NBA recap: Cavs set franchise mark with 9-0 start

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers tied the record for the best start in franchise history with a 131-122 victory over the 9-0 New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Mitchell led a balanced attack as six players scored in double figures – including Jarrett Allen (16 points and 14 rebounds) and Caris LeVert (16 points off the bench).

The 1976-77 Cavaliers started the season 8-0.

Zion Williamson scored 29 points to lead the Pelicans, while Jose Alvarado scored 27 and Brandon Ingram 20.

Nuggets 124, Thunder 122

Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 20 rebounds and 16 assists, Peyton Watson made a game-winning block with one second left and host Denver handed Oklahoma its first loss of the season.

Russell Westbrook scored 29 points and Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun added 24 each as Denver ended a four-game losing streak against Oklahoma City. Jokic recorded his fourth triple-double of the season.

Jalen Williams had 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who had started with seven straight wins. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 points.

Warriors 118, Celtics 112

Stephen Curry collected 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help visiting Golden State extend its winning streak to five games with a win over Boston.

The Warriors trailed by seven midway through the fourth quarter, but used a 16-4 run to take a 104-99 lead on a Curry layup with 2:30 left. Boston got within 115-112 when Payton Prichard made three free throws with 16 seconds left, but the Warriors completed the win by going 3 of 4 at the foul line the rest of the way.

Golden State, which improved to 5-0 on the road, made 12 of its 13 free throw attempts in the final quarter. Buddy Hield and Andrew Wiggins each added 16 points for Golden State. Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 32 points for the Celtics, whose three-game winning streak ended. Derrick White made seven 3-pointers and added 26 points.

Clippers 110, 76ers 98

Norman Powell scored 26 points and James Harden added 18 as Los Angeles spoiled Paul George's return with a win over visiting Philadelphia in Inglewood, California.

Ivica Zubac scored 15 points with nine rebounds and Derrick Jones Jr. added 14 points as the Clippers won their second straight home game after losing the first four at their new $2 billion arena, the Intuit Dome .

George scored 18 points for the 76ers in his second game of the season and first against his former team after leaving as a free agent in the offseason. The 76ers activated Joel Embiid (knee) for the first time this season, but the 2022-23 MVP remained out as he served a three-game suspension for an altercation with a newspaper columnist on Saturday.

Suns 115, heat 112

Kevin Durant scored 32 points and eight rebounds and host Phoenix edged Miami to extend its winning streak to six games.

Devin Booker added 22 points and nine assists and Jusuf Nurkic collected 20 points and 18 rebounds as Phoenix won for the seventh time in eight games this season.

Tyler Herro recorded 28 points and six assists and Haywood Highsmith added 19 points for the Heat. Miami had possession and had a chance to tie the game, but failed to get a shot off in the final seconds.

Hornets 108, Pistons 107

Brandon Miller's return at the buzzer after a missed 3-pointer gave Charlotte a dramatic win over Detroit.

Miles Bridges scored 27 points and LaMelo Ball scored five of his 25 points in the final minute to help the Hornets end a three-game losing streak.

Miller, who missed time earlier this season due to injury, finished the game with 19 points, blocking Grant Williams' missed three-pointer and scoring just in time. Cade Cunningham recorded a triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) in the loss.

Pacers 118, Magic 111

Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner each recorded double-doubles, and Tyrese Haliburton capped his 17-point performance with a late 3-pointer as Indiana beat Orlando in Indianapolis.

Orlando played without injured star Paolo Banchero – who scored 50 points when these two teams met last week – and the Magic lost for the fifth straight time.

Indiana jumped out to an early 18-point lead. However, the Magic fell short of Franz Wagner's game-high 28 points and kept the game competitive in the second half until Haliburton hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a five-point lead with 33 seconds left.

Mavericks 119, Bulls 99

Luka Doncic had 27 points and 13 assists to lead host Dallas past cold-shooting Chicago and hand the Bulls their third straight loss.

The Mavericks benefited from Chicago's weak transition defense, scoring 21 fast break points and leading by as many as 30 points.

The Bulls, playing without All-Star Zach LaVine (adductor strain), shot just 41.9 percent from the floor and made 12 of 42 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range. Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 14 points in 25 minutes.

Kings 122, Raptors 107

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, including 11 in a confident fourth quarter, to lead Sacramento past Toronto.

Keegan Murray combined 22 points with 12 rebounds, De'Aaron Fox contributed 21 points and Domantas Sabonis recorded his 61st career triple-double – and second in five days – with 17 points, 11 boards and 13 assists.

RJ Barrett scored 23 points and Davion Mitchell added 20 for the Raptors, who led by four points after three quarters before falling 33-14 in the fourth quarter.

Hawks 121, Knicks 116

Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall draft pick, set a career-high 33 points and seven rebounds to lead Atlanta past the visit to New York.

Risacher was 11 of 18 from the field, including 6 of 10 on 3-pointers, with three assists, three steals and two blocks to help the Hawks end a three-game home loss to the Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 34 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and Miles McBride came off the bench to contribute 16 points and seven assists.

Grizzlies 131, Lakers 114

Ja Morant scored 20 points before leaving the game late in the third quarter due to injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jaylen Wells also added 20 to lead Memphis to a victory over Los Angeles.

LeBron James had 39 points to lead the Lakers, who played without injured big man Anthony Davis, who was the NBA's leading scorer with 32.6 points per game. Austin Reaves added 19 for Los Angeles, which lost for the fourth time in five games.

Memphis was helped by its strong long-range shooting. The Grizzlies made 17 of 34 3-point shots, including 12 of 16 in the second half. Morant fell hard while attempting a left-handed dunk with 3:45 left in the third quarter. He went to the locker room and didn't return. He was later diagnosed with a right hamstring injury.

Rockets 127, Spurs 100

Fred VanVleet recorded his first double-double of the season, while Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun combined for 37 points as Houston earned a win over visiting San Antonio.

VanVleet scored 21 points with 10 assists and also grabbed seven rebounds while enjoying a remarkable shooting night. He finished 10 of 11 shots from the floor, including 9 for 9 from inside. Houston finished 44 for 69 (63.7 percent) on 2-point shots. Green (21 points, four 3-pointers) and Sengun (16 points) totaled 10 rebounds and eight assists.

The Spurs were undone by their 20 turnovers, which Houston converted into 20 points. Victor Wembanyama scored 15 points but missed 5 of 6 3-pointers, including his first five. Chris Paul, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham and Sandro Mamukelashvili each scored 10 points for San Antonio.

–Field level media