Stephen Curry spoiled Klay Thompson’s return to San Francisco with a game-high 37 points, including 12 straight during a late flurry that lifted the Golden State Warriors to a 120-117 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA Cup opener on Tuesday night.
Thompson turned back the clock with 22 points and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 52 more, but the Mavericks scored only three points over the final 3:29 after taking a 114-108 lead.
Curry did all the Golden State scoring after that, including an interior hoop that put the Warriors on top for good at 115-114 with 1:50 remaining and a 3-pointer — followed by his trademark night-night gesture — to create a four-point lead with 27.5 seconds left.
Quentin Grimes kept Dallas’ hopes alive with a 3-pointer six seconds later, but Curry followed that with two free throws before Doncic missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds remaining.
Knicks 111, 76ers 99
OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Josh Hart recorded a triple-double as New York spoiled Joel Embiid’s season debut with a road win over Philadelphia.
After missing six games due to a lingering knee injury and three more following a suspension for shoving a reporter, Embiid returned to the court in a competitive setting for the first time since the Olympics. He played 26 minutes and shot 2 of 11 from the floor, finishing with 13 points, five assists and three rebounds.
Hart finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Paul George had 29 points and 10 rebounds to pace Philadelphia.
Pistons 123, Heat 121 (OT)
Malik Beasley made a go-ahead technical free throw with 1.1 seconds left in overtime and host Detroit escaped with a wild victory over Miami.
Tyler Herro (40 points), who scored the last nine points of regulation, all on 3-pointers, to force overtime, gave the Heat a two-point lead on a bank shot with 1.8 seconds left in the extra session. An alley-oop dunk by Jalen Duren off an inbounds pass tied the score. The Heat called a timeout they didn’t have, resulting in the technical and a 122-121 Pistons lead. Beasley then split two free throws after Miami was called for a take foul.
Beasley and Cade Cunningham notched 21 points apiece for Detroit. Herro’s 10 3-pointers tied a Heat record and are an NBA Cup single-game record.
Hawks 117, Celtics 116
Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals to lead visiting Atlanta to a victory over Boston.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White scored season highs of 37 points and 31 points, respectively, for the Celtics. White was 7 of 12 from 3-point territory and 10 of 15 overall, also adding six rebounds and five assists.
Atlanta took a 117-116 lead when Onyeka Okongwu tipped in a missed shot with 6.1 seconds to play. After each team turned the ball over in the final seconds, Brown missed a 13-foot jumper at the buzzer.
Magic 114, Hornets 89
Franz Wagner pumped in 32 points as Orlando cruised past visiting Charlotte.
Moritz Wagner scored 18 points off the bench and Jalen Suggs tallied all 17 of his points in the first half for Orlando, which has its first three-game winning streak of the season. Franz Wagner made 14 of 25 shots from the field as the Magic shot 46.2 percent overall.
LaMelo Ball’s 35 points and Grant Williams’ 15 points paced the Hornets, who have lost two straight games. Ball, who sank six shots from 3-point range, ended up with seven assists and six rebounds.
Bucks 99, Raptors 85
Giannis Antetokounmpo led five Milwaukee scorers in double figures in overcoming a monster night from Gradey Dick to beat visiting Toronto.
Bobby Portis had 17 points off the bench for the Bucks. Milwaukee played without star guard Damian Lillard (concussion protocol). He could return for Wednesday’s game against the Pistons.
Dick, the 20-year-old second-year pro from Kansas, finished with a career-high 32 points. Teammate Jakob Poeltl scored 13 points and had eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks, but the Raptors fell for the fifth straight game.
Suns 120, Jazz 112
Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combined to make 9 of 16 3-pointers en route to 31 and 24 points, respectively, and Phoenix downed Utah in Salt Lake City.
Mason Plumlee recorded a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds while starting in place of an injured Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) for Phoenix, which was also without All-NBA forward Kevin Durant due to a calf strain.
Jordan Clarkson’s 4-of-9 night led Utah to 15-of-38 shooting (39.5 percent) from 3-point range. Clarkson finished with 16 points off the bench. Jazz rookie Kyle Filipowski added 18 points off the bench, and Lauri Markkanen scored 17.
Trail Blazers 122, Timberwolves 108
Jerami Grant scored 21 points and Robert Williams III added 19 as Portland beat visiting Minnesota.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Trail Blazers, who made a season-high 18 3-pointers and snapped a three-game losing streak.
Naz Reid came off the bench to lead the Timberwolves with a season-high 28 points. Anthony Edwards scored 26 for Minnesota, which committed 23 turnovers.