NBA scores for Wednesday, October 26
• Miami Heat 108, Orlando Magic 96
• Indiana Pacers 130, Dallas Mavericks 121 (ot)
• Boston Celtics 122, Brooklyn Nets 117
• Toronto Raptors 109, Detroit Pistons 91
• Charlotte Hornets 107, Milwaukee Bucks 96
• Memphis Grizzlies 102, Minnesota Timberwolves 98
• Denver Nuggets 107, New Orleans Pelicans 102
• Oklahoma City Thunder 103, Philadelphia 76ers 97
• Sacramento Kings 113, Phoenix Suns 94
• Los Angeles Lakers 120, Houston Rockets 114
Anthony Davis isn’t saying he needs to score 50 points every night. But he’s kind of saying he might need to score 50 points every night.
The ultra-talented New Orleans Pelicans forward, who suffered through various knocks and decreased production last season, emerged with a roar to start the 2016/17 campaign on Wednesday night. It just wasn’t enough.
Davis scored 50 points on 17-of-34 shooting, grabbed 16 rebounds and an astonishing seven steals and four blocks (with five assists for good measure) and his Pelicans were still beaten 107-102 by the Denver Nuggets.
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“I’m going to have to – probably not 50 every night – but try to get somewhere along those lines every game to give ourselves a chance,” Davis said.
Denver coach Mike Malone had apparently decided the Nuggets should not in fact do whatever it takes to stop Anthony Davis.
Instead, the Nuggets stuck to their usual defensive principles against New Orleans and it paid off – barely. Jusuf Nurkic scored 23 points, Will Barton added 22, and Denver survived Davis’ dominant performance.
“When you play against a great player, you have a problem you need to answer: Are you going to shut him down and create problems elsewhere, or are you going to let him get his and hope nobody else goes off?,” Malone said.
Denver did the latter. and Davis didn’t get much help offensively. The rest of the Pelicans combined to shoot 21-of-58.
Davis didn’t fault his teammates for the loss, saying their shot selection was decent but that they missed shots they often make. He was more inclined to criticize himself for a few missed shots from close range and his late turnover.
“We gave them too many easy looks in the beginning of the game,” Davis said. “We gave ourselves a chance. We’ve just got to play like we played in the third and fourth quarter in the beginning of the game.”
Tim Frazier scored 15 for the Pelicans. E’Twaun Moore added 10 points, but missed a three-point attempt that could have tied it with 24 seconds left.
Danilo Gallinari scored 15 for Denver, Wilson Chandler added 12 points and Kenneth Faried finished with 14 rebounds – six on the offensive end to help Denver finished with a 14-3 advantage in second-chance points.
Elsewhere
The new-look Los Angeles Lakers, with Kobe Bryant retired and coach Luke Walton at the helm, opened their season with a 120-114 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to score 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. D’Angelo Russell scored 20 points and Julius Randle added 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, who overcame James Harden’s 34 points and career-high 17 assists for Houston – who lost in former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni’s first game in charge of the Rockets.
“It feels good,” said Walton, a former Laker who cut his coaching teeth as an assistant to Steve Kerr at Golden State.
“It feels really good. The guys really fought tonight. A big part of what we’re trying to do here is develop this identity, this culture ... learning how to win games is a skill at this level. We did some things that could have cost us the win at the end of the game tonight, so obviously we can learn from that – and that fact that we still got that win feels really good.”
The Miami Heat, forging ahead after the free agent departure of Dwyane Wade, opened the season with a 108-96 victory over the Magic in Orlando.
The Heat made up for what they lack in star power with energy, a well-balanced attack and determined defense.
Hassan Whiteside scored 18 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked four shots.
“We need Hassan to be great, and he was when we needed him,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He really anchored us defensively and ignited everyone out there.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder, also adjusting to the departure of a star after Kevin Durant signed as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors, leaned on Russell Westbrook for 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a 103-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan poured in 40 points to lead the Raptors to a 109-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
DeRozan connected on 17-of-27 shots from the field and six of six free throws in what coach Dwane Casey called “one of the most efficient” performances he’d seen from his star.
Isaiah Thomas had 25 points and Jae Crowder scored 21 as the Celtics edged the Nets 122-117, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returned to the Hornets after missing nearly all of last season with a serious injury and scored 23 points with 14 rebounds in a 107-96 win over the Bucks, nullifying Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 31-point effort, second-year player Myles Turner scored 30 and grabbed 16 boards as the Pacers edged the Mavericks 130-121 in overtime, young Minnesota stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins combined for 46 points but in a 102-98 losing effort to Memphis and DeMarcus Cousins scored 24 as Sacramento beat Phoenix comfortably 113-94.
*Associated Press, AFP, The National Staff
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