PHILADELPHIA (AP) — James Harden had 29 points and 11 assists, and Joel Embiid scored 26 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to their first win of the season, 120-106 over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.
The Sixers started 0-3, dropping the first two games to Eastern Conference contenders Boston and Milwaukee. Embiid dropped 40 points in a loss to San Antonio as the Sixers still joined Orlando as the only East teams at 0-3.
No more.
Harden made 10 of 18 shots from the floor and hit two straight 3s in the fourth that pushed the lead to 109-95.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 19 points and 10 assists. Buddy Hield had 18 points.
GRIZZLIES 134, NETS 124
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant and Desmond Bane scored 38 points each to lead the Grizzlies to a victory over the Nets.
Morant and Bane also each had seven assists each. Bane, who struggled shooting to start the season, was 14 of 21 overall and 8 of 11 from 3-point range, the eight 3-pointers a career-high. Santi Aldama scored 17 points for Memphis.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving each scored 37 points for the Nets, Nic Claxton finished with 16 points.
Memphis broke open a close game with a 17-2 run early in the third quarter. Bane scored 19 in the period. Durant was able to keep the Nets close but had little help as the Grizzlies extended their lead to as many as 15. Despite Durant’s 17 in the quarter, Memphis outscored the Nets 45-28 in the third.
Memphis never relinquished its lead in the fourth.
ROCKETS 114, JAZZ 108
HOUSOTN (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. scored 26 points and Jalen Green added 25 to lead the previously winless Rockets to a victory over the Jazz, handing them their first loss of the season.
Utah and Portland began the day as the only undefeated teams in the Western Conference, both at 3-0. Houston entered 0-3.
The Rockets led much of the way, building a 10-point lead in the first half, but Utah tied it before Eric Gordon’s layup gave Houston a 110-108 advantage with 1:23 remaining.
Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr., the third overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, made all four of his free throws in the last 24.5 seconds to seal it. Smith finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Jazz, led by Jordan Clarkson’s 17 points. Lauri Markannen had 14, and Kelly Olynyk, Jarred Vanderbilt and Simone Fontecchio each added 13.
RAPTORS 98, HEAT 90
MIAMI (AP) —- Fred VanVleet scored 24 points, Pascal Siakam added 23 and the Raptors rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Heat.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points, including a 3-pointer that put Toronto up by six with 22.6 seconds left. Precious Achiuwa grabbed 22 rebounds for the Raptors, the most ever by a Toronto reserve.
Toronto outscored Miami 27-14 in the fourth quarter, getting five 3’s in the final 12 minutes. The Raptors outscored the Heat 42-24 from 3-point range.
Jimmy Butler scored 26 points for Miami, which got 22 points and 15 rebounds from Tyler Herro. Bam Adebayo had 14 points and Duncan Robinson added 12 for the Heat.
TRAIL BLAZERS 135, NUGGETS 110
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anfernee Simons had 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, and the Trail Blazers won their fourth straight game to start the season with a victory over the Nuggets.
Simons had 22 points and six 3s in the third quarter alone as Portland became the only 4-0 team in the NBA. Damian Lillard finished with 31 points and eight assists for the Blazers, who took over in the second half after a sluggish start. The last time they opened 4-0 was 1999.
Aaron Gordon scored 26 for the Nuggets (2-2). Nikola Jokic, who had consecutive triple-doubles in Denver’s previous two games, got into foul trouble and finished with nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
The Nuggets, with their bigger lineup, led by 11 early. Gordon’s dunk gave Denver a 53-40 advantage.
KNICKS 115, MAGIC 102
NEW YORK (AP) — Julius Randle had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the Knicks kept No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero and the Magic winless.
RJ Barrett added 20 points for the Knicks, who have won two straight since a season-opening overtime loss in Memphis. Mitchell Robinson shot 6 for 7 and scored 14.
Banchero scored 21 points to become just the third No. 1 pick to open a career with four consecutive games of 20 or more points, but the wait continues for his first win as a pro.
Bol Bol added 19 points off the bench and Wendell Carter Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
SPURS 115, TIMBERWOLVES 106
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Devin Vassell scored 23 points and Jakob Poeltl added 14 points and 14 rebounds to help the Spurs beat the Timberwolves.
The Spurs jumped out to a 20-point lead in the second quarter and expanded the lead to 35 points early in the fourth quarter before the Timberwolves rallied.
Karl Anthony Towns had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Minnesota.
BULLS 120, CELTICS 102
CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, Nikola Vucevic added 18 points and 23 rebounds, and the Bulls wiped out a big early deficit to beat the Celtics.
The Bulls went from trailing by 19 in the first quarter with Jayson Tatum providing an early spark for Boston to leading by 16 near the end of the half. They then went on a big run after the lead dwindled to three early in the third and handed the Celtics their first loss after a 3-0 start.
Ayo Dosunmu scored 22. Zach LaVine, playing his second game after missing the first two, added 19 points, helping the Bulls stop a two-game skid and pick up their first win since the opener at Miami.
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The Associated Press
