Kyrie Irving scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Brooklyn Nets began their season by overcoming a 19-point deficit for a 129-121 win over the hosts Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Irving returned as a part-time player after being unconvinced against COVID-19 and the vaccine mandate in New York City, which prevents him from playing in home games. They dominated the fourth quarter as the Nets broke a season-high three-game losing streak.
With his father, Dredrich, sitting on the edge of the court, Irving shot 9 of 17 off the field in 31:59 of the game. It was his first action since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Milwaukee when he injured his ankle.
Kevin Durant led the Nets with 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Brooklyn scored 56.3 percent and scored 13 of 19 shots in the fourth. James Harden made 18 while LaMarcus Aldridge added 13 runs.
Despite getting big games from Domantas Sabonis and Lance Stephenson, the Pacers dropped their sixth straight and took a double-digit lead at the Nets for the second time this season.
76ers 116, Magic 106
Joel Embiid scored 31 points and Seth Curry had 20 points and 12 assists, helping host Orlando at the Philadelphia Rally to return to the bench of head coach Doc Rivers.
After being named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December on Tuesday, Embiid scored 12-of-22 field goals and scored 7-of-10 free throws as Philadelphia extended their winning streak to five games.
Cole Anthony (sprained right ankle), who had not played since December 23 and missed 14 games this season due to injury, returned to the Magic for Magic despite briefly leaving in the third quarter with an injury to his left ankle. There were 26 points and seven assists. , Wendell Carter Jr. (non-COVID illness) had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double.
Jazz 115, Nuggets 109
Bojan Bogdanovic had a season-high 36 points and a career-best 13 rebounds, Rudy Gay scored 18 points and toured Utah to beat Denver.
Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points, Royce O'Neill had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson also scored 13 and Mike Connelly scored 10 for Utah, which has won 10 straight road games.
Nikola Jokic scored his 64th career triple-double with 26 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists, Monte Morris and Will Barton scored 20 points each, and Aaron Gordon had 17 points for Denver.
Heat 115, Trail Blazers 109
Max Strauss shot 7-of-13 from 3-point range and scored a team-high 25 points in his return, and Miami used an 18-4 run to stop hosts Portland in the fourth quarter.
On the back of shooting Strauss and Duncan Robinson, both of whom made their return from health and safety protocols, Miami hit 19-in-41 from 3-point range. Robinson scored all 12 of his points off the bench, shooting 4-of-6 from the deep.
Portland was behind almost all night, and was nearly 19 points behind in the second quarter. But behind Anferney Simmons, who scored a game-high 28 points, the Blazers pulled off the deficit.
Mavericks 99, Warriors 82
Luka Doncic went for a game-high 26 points and Dallas dominated visiting Golden State from both the 3-point and free-throw lines in an overnight win when host Dirk Nowitzki's number retired.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr combined for 31 points and six 3-pointers in the Mavericks' fourth straight win. Finney-Smith scored a total of 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting from long range, while Jalen Brunson had 15 points and Hardaway was 14 for the Mavericks, who went 1-11 this season on less than 100 points.
The Dallas defense outscored the visitors at 36-15, shooting Stephen Curry at 3-pointers at 1-for-9 and Golden State in 5-for-28 on aggregate, just beyond the arc.
Raptors 117, Box 111
Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 33 points as Milwaukee extended their winning streak to four games by visiting Toronto.
The 6-foot-9 forward shot 13 of 23 and also collected five rebounds and six assists to lead the Raptors over Milwaukee for the second time this season. Gary Trent Jr. and Ozzy Anunobi scored 22 points and Fred VanValet scored 19 points.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined due to a non-COVID illness, Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 25 points in 9 shooting 16. Jordan Navora added 17 points, and DeMarcus Cousins contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds from the bench. Jew Holiday filled the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds, and 12 assists.
Spurs 99, Celtics 97
DeJonte Murray had 22 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in his return from NBA health and safety protocols to help keep San Antonio away from hosts Boston.
Murray was removed from COVID protocol before the game and returned after missing five games. Derrick White and Devin Wassel added 17 points for Spurs, who broke a four-game losing streak. San Antonio held on after taking a 99–95 lead with 1:32 to play.
Boston's Jaylen Brown led all-scorers with 30 points, but missed a layoff as time ran out. Jason Tatum added 19 points and eight rebounds to return from COVID protocol in Boston's 10th loss in 16 games.
Hornet 140, Piston 111
Kelly Aubrey Jr. hit a career-high nine 3-point shots en route to 32 points as Charlotte toured Detroit.
Aubrey was 10-for-16 overall from the field, attempting 14 shots from 3-point range. Eight of his 3 runs came in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who scored 24 of 42 3-pointers in the game. Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward each scored 19 points to help the Hornets snap a two-game skid.
Trey Lyles led the Pistons with 17 points. Cade Cunningham added 16 points, Josh Jackson scored 15 and Saddiq Bay scored 11 points. Micah Potter had eight points but did not score in the second half.
Rockets 114, Wizards 111
Kevin Porter Jr. caught a step-back 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds and Christian Wood recorded his 18th double-double as Houston broke an eight-game skid with a win over hosts Washington.
Porter and Wood returned from a one-game suspension to help the Rockets recover from a late Wizards rally, a co-op by Kyle Kuzma (24 points, nine rebounds) and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope (26 points, five 3-pointers). -Author. Raul Neto tied the game 111-111 on the driving layup with 22.6 seconds.
But Porter, who scored just 3 for 13, scored his only field goal of the second half. Wood scored 22 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, while Jalen Greene added 22 points and Eric Gordon 19.
Timberwolves 98, Thunder 90
Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 22 points on an 8-for-17 shooting, and hosts Minnesota won over Oklahoma City.
Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in his return from a six-game absence in the league's COVID-19 protocol. D'Angelo Russell returned from a five-game absence in protocol and finished with six points on 3-for-12 shooting.
Shai Gilgius-Alexander led the Thunder with 19 points. Rookie Josh Giddy posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Aaron Wiggins finished with 11 points.
Hawks 108, Kings 102
Kevin Huerter scored a go-ahead layup and contributed 25 points and a season-best 11 rebounds from the bench to give Atlanta a win over hosts Sacramento.
Huerter scored 11 fourth-quarter points in a night playing without Hawks star Trey Young (back), who scored a career-best 56 points during Monday's 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Cam Radish scored 18 points for Atlanta, Danilo Gallinari 16 and Dylan Wright 15, winning just the fifth time in the last 15 matches. Timothée Luvavu-Caberot scored 14 points and Clint Capella added 11 points and 14 rebounds as the Hawks endured five consecutive losses in Sacramento.