Evan Fournier scored a career-high 32 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 56.1 seconds left in the second overtime Wednesday night for the host New York Knicks, who squandered an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter before edging the Boston Celtics 138-134 in an entertaining season opener for both teams.
Fournier, who spent last season with the Celtics, scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and both overtimes as he became the first player in Knicks history to score 30 points in his debut for the team.
Jaylen Brown, who was activated from the Covid-19 list prior to the game, scored a career-high 46 points for the Celtics. That was the highest total by a player in a season opener in franchise history and one point shy of Larry Bird’s record for the most points scored by a Boston player against New York.
Julius Randle scored 35 points and added nine assists and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2012-13.
LaMelo Ball scored 31 points and P.J. Washington sank two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining to lift host Charlotte Hornets past Indiana Pacers 123-122.
Torrey Craig drained a pair of free throws to give the Pacers a 122-121 lead with 12.4 seconds left. Craig’s foul at the other end of the floor set the stage for Washington, who sank his two shots from the charity stripe.
Gordon Hayward scored 27 points for Charlotte, which was facing Indiana for the first time since dropping a 144-117 decision in a play-in tournament game on May 18.
Joel Embiid scored 22 points and Tobias Harris had a double-double as visiting Philadelphia 76ers pulled away 117-97 from New Orleans Pelicans in the season opener for a pair of short-handed teams.
Harris had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Furkan Korkmaz scored 18 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Sixers outscored the Pelicans 36-27 in the final period. Sixers guard Ben Simmons was serving a one-game suspension imposed by coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday for conduct detrimental to the team.
Brandon Ingram scored 25 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 23 and Devonte’ Graham added 18 for New Orleans. Pelicans forward Zion Williamson missed the game and is sidelined indefinitely because of offseason foot surgery.
Ja Morant poured in a game-high 37 points, including two huge hoops after Cleveland Cavaliers closed the gap late, as host Memphis Grizzlies spoiled the NBA debut of Evan Mobley with a 132-121 victory in both teams’ opener.
Desmond Bane and De’Anthony Melton had 22 and 20 points, respectively, while Steven Adams snatched a game-high 14 rebounds in his Grizzlies debut.
Mobley, the No. 3 pick in the July draft, had 17 points, a team-high-tying nine rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, who lost despite shooting 50.5 percent from the field.
Visiting Denver Nuggets used one of Phoenix Suns’ primary weapons to good effect, riding balanced scoring to a 110-98 victory over the defending Western Conference champions on Opening Night.
