S44 p o r t s FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 Lakers shoot down Rockets Thunder spoil Embiid’s Sixers debut LOS ANGELES: Jordan Clarkson scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers won coach Luke Walton’s debut, holding off the Rockets. D’Angelo Russell scored 20 points and Julius Randle added 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the young Lakers, who got off to an exciting start in the fran- chise’s first season without Kobe Bryant since 1995. With a revamped roster coming off the worst season in the 16-time champion team’s history, Los Angeles surged in the fourth quar- ter of an auspicious opener under Walton, the 36-year-old for- mer Lakers forward. James Harden had 34 points, a career-high 17 assists and eight rebounds for the Rockets, who lost in for- mer Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni’s debut on the Houston bench. Pacers 130, Mavericks 121 Myles Turner scored 30 points, tied his career high with 16 rebounds and made a 3-pointer with 1:18 left in overtime to start an 8-0 run that allowed the Indiana Pacers to close out a 130-121 victory Wednesday night over the Dallas Mavericks. Three-time All-Star Paul George added 25 points, including another 3 with 55 seconds left to seal Indiana’s fifth season- opening win in six years. Deron Williams scored 25 points, while JJ Barea and Dirk Nowitzki each added 22 as the Mavs lost their fifth straight in the series. They still haven’t won in Indianapolis since February 2014. Dallas didn’t tie the score or take a lead until the fourth quarter, yet still forced overtime when Harrison Barnes’ open 3-pointer made it 115-all with 2.3 seconds left. Turner could have won it with a long buzzer-beat- ing 3, but it bounced off the back of the rim. THUNDER 103, 76ERS 97 Russell Westbrook had 32 points, 12 rebounds and took over late to lead the Thunder to a victory over the 76ers. Westbrook scored the decisive points on opening night for the Thunder in their first game since franchise star Kevin Durant left in free agency and signed with the Golden State Warriors. Joel Embiid scored 20 points in 22 minutes in his first game for the Sixers since they made him the No 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Embiid had sat out the last two seasons with foot injuries. He received a roaring ovation when he was introduced and fans went wild on every shot. NUGGETS 107, PELICANS 102 Jusuf Nurkic scored 23 points, Will Barton added 22, and the Nuggets survived a dominant performance by Anthony Davis to defeat the Pelicans. Davis had 50 points, 16 rebounds, seven steals, five assists and four blocks. His production helped New Orleans trim a deficit as large as 14 late in the second quarter down to two points in the waning minutes. He simply didn’t have enough help. The rest of the Pelicans combined to shoot LOS ANGELES: Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon, right, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr 21 of 58. Tim Frazier scored 15 for the Pelicans. E’Twaun Moore defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Oct 26, 2016 in Los Angeles. — AP added 10 points, but missed a 3-point attempt that could have tied it with 24 seconds left. Danilo Gallinari scored 15 for them 52-44. Vucevic finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds record a 30-point opening-night game, in the franchise’s first- Denver and Wilson Chandler added 12 points. while Evan Fournier added 20 points. Ibaka, making his debut ever game, also against New Jersey, in 1995. with the Magic, managed 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting. HORNETS 107, BUCKS 96 GRIZZLIES 102, TIMBERWOLVES 98 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 23 points and 14 rebounds in his CELTICS 122, NETS 117 Mike Conley scored 24 points, Marc Gasol added 18 and the return from a shoulder injury, Roy Hibbert added 15 points, and Isaiah Thomas had 25 points and nine assists, Jae Crowder Grizzlies overcame a slow start for a victory over the the Hornets opened their season with a victory over the Bucks. added 21 points and Al Horford pitched in 11 in his Boston Timberwolves. Conley and Gasol led a push down the stretch The Hornets led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter debut as the Celtics survived a late scare to beat the Nets. as the Grizzlies erased a 90-86 deficit the final 2:44. Zach before fending off a late charge from Milwaukee. The Bucks, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 for Brooklyn, including a 3-pointer Randolph had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis. who looked lackluster for much of the game, drew energy from to make it 120-117 with 47 seconds left after the Nets erased Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 25 points, while Greg Monroe’s hustle in the paint and Jason Terry’s floater that most of a 23-point deficit against the Boston bench. But he Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21. Zach LaVine added 19 cut the lead to 93-85 with 5:08 left. But the Hornets held on missed one with a chance to tie it after Joe Harris intercepted points. The game was the debut of two coaches with new down the stretch, getting a straightaway 3 from Marvin Thomas’ cross-court pass, and the Celtics were able to hold on. teams, Tom Thibodeau for Minnesota and former Miami Heat Williams for a 12-point lead with 3:21 left. The 7-foot-2 Hibbert Justin Hamilton came off the bench to score 19 points and grab assistant David Fizdale with Memphis. Both teams had big runs had a couple of rim-rocking dunks in the third quarter that 10 rebounds for the Nets in coach Kenny Atkinson’s debut. in the game, Minnesota at the start and Memphis to open the helped build the 20-point lead. Giannis Antetokounmpo led second half. Then the game settled into a tight affair in the the Bucks with 31 points. RAPTORS 109, PISTONS 91 fourth quarter. DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points and Jonas Valanciunas HEAT 108, MAGIC 96 added a career-high 32 as the Raptors opened their season KINGS 113, SUNS 94 Miami center Hassan White had 18 points, 14 rebounds and with a victory over the Pistons. DeRozan made a career-high 17 DeMarcus Cousins scored 24 points, Rudy Gay added 22 and four blocked shots and point guard Goran Dragic added 16 field goals on 27 shots and was a perfect 6 for 6 from the free the Kings beat the Suns in the season opener for both teams. points as the Heat cruised to a season-opening victory over the throw line, while Valanciunas was 10 for 15 from the field to go The Kings won an opener for the first time in three years and Magic. The Heat, taking advantage of the one-game suspen- along with 11 rebounds. Valanciunas’ previous career high was gave coach Dave Joerger a victory in his Sacramento debut. sion of Orlando center Bismack Biyombo, dominated inside all 31, also against the Pistons, on Jan 12, 2015. Tobias Harris had Sacramento used an 18-1 first-half run to take control and was game with Whiteside and Willie Reed off the bench. Neither 22 points and Marcus Morris had 17 points and nine rebounds up by as many as 26 points in the third quarter. Devin Booker, Nikola Vucevic nor Serge Ibaka could match the athleticism for the Pistons, who lost for the eighth time in their last 11 plagued by foul trouble, scored 18 points for the Suns. Eric and strength of the 7-foot Whiteside inside. The new-look Heat, games against Toronto. DeRozan broke Vince Carter’s opening- Bledsoe added 16 and TJ Warren had 14. Dragan Bender, the playing without Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh this season, night record of 39 points, set against the-then New Jersey Nets 18-year-old fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, scored 10 outscored the Magic in the paint 74-36 and outrebounded in 2003. Alvin Robertson is the only other Toronto player to points for Phoenix, all in the second half. — AP .