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Here is everything to know from Friday’s games:
NBA Scores & Highlights: Cleveland Cavaliers 132, Boston Celtics 123 (OT)
Top Cleveland Cavaliers Notes: It was an electrifying performance from Donovan Mitchell (41) and Caris LeVert (41) as they combined for 82 of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 132 points. Evan Mobley chipped in an impressive 19 points and 10 rebounds as well. The Cavs overcame a 15-point field half deficit to achieve their fourth straight win.
“For us to have the mental fortitude this early as a younger team that’s honestly trying to get to where the Celtics were last year and continue to build, that says a lot about our character without our elite guard, too,” Mitchell said.
Top Boston Celtics Notes: The Boston Celtics were led by their star wings, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brown finished with 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Meanwhile, Tatum was instrumental with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Finishing with 19 turnovers proved to be a problem.
“We have to have make winning plays,” Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We can’t take anything for granted.”
NBA Scores & Highlights: Milwaukee Bucks 119, New York Knicks 108
Top Milwaukee Bucks Notes: Giannis Antetokounmpo was brilliant for the Milwaukee Bucks once again. He had 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists against the New York Knicks. There were 7 total double-figure scoring performances for the Bucks with their whole starting lineup meeting the mark.
“We have the personnel that can defend on any given night,” Antetokounmpo said. “At the end of the day, as long as we defend, we put ourselves in position to win. That’s our identity moving forward. We cannot go away from that.”
Top New York Knicks Notes: Jalen Brunson had an underwhelming performance with 13 points and more turnovers (3) than assists (2). RJ Barrett led the way in the scoring department with 20 points. There was a clear struggle to score inside the 3-point line as The New York Knicks shot 25-58 (43.1%) on 2-point field goals.
“At the end, I thought we had more urgency and did a better job, but you have to play for 48 minutes against these guys,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I don’t think we did that.”
NBA Scores & Highlights: Philadelphia 76ers 112, Toronto Raptors 90
Top Philadelphia 76ers Notes: There wasn’t a higher-scoring performance in the NBA on Friday than the 44 points Tyrese Maxey provided the Philadelphia 76ers. He went 15-20 from the floor and 9-12 from 3-point range to help lead the squad without Joel Embiid in the lineup. It was an underwhelming game for James Harden (11) and Tobias Harris (13), who combined for an inefficient 24 points.
“I just know how good we can be, I know how talented we are, but we’ve got to match our talent with the energy that we play with, and defensive tenacity,” Maxey said. “Tonight we knew it was going to be extremely hard without Joel. That made guys step up, that made guys do things they don’t normally do.”
Top Toronto Raptors Notes: It was a rough offensive display from the Toronto Raptors. Pascal Siakam excelled once again with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. OG Anunoby chipped in 19 points and 9 rebounds, too. However, Fred VanVleet scored 1 point while shooting 0-11 from the floor and 0-8 from deep. Gary Trent Jr. scored only 14 points on mediocre efficiency, while the bench combined for 17 points.
“We just weren’t very sharp at either end,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
NBA Scores & Highlights: Minnesota Timberwolves 111, Los Angeles Lakers 102
Top Los Angeles Lakers Notes: Russell Westbrook came off the Los Angeles Lakers bench, and Anthony Davis was sidelined due to injury. Westbrook finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in 33 minutes. LeBron James struggled with his efficiency but totaled 28 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. The team is now 0-5 without much hope going forward.
“I think our offense is harming us right now,” James said. “Defensively, once again, we had a great game plan. We went out and competed, gave ourself a chance. Couple possessions here, couple possessions there didn’t go our way, but just keep hammering on.”
Top Minnesota Timberwolves Notes: With each of their stars surpassing the 20-point threshold, the Minnesota Timberwolves had no shortage of big games. Rudy Gobert racked up 22 points and 21 rebounds. Anthony Edwards led the team in scoring with 29 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in his time on the floor.
“I see a ton of growth opportunity within it on both sides of the ball, with the bench, with everything with the lineup combinations,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “I’m a prove-it-to-you guy. I still want to see it more.”
NBA Scores & Highlights: Indiana Pacers 127, Washington Wizards 117
Top Indiana Pacers Notes: With Rick Carlisle not coaching the game, the Indiana Pacers were led by assistant Lloyd Pierce. Myles Turner recorded an emphatic 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Tyrese Haliburton continued to shine with 25 points and 12 assists. The rest of the starting lineup impressed as Buddy Hield (25), Jalen Smith (15), and Aaron Nesmith (15) totaled 55 points.
“My plan wasn’t to do anything different with Coach out,” Pierce said. “It was to basically say the same message, empower the guys to do it with more freedom and confidence, and we have to turn around and try to do it again.”
Top Washington Wizards Notes: Bradley Beal set the tone for the Washington Wizards with 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. It was a strong outing for Kristaps Porzingis as he recorded 22 points and 6 rebounds. Kyle Kuzma deserves some shine with 18 points and 9 rebounds. The offense was productive but they were unable to come up with nearly enough stops on defense.
“We underestimated them. We came out overconfident maybe that we were going to get it done,” Porzingis said. “Against a team like that, once they start shooting, it’s tough. And then of course second half, we gave what we had and that was better. … But still, it’s hard to play uphill like that.”
NBA Scores & Highlights: Atlanta Hawks 136, Detroit Pistons 112
Top Atlanta Hawks Notes: Trae Young has struggled to score efficiently to start the season but found a major rhythm for the Atlanta Hawks against the Detroit Pistons. Young scored 35 points and shot 12-20 from the floor with 16 made free throws. Young also dished out 12 assists in addition to his high-volume scoring. Dejounte Murray added 26 points and 5 assists without a turnover.
“I was able to knock down some shots,” Young said. “I was pretty much getting the same looks. I was getting in the paint, still getting some open 3s, but I was able to knock them down tonight. That was the difference.”
Top Detroit Pistons Notes: It was the Cade Cunningham show for the Detroit Pistons, who finished with 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Bojan Bogdanovic has been hot to start the season and remained as such against the Atlanta Hawks with 22 points. There was a major failure from the unit to executive defensively.
“This is the first night I didn’t see that commitment on the defensive end of the floor,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “They shot almost 57% and that’s just a sign of lack of commitment.”
NBA Scores & Highlights: Charlotte Hornets 93, Orlando Magic 113
Top Orlando Magic Notes: Paolo Banchero was instrumental for the Orlando Magic with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists — extending his streak of consecutive 20-point performances to 6 games. Mo Bamba scored 19 points off the bench, while Wendell Carter Jr. (15), Franz Wagner (13), and Bol Bol (11) each exceeded the 10-point threshold.
“People hit me up after games and text me all these stats,” Banchero said. “Not to sound full of myself or anything, but it’s just kind of what I expect out of myself, playing at this level and being able to score. I just feel like I’ve been blessed by God with the body, the skill, the IQ, so what I’ve been doing is kind of what I expected to do.”
Top Charlotte Hornets Notes: This was about as ugly as it gets in 2022. The Charlotte Hornets scored a combined 30 points in the first half, with only 11 in the second quarter. Gordon Hayward finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Nick Richards had 14 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Other double-figure scores included Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) and James Bouknight (11).
“We couldn’t throw it in the ocean there in the second quarter and that hurts,” Hayward. “Playing against a team that’s that long, you have to make shots.”
NBA Scores & Highlights: San Antonio Spurs 129, Chicago Bulls 124
Top San Antonio Spurs Notes: Keldon Johnson set the tone for the San Antonio Spurs with a season-high 33 points while shooting 6-12 from 3-point range. The whole starting unit scored in double-figures, with Jakob Poeltl being a standout with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Zach Collins (16) and Blake Wesley (10) chipped in 26 points off the bench. The Spurs waived Josh Primo before the game.
“We’re a family and we stay together,” Johnson said. “We went out on the court and played hard. We’ve been playing hard all year and we continued that tonight.”
Top Chicago Bulls Notes: With Zach LaVine sidelined due to knee injury maintenance, the Chicago Bulls needed their stars to step up. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 33 points and received his biggest help from the bench as Coby White (19) and Andre Drummond (17) combined for 36 points. DeRozan became the 50th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points.
“I talked to him after the game, but it totally slipped my mind,” Johnson said. “I will probably shoot him a text after the game and chop it up with him and see how he feels.”
NBA Scores & Highlights: Denver Nuggets 117, Utah Jazz 101
Top Denver Nuggets Notes: The top Denver Nuggets standouts were Michael Porter Jr. and Bones Hyland. Porter finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds while going 4-5 from beyond the arc, but Hyland led the Nuggets in scoring with 26 points off the bench with 7 made 3-pointers. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were contained to a total of 25 points on the night.
“They think, ’Well, he’s nowhere near the (3-point) line, so he’s not going to shoot this,” Hyland said. “But I practice these shots, night in and night out. And I’m comfortable shooting farther than I am.”
Top Utah Jazz Notes: There wasn’t much to be excited about from the Utah Jazz’s perspective with this game. Lauri Makkanen finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the top performer for the team. Mike Conley had 14 points and 5 assists, while Collin Sexton (13) was the only other Jazz player to score double-figures.
“I thought for the most part we got good 3-point looks,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. JC going 0 for 7 is definitely an anomaly. I thought he took good ones.”
NBA Scores & Highlights: Phoenix Suns 124, New Orleans Pelicans 111
Top Phoenix Suns Notes: Deandre Ayton’s night was cut short after 8 minutes of action after being ruled out due to injury. Mikal Bridges led the way with 27 points and 4 assists, while Devin Booker had an underwhelming scoring outing with 16 points. There wasn’t much that stood out in this game other than a solid outing on both ends against a shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans team.
Top New Orleans Pelicans Notes: With Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram still sidelined due to injury, the New Orleans Pelicans attempted to overcome his absence. Jonas Valanciunas led with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Naji Marshall was again impressive with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. There was a lack of defensive execution against an elite NBA offense.
NBA Scores & Highlights: Portland Trail Blazers 125, Houston Rockets 111
Top Houston Rockets Notes: None of the Houston Rockets’ players managed to reach 20 points. It was Eric Gordon’s 18 points that led the team. Jalen Green was contained to 11 points as he shot 4-19 overall and 2-10 from 3-point range. Jabari Smith Jr. was limited to 12 points and shot 4-13 from the floor.
Top Portland Trail Blazers Notes: Damian Lillard was sidelined due to injury and will be re-evaluated in 1-to-2 weeks. Anfernee Simons stepped up in a major way with 30 points, including 7 made 3-pointers. Jusuf Nurkic provided 27 points and 15 rebounds. Jerami Grant (25) and Shaedon Sharpe (14) combined for an additional 29 points as they filled important roles, too.
