Despite improving to a 7-1 record by beating the Boston Celtics, Steph Curry insists the Golden State Warriors "haven't done anything yet".
Curry impressed in the Warriors' 118-112 victory over the reigning NBA champions, as he finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and four steals.
He played 34 minutes after missing a week with a sprained ankle, and moved to 30th on the NBA's all-time scoring list, passing Charles Barkley when he scored the 23,747th point of his career in the third quarter.
The win moved the Warriors joint-top of the Western Conference, but despite what looks to be a statement win, Curry was not getting ahead of himself.
"We haven't done anything yet," Curry said.
"A good team, or a relevant team, wins the games they are supposed to win, you steal a couple on the road against good teams, you protect your home court. We've done those things so far, but we got two more games on this road trip, two tough tests.
"So, I like where we're at, obviously. But [there's a] long way to go.
"Until proven otherwise, that's how we have to play [splitting up the contributors]. And we've talked about it.
"Coach has talked about it until he's blue in the face already. Every practice, every film session, every pregame, it's the same message. So, it is who we are right now. It's who we have to be."
The Celtics had taken the lead in the first quarter after a strong start, but they struggled to cope as the Warriors' constant rotation among defenders wreaked havoc on the hosts' offense.
Boston committed 12 turnovers as they failed to find their rhythm for most of the game, though coach Joe Mazzulla was fairly pleased with how his team adapted.
"They're physical, so they force you to fight for your space," Mazzulla said. "They have active hands, so I think in the first half, they got a ton of deflections.
"They were able to get some stuff there, but I thought we did a better job of handling the physicality in the second half and just have to put - again, we talk physicality, it's just as much about defense as offense.
"So, it took us a little while to get adjusted to that. Once we did, we executed really well. And then it just came down to a couple possessions at the end."
The Celtics sit second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold a perfect record so far.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said "you have to" enjoy the moment after they continued their perfect start to the NBA season.
The Cavs won 131-122 against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, opening their season 9-0 for the first time in the franchise's 55-year history.
Cleveland had previously recorded an 8-0 start in 1976-77, but they have surpassed that, with Atkinson becoming the first NBA coach to win his first nine games with a new team.
Cleveland got 50 points from reserves, led by Caris LeVert (16 points) and Ty Jerome (11).
"You have to [enjoy it]," said Atkinson. "This season's so long. It's so hard to win in this league. So, when you do have moments like this, you have to celebrate a little.
"Everyone contributes. It's what good teams do. We're in a good place physically. We're in a good place mentally.
"When you win nine in a row, it's not one or two guys; it's the whole roster."
The Cavs were led by Donovan Mitchell, who scored 29 points, while Jarrett Allen added 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to add to their winning record.
They had to rally back from an early 12-point deficit though, and did so in part by shooting 54.2% overall, including 48.6% from 3-point range.
"What I think about is this team and the camaraderie they have, and the chemistry we have going and how connected they are," Atkinson added.
"I've been fortunate to land with a really good group, a group that's been really successful in the past, and I'm happy for them -- and I think they're happy for me in the locker room.
"There's a bond between the head coach and a team. You've got to celebrate those moments, and it's pretty cool."
Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 131-122 on Wednesday night to open 9-0 for the first time in their 55-year NBA history.
Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen each added 16 points, and Allen grabbed 14 rebounds as the Cavaliers surpassed an 8-0 start by the 1976-77 squad that finished 43-39 under coach Bill Fitch.
Zion Williamson returned from a two-game absence and had 29 points for the Pelicans. He temporarily took himself out after playing 10 minutes but returned to start the second half and scored 23 after halftime.
Jose Alvarado hit all seven 3-pointers he took and finished with 27 points for New Orleans. Brandon Ingram added 20 points for the Pelicans, who have lost three straight and six of seven.
Cleveland had no trouble rallying back from an early 12-point deficit on the road and did so in part by shooting 54.2% overall, including 48.6% from 3-point range.
After Alvarado's back-to-back 3s made it 112-106, Mitchell responded with a hesitation move in the lane and a floater to make it 114-106 and stem the Pelicans' momentum with 5:20 left.
Cleveland got 50 points from reserves, led by LeVert and Ty Jerome (11 points).
Rookie Risacher has best game to lift Hawks
No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher scored 33 points and had seven rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks rallied late to beat the New York Knicks 121-116.
