 points apiece for the Rockets, who improved to 2-0. Thompson also collected 10 rebounds and also blocked Victor Wembanyama’s attempt at a game-tying layup in the final second.
Wembanyama registered 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs fell to 0-2. Dylan Harper had 20 points, and De’Aaron Fox added 19 points and nine assists.
Lakers 125, Clippers 117
Austin Reaves scored 28 points and added nine assists while Luka Doncic recorded 23 points as the Los Angeles Lakers used a third-quarter surge to stay perfect through two games with a victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
Walker Kessler scored 22 points for the Lakers, hitting 10 of 14 shots. He is 22 of 26 over two games with his new team.
Darius Garland scored 26 points and Brook Lopez added 22 as the Clippers fell to 1-1. The Clippers committed 26 turnovers that the Lakers turned into 33 points.
Raptors 112, Wizards 102
Scottie Barnes collected 28 points and 14 rebounds and RJ Barrett added 23 and nine, respectively, lifting visiting Toronto past Washington.
Barnes made 12 of 26 shots from the floor to offset eight turnovers for the Raptors, who never trailed in the contest. Kawhi Leonard recorded 16 points and nine rebounds.
Trae Young produced 22 points and 12 assists for the Wizards. AJ Dybantsa, the top overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, sat out his second straight game due to a sprained left ankle.
Timberwolves 115, Magic 93
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels scored 15 points apiece, and Minnesota cruised to a win over host Orlando.
Rudy Gobert added 14 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which won its second straight game to start the season. Ayo Dosunmu finished with 14 points and 10 assists, and LaMelo Ball chipped in 12 points.
Wendell Carter Jr. tallied 20 points and nine rebounds to lead Orlando, which dropped its second straight game under first-year head coach Sean Sweeney. Franz Wagner recorded 18 points before fouling out, and Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs finished with 14 points apiece.
Pistons 128, Heat 111
John Collins scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Paul Reed finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds as Detroit prevailed at Miami.
The Pistons led wire to wire after scoring the game’s first 11 points and built a 23-point advantage in the third quarter. Detroit’s Jalen Duren exited in the second quarter due to a right thigh injury and did not return.
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up his first double-double for the Heat with 36 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from. Davion Mitchell totaled 18 points and five rebounds.
Jazz 120, Pelicans 119
Jaren Jackson Jr. logged 24 points and 10 rebounds and Keyonte George added 19 points and 10 assists to rally Utah to a victory over New Orleans in Salt Lake City.
Utah rookie Darryn Peterson scored 15 points, including two go-ahead free throws with 50.5 seconds left. Jaxson Hayes chipped in 17 points off the bench and Lauri Markkanen added 16 to help the Jazz beat the Pelicans for the first time since November 2023.
Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 23 points and reserve Saddiq Bey added 20. Dejounte Murray chipped in 16, but missed a potential game-winning jumper with a second left as the Pelicans fell to 0-2.
Grizzlies 111, Warriors 108
Ty Jerome scored a game-high 28 points and Memphis used a 17-0 fourth-quarter spurt to rally for a victory over Golden State in San Francisco.
Rookie Cameron Boozer added 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for Memphis, which won its second straight game to begin the season. Jaylen Wells scored 17 and Cam Spencer chipped in 11 for the Grizzlies, who outscored Golden State 27-18 in the fourth quarter.
Stephen Curry’s 24 points led the Warriors, while Brandin Podziemski and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg contributed 18 points apiece. In his second game, Lendeborg also tallied 13 rebounds and six assists. Golden State has dropped its first two games of the year for the first time since 2020-21.
Trail Blazers 128, Kings 120
Deni Avdija scored 26 points and Portland overcame a 12-point first-quarter deficit en route to a victory over host Sacramento.
Damian Lillard and Toumani Camara scored 19 points apiece and Sidy Cissoko scored 15 points, all in the first half, as Portland improved to 2-0. Robert Williams III scored 13 points while Ja Morant and Jrue Holiday each had 12 points.
Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. scored 33 points in his second career game and Domantas Sabonis had 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists for his 69th career triple-double. Zach LaVine scored 22 points as Sacramento, in its home opener, lost its second straight game to open the season.
–Field Level Media
