Bronny James scores the first points of his NBA career, 21 years and one day after LeBron's first in the league

CNN
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“We want Bronny! We want Bronny!”

That was the chant from a crowd eager to see Bronny James on Wednesday, but it came mostly from opposing fans.

In particular, Cleveland Cavaliers fans who wanted to see the son of franchise hero LeBron James wanted to spend some time on the court during the visit of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers head coach JJ Reddick finally obeyed and brought Bronny into the game in the fourth quarter to loud applause from the Cleveland crowd.

With just over two minutes left, the younger James gave the crowd the moment they had been waiting for, scoring his first career NBA points on a jump shot. There was great cheering in the arena.

In the context of the game, the shot mattered little as the Cavaliers cruised to a 134-110 win over the Lakers, but it was a moment that the crowd – and Bronny and LeBron – will likely remember forever.

Both men were born in Akron, just outside of Cleveland, and LeBron led his hometown Cavaliers to their first and only NBA championship in 2016 and led a historic comeback against the Golden State Warriors.

The pair made history on the opening day of the season when they became the first father-son duo to appear in an NBA game together. Before Wednesday's game, Bronny posted photos on and “Welcome home, LeBron.” .”

Bronny called the atmosphere in the arena “insane.”

“A lot more than I expected, but it’s all love,” he said. “It was a beautiful moment. The chants really got me. I had no expression on my face, but I felt it and it felt really good, especially from here. It was definitely a special moment for me.”

Bronny added that he had dreamed of scoring his first NBA basket, 21 years and one day after LeBron's first points in the league, “since I picked up a ball.”

“I watched this guy play in the league for a minute,” he said, pointing at LeBron. “I just dream that I follow in the footsteps of these players, not just him, but also the players he played against and with. For me it was just a dream come true.”

There was a comical moment when the TV cameras panned to a completely expressionless – and seemingly emotionless – LeBron on the sideline after Bronny scored his basket, but the 39-year-old smiled proudly as he watched throughout the postgame press conference Son speaks to reporters.

“He’s better than I would have been in that situation,” LeBron said. “20,000 fans screaming my name to get into the game and wanting me to get involved and if the role was reversed I don’t know if I would have been able to cope.”

“So I praise him for his composure and the way he approaches not only the game but life in general.

“To see him get his first NBA basket in this arena where he grew up not far from here is an incredible moment. An incredible moment for him, but especially for our family. It’s just pretty cool to be a part of it.”

The Pacers hand the Celtics their first loss of the season

The Indiana Pacers survived a major comeback attempt by the Boston Celtics, handing the defending champions their first loss of the season on Wednesday.

Indiana's brilliant offense built a 24-point lead in the third quarter, but then capitulated late on, allowing Boston to tie the game and go into overtime.

But Indiana, defeated by the Celtics in last season's Eastern Conference finals, showed impressive resolve to stave off Boston's advance and earn a 135-132 victory thanks to a Pascal Siakam three-pointer with six seconds left.

Siakam, who lost all nine games he played against the Celtics last season with the Pacers and Toronto Raptors, finished the game with 29 points – 6 of 8 from deep -, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Bennedict Mathurin scored a massive 30 points and 11 rebounds on the night in one of the best games of his young career, while Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 12 assists.

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 37 points, while Jaylen Brown added 25 and Derrick White 23.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 44 points as the New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat 116-107 on Wednesday.

In his best performance for his new franchise since joining from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns shot an efficient 68% from the floor, including 4 of 5 from three-point range, and grabbed 13 rebounds.

The Knicks trailed by 13 points in the third quarter, but went on a breakout run to build a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Jalen Brunson had 22 points and nine assists for the Knicks, while Josh Hart posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Tyler Herro had 34 points for the Heat and hit eight triples as well as five rebounds and seven assists.

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo continued their slow start to the season with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

Away at home (winners in bold)

Los Angeles Lakers 110-134 Cleveland Cavaliers

Boston Celtics 132-135 (OT) Indiana Pacers

New York Knicks 116-107 Miami Heat

Atlanta Hawks 120-133 Washington Wizards

Detroit Pistons 105-95 Philadelphia 76ers

Toronto Raptors 133-138 Charlotte Hornets

Brooklyn Nets 119-106 Memphis Grizzlies

Orlando Magic 99-102 Chicago Bulls

San Antonio Spurs 93-105 Oklahoma City Thunder

New Orleans Pelicans 89-104 Golden State Warriors

Portland Trail Blazers 106-105 Los Angeles Clippers