Risacher's 33 points were the most by a rookie this season. He shot 11 for 18 overall, including 6 for 10 from 3-point range, and also had three assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
The Hawks trailed 110-105 with 2:57 to play but went on a 13-1 run to put the game away.
Jalen Johnson had 23 points and 15 rebounds. Trae Young had 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds one game after scoring just two points on 1-for-10 shooting against Boston.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 34 points and 16 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson scored 21 points.
Clint Capela capped a 9-1 run with a fast break dunk with 46.9 seconds remaining to give the Hawks a 114-111 lead. Young started a fast-break off a 3-point miss from Towns and dished it to a sprinting Capela for the dunk.
Surging Suns rally past Heat
Kevin Durant scored 32 points, Jusuf Nurkic had 20 and 18 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 15-point deficit for a 115-112 victory over the Miami Heat to extend their winning streak to six games.
The Suns trailed 79-64 in the third quarter but finished the period on a 15-3 run to cut the Heat’s lead to three.
Neither team could take control in the fourth, but Durant’s jumper from the free-throw line with 16 seconds to play gave Phoenix a four-point lead.
Devin Booker had 22 points and nine assists for Phoenix (7-1), which has won its last five games by six points or fewer. Booker made one of two free throws with 4.8 seconds to go, giving the Heat a chance, but Miami failed to get a shot off before time expired.
Grayson Allen scored 12 points and Tyus Jones matched Booker with nine assists for the Suns.
Tyler Herro led the Heat with 28 points. Reserve forward Haywood Highsmith scored 19 and Jimmy Butler added 15. Bam Adebayo had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Bradley Beal’s 3-pointer put the Suns ahead to stay at 106-103 with 3:52 remaining. Beal didn’t score in the first half and was in foul trouble. He finished with seven points.
The Suns’ 7-1 start matches the best in franchise history, equalling three previous seasons (1980-81, 2000-01, 2009-10).
Joel Embiid's shove of a member of the media will cost the Philadelphia 76ers centre three games.
The NBA announced the three-game suspension on Tuesday for Embiid's confrontation with a newspaper columnist.
The ban will begin in the next game he is physically able to play. The 2022-23 league MVP has yet to play this season due to what the team is calling left knee management.
The altercation that led to the suspension occurred Saturday night in the locker room of Philadelphia's home arena after the 76ers' 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Embiid was angry with a piece written by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in which he questioned Embiid's professionalism and mentioned the seven-time All-Star's late brother and son.
Embiid shoved Hayes and threatened him while spewing profanity.
"Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA," NBA executive Joe Dumars said in a statement announcing the suspension. "While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical."
Without Embiid, the 76ers have started just 1-5.
There was some hope that Embiid would be able to make his debut Wednesday against the Clippers, but now the earliest he would be eligible to play would be next Tuesday against the New York Knicks.
Anthony Davis is unsure as to the extent of a foot injury he aggravated against the Detroit Pistons, but he knows the Los Angeles Lakers must find some consistency.
Davis scored 37 points on Monday but his efforts were not enough to prevent Los Angeles slipping to a 115-103 loss.
The Lakers are now 4-3 overall after winning their opening three games of the season.
To compound their frustration, Davis – who is averaging 32.6 points per game – aggravated a left foot issue in the final quarter.
"We're just two different teams right now," lamented Davis.
"One game, we're this team who showcased it can be one of the better teams in the league. Then the next, we're this team who -- I don't even know who we are. So, we just got to be better.
"We got to put a full 48 [minutes] together, and we can't continue to do this if we expect to do anything this season."
On his injury, Davis added: "I'll talk to my trainer and just kind of figure out what exactly is going on.
"I've been managing it since this summer, honestly, and my goal for every game is to be on the floor. And I just kind of landed directly on the spot that's been killing me. So, we'll figure it out."
LeBron James finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and was honest in his assessment of a potential lay-off for Davis.
"I don't play the 'if' game," James said.
"We'll go off what AD says and see how he feels over the next couple of days and go from there. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know [the impact] if AD's in or out. C'mon."
Reflecting on the latest defeat, Lakers coach JJ Redick simply said: "We're all disappointed."
Darius Garland capped a 39-point night by hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds left that enabled the scorching Cleveland Cavaliers to stay unbeaten with Monday's 116-114 win over the reeling Milwaukee Bucks.
