Jason Kidd has slammed the Dallas Mavericks bench for not showing enough energy after they fell to a narrow defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

The Mavericks mounted a comeback, fighting back from a 63-50 half-time deficit, but fell agonisingly short in the 114-113 defeat to the Suns.

Luka Doncic had 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Dallas, only to misfire on a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have won the game, while Kyrie Irving added 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Mavericks have now alternated between losses and wins over a five-game stretch since their 3-1 start, and Kidd has demanded more from his bench if they want to stop that run.

"It's got to be addressed. We have talked about it, there's got to be some action, there's got to be some energy. We're f****** flat, that's where it starts," Kidd said.

"We got to be tough; no matter how many injuries we have or how small we are, right now we are not doing that. We will look at the tape, we will get back to seeing what we can do better.

"It's a team. It's not Luka and Kyrie and Klay Thompson. Others have to participate. I played the whole f****** team tonight, and we couldn't find anybody, so we had to leave those two to carry the load, and it's not fair to them this early in the season."

Meanwhile, the Suns have matched their best-ever start to an NBA season as their seven-game winning streak improved their record to 8-1.

Jusuf Nurkic scored Phoenix’s final five points, scoring the vital point with one of two free throws with 0.8 seconds left, snapping the 113-113 tie.

He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds but says he is just happy to come away with a win, no matter the circumstances.

"A win is a win, man," said Nurkic. "I don't really care if it's [by] one point or 35.

"As long as you keep winning, that's great, because that's the best way to learn. Not through the losses. But also, it's good for fans, too. They're betting, all this stuff, so good luck with them figuring out how we're going to do it."

Kenny Atkinson says 10 is "kind of the magic number" after the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their perfect start to the NBA season against the Golden State Warriors.

The Cavs triumphed 136-117 on Friday, becoming the first team in NBA history to win their first 10 games and score at least 110 points in each of them.

It is already their best-ever start to a season in franchise history, and they are the first team to register a 10-0 record since the Warriors themselves in 2015-16.

Darius Garland went 6-of-11 from 3-point range while totalling 27 points, while Evan Mobley added 23. All-Star Donovan Mitchell managed just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

The new coach has so far impressed since replacing J.B. Bickerstaff, using his squad depth wisely during their winning streak, and he was delighted to continue it against tough opposition.

"10-0 is something. It's kind of a magic number, right?" Atkinson said.

"I was worried about tonight because the Warriors are champions. That surprised me, how ready we were, how hungry we were. 10-0 is really something for our team."

Atkison previously spent three years as an assistant coach to Steve Kerr at the Warriors before moving to Cleveland.

The Cavs ended Golden State