CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland scored 25 points, Donovan Mitchell added 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 6-0 with a 120-109 victory Friday night over the Orlando Magic, who played their first game without injured All-Star Paolo Banchero.
The Cavs are the only unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference. The last time Cleveland started 6-0 was in 2016 with LeBron James. The club’s best start was 8-0 in 1976.
The early meeting between Orlando and Cleveland was a rematch of last season’s tense opening-round playoff series won by the Cavs in seven games.
Banchero is expected to miss at least a month — and maybe longer — with a torn right oblique. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft was on an early tear, averaging 29 points with 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists before getting hurt Wednesday.
Orlando’s Jalen Suggs scored a career-high 28 points and had eight rebounds and seven assists. Franz Wagner had 17 points.
Cleveland rookie Luke Travers made his NBA debut. The Australian scored four points in garbage time.
KNICKS 128, PISTONS 98
DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 15 of his 36 points in the first quarter as New York beat Detroit for their 16th straight victory over the Pistons.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for New York, which never trailed and led by at least 20 points for the final 40 minutes. OG Anunoby scored 21 points as the Knicks’ starters scored 106 points.
Cade Cunningham had 22 points for the Pistons, who fall to 1-5, and Tobias Harris added 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Knicks tripled the Pistons’ scoring in the first quarter, taking a 39-13 lead, and were never threatened.
CELTICS 124, HORNETS 109
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 32 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 25 points and Boston pulled away late to win in a heated game in which two Charlotte players were ejected.
Derrick White had 17 points and Jrue Holiday chipped in with 14 for Boston.
LaMelo Ball had 31 points before fouling out to lead the Hornets, who continue to play without injured starters Brandon Miller and Mark Williams.
The game got chippy in the fourth quarter as Grant Williams was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 after he ran over Tatum near halfcourt. Moments later, Ball fouled Tatum on a 3-point attempt and was assessed a flagrant for a dangerous foul. Then in the closing seconds Miles Bridges was ejected.
The game featured new Hornets head coach Charles Lee facing the team he won an NBA championship with last season as an assistant coach.
The Hornets got a strong game out of rookie Tidjane Salaun, who had nine points on three 3s.
KINGS 123, HAWKS 115
ATLANTA (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored a season-high 31 points and Sacramento held off short-handed Atlanta for their third straight win.
DeMar DeRozan had 27, the fifth straight game he’s scored more than 20 since joining the Kings in the offseason. Domantas Sabonis scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds before fouling out, his fourth double-double in five games.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 25 points and 12 assists and Garrison Mathews hit a career-high seven 3-pointers off the bench en route to 23 points.
The Hawks played without starters De’Andre Hunter and Dyson Daniels, plus rotation players Bogdan Bogdanovic, Vit Krejci and Kobe Bufkin due to injury.
The Kings outrebounded the Hawks 50-41 and did not trail for the final 47 minutes of the game.
NETS 120, BULLS 112
NEW YORK (AP) — Cam Thomas scored 10 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to help Brooklyn beat Chicago.
Thomas scored eight straight points to give the Nets a 118-109 lead with 1:52 left.
Cam Johnson added 14 points in Brooklyn’s second straight victory. Nic Claxton and Keon Johnson each had 12 points, and Ben Simmons had eight points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting and had 11 rebounds. Zach LaVine and Coby White each added 21 points, with White going 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
LAKERS 131, RAPTORS 125
TORONTO (AP) — Anthony Davis scored a season-high 38 points and had 12 rebounds, LeBron James had 27 points and 10 assists, and Los Angeles never trailed in a win over Toronto.
Austin Reaves scored 20 points and D’Angelo Russell had 19 as the Lakers built a lead that the Raptors were unable to overcome.
Los Angeles led by as many as 26 in its fourth consecutive win over Toronto before the Raptors battled back in the second half.
RJ Barrett had a season-high 33 points and a career-high 12 assists, but Toronto lost its fourth straight. Gradey Dick scored a career-high 31 points and Jakob Poeltl had 19 points and 12 rebounds.
After scoring his first career basket in Wednesday’s loss at Cleveland, Lakers rookie Bronny James checked in for the final 7.6 seconds.
PELICANS 125, PACERS 118
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson had 34 points and 10 assists, Brandon Ingram added 26 points and New Orleans snapped a three-game skid with a victory over Indiana.
Jordan Hawkins scored 23 points for New Orleans and reserve Brandon Boston Jr. added 14 points.
Ben Sheppard hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Indiana, which led by 13 points in the first half but lost two players to injuries.
Nesmith was leading the Pacers with 12 points when he left with a left ankle sprain in the first half. Center Isaiah Jackson, who had six points and eight rebounds, was helped off the court with an apparent right leg injury in the fourth quarter.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 19 points for Indiana. Pascal Siakam had 16 points, and Tyrese Haliburton had 11 points and 11 assists.
TIMBERWOLVES 119, NUGGETS 116
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards hit a go-ahead 7-foot floater with 25.7 seconds left, and Rudy Gobert iced the game with two free throws to lead past .
Edwards scored 29 points, Gobert had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Julius Randle added 23 points and seven assists for the Timberwolves, who recovered from a 25-3 fourth-quarter run by the Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds and hit two free throws with 2:30 left to put Denver up 116-109, before Minnesota roared back. Jokic had a chance to tie the game at 119, but Gobert forced an errant corner 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds to go.
Gordon led the Nuggets with 31 points and 11 rebounds in a rematch of last season’s
Michael Porter Jr. added 26 points for the Nuggets, who lost point guard Jamal Murray to the concussion protocol in the third quarter after colliding with Randle.
THUNDER 137, TRAIL BLAZERS 114
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anthony Edwards hit a go-ahead 7-foot floater with 25.7 seconds left, and Rudy Gobert iced the game with two free throws to lead past .
Edwards scored 29 points, Gobert had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Julius Randle added 23 points and seven assists for the Timberwolves, who recovered from a 25-3 fourth-quarter run by the Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds and hit two free throws with 2:30 left to put Denver up 116-109, before Minnesota roared back. Jokic had a chance to tie the game at 119, but Gobert forced an errant corner 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds to go.
Gordon led the Nuggets with 31 points and 11 rebounds in a rematch of last season’s
Michael Porter Jr. added 26 points for the Nuggets, who lost point guard Jamal Murray to the concussion protocol in the third quarter after colliding with Randle.
The Associated Press