After converting a layup that brought the Cavaliers within 111-110 with 1:07 remaining, Garland knocked down a 25-footer on Cleveland's next possession after the Bucks' Damian Lillard was called for a backcourt violation.
Lillard then misfired on a 3-point try on Milwaukee's next trip down the court before Jarrett Allen sealed the Cavs' eighth straight win to begin the season with a layup off a Garland feed with 12.2 seconds to go.
Cleveland matched the best start in a season in franchise history, having previously gone 8-0 to open the 1976-77 campaign.
Garland finished 7 of 11 from 3-point range and 15 of 22 overall from the field while adding eight assists. The Cavaliers also received 14 points, 15 rebounds and six assists from Allen and 17 points from Evan Mobley.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, has lost six in a row since a season-opening win at Philadelphia for its longest skid in a season since also dropping six straight in March 2015. The Bucks also played without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a strained adductor muscle he sustained in a 114-113 loss to Cleveland on Saturday.
Lillard paced the Bucks with 36 points on 11-of-22 shooting to go along with seven assists. Bobby Portis and AJ Green each had 21 points for Milwaukee, with Portis adding 18 rebounds.
Thunder cruise past Magic to move to 7-0
The Oklahoma City Thunder also stayed perfect for the young season by coasting to a 102-86 victory over the Orlando Magic behind Jalen Williams' 23 points and 21 from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Western Conference's lone remaining unbeaten team led from start to finish and built a margin as large as 26 points in the second half to extend its best start since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Seattle Supersonics began a season 7-0 or better three times, most recently a 10-game run to open the 1993-94 campaign.
Orlando shot just 35.4 per cent from the field to lose its fourth straight game following a 3-1 start. The last three defeats have come with leading scorer Paolo Banchero sidelined with a torn oblique.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 22 points, while Jalen Suggs recorded 19 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Williams put up 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting as the Thunder shot a torrid 71.4 per cent in the first quarter to take a 39-26 lead into the second. The forward ended the first half with 19 points to lead Oklahoma City into the break owning a comfortable 58-43 advantage.
The Thunder continued to add to their lead in the third quarter, as three consecutive 3-pointers from reserve Isaiah Joe highlighted a 13-1 run that extended the margin to 84-58 late in the period.
Durant's late basket lifts Suns, foils 76ers in George's debut
Kevin Durant's driving layup with 24 seconds remaining broke a tie game and put a damper on Paul George's delayed debut with the Philadelphia 76ers as the Phoenix Suns came through with a 118-116 win.
Durant's key basket capped a 10-1 run over the final 3 1/2 minutes that lifted Phoenix to its fifth straight victory following a 1-1 start. The star forward finished with 35 points and six assists to help offset an off night from team-mate Devin Booker, who went 3 of 18 from the field while scoring 13 points.
George had 15 points in 32 minutes in his first appearance since signing with the 76ers as a free agent in the offseason. The nine-time All-Star missed the team's first five games due to a bone bruise in his left knee and was rusty during his return, missing 10 of his 14 shot attempts.
Philadelphia, which remains without franchise centre Joel Embiid due to a knee issue, dropped to 1-5 despite Tyrese Maxey's 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting.
The 76ers appeared on the way to a win after owning a 115-108 advantage following Guerschon Yabusele's dunk with 3:39 to go, which turned out to be their final basket of the night.
Phoenix answered with eight straight points, capped by Durant's jumper with one minute to play, to take a 116-115 edge.
After Maxey made one of two free throws to tie the game with 49.6 seconds left, Durant drove past a defender and scored before George misfired on a 23-footer just before the final buzzer.
The San Antonio Spurs will be without head coach Gregg Popovich indefinitely after he reportedly suffered a health issue prior to the team’s last game.
The 75-year-old Popovich didn’t coach the Spurs (3-3) during Saturday’s 113-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves due to what the team said was an undisclosed illness.
Mike Johnson took over as head coach against Minnesota and will remain in the role while Popovich is sidelined.
“He's not feeling well,” Johnson said prior to Saturday’s game. “This has happened before.
“I think everybody's just always got to be ready for the next man up. We've had it with injuries and sometimes people get sick or don't feel well or things come up in life.
“He's just not feeling well.”
Popovich is the NBA's all-time leader with 1,391 victories and has won five NBA titles while coaching San Antonio since the 1996-97 season.
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