(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights from National Basketball Association games on Wednesday:
Bucks 108, Celtics 100
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks spoiled the Boston Celtics’ emotional home opener with a 108-100 victory Wednesday night.
Boston, which lost for the second straight night under the cloud of the gruesome injury sustained by newcomer Gordon Hayward in Cleveland on Tuesday, appeared to tire late as the Bucks turned a six-point, fourth-quarter deficit into a win.
Hayward addressed the crowd pregame from his hospital bed, stating, “I’m gonna be all right.” Hayward was undergoing surgery on Wednesday night, his father Tweeted.
Trail Blazers 124, Suns 76
Damian Lillard scored 27 points and Portland handed Phoenix its worst loss in the 50-year history of the franchise.
The previous worst loss by a Suns team was by 44 points (151-107) to the Seattle SuperSonics on April 2, 1988. Phoenix trailed by as many as 58 points (118-60) midway through the fourth quarter and more than 50 until the final minute.
Rockets 105, Kings 100
James Harden scored nine of his 27 points during a decisive fourth-quarter spurt as Houston topped Sacramento.
Harden, playing 38 minutes one night after scoring a game-high 27 in a 122-121 victory over the defending champion Golden State Warriors, nailed three 3-pointers as the Rockets stretched a 75-74 lead to 92-81 over a five-minute stretch of the final quarter.
Wizards 120, 76ers 115
John Wall scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half, Bradley Beal had 25 and Washington opened the season with a victory over Philadelphia.
Marcin Gortat had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Wizards. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jodie Meeks each scored 14 points off the bench for Washington, which opened at home for the first time since 2011.
Pacers 140, Nets 131
Victor Oladipo scored 22 points to lead eight Indiana players in double figures as the Pacers topped Brooklyn in the season opener for both teams.
Oladipo, a former Indiana University standout, was making his regular-season debut after coming to Indiana from Oklahoma City with Domantas Sabonis in the Paul George trade. Sabonis scored 16 points.
Spurs 107, Timberwolves 99
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead San Antonio over Minnesota in the season opener for both teams.
Danny Green added 17 points for the Spurs, who won the first game of their season for the 19th time in the 21 years Gregg Popovich has been coach. Dejounte Murray hit for 16 while Rudy Gay scored 14, and Kyle Anderson tallied 12 points and took nine rebounds for San Antonio.
Grizzlies 103, Pelicans 91
Mike Conley scored 27 points as Memphis defeated New Orleans in the season opener for both teams.
The Pelicans got double-doubles from Anthony Davis (33 points, 18 rebounds) and DeMarcus Cousins (28 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks). Cousins also picked up his first technical of the season with 50 seconds left.
Jazz 106, Nuggets 96
Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Alec Burks added 16 points off the bench to lift Utah over Denver in the opener for both teams.
Derrick Favors added 14 points and Joe Johnson chipped in 13 for the Jazz. Utah used hot fourth-quarter shooting to rally after trailing by as many as 15 points, going 9 of 18 from the field in the final 12 minutes.
Hawks 117, Mavericks 111
Dennis Schroder scored 28 points to lead Atlanta past Dallas in the season opener for both teams.
Marco Belinelli and John Collins combined to add 34 points off the bench as Atlanta extended its winning streak to eight against Dallas. With the score tied at 111, Dewayne Dedmon gave Atlanta the lead for good with a rebound and putback with 58 seconds left.
Pistons 102, Hornets 90
Tobias Harris poured in 27 points, and Detroit celebrated its first regular-season game at Little Caesars Arena with a victory over Charlotte.
Harris also grabbed 10 rebounds in the new downtown building. Avery Bradley, who was acquired in a trade with Boston during the summer, had 15 points in his Pistons debut. Langston Galloway contributed 16 points off the bench.
Magic 116, Heat 109
Evan Fournier scored 23 points, including seven in the last two minutes, to lead Orlando over Miami.
It was the first time since 2012 the Magic won their season opener. Orlando rode a well-balanced attack with six players scoring at least 12 points. Nikola Vucevic led the way with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Terrence Ross had 15 points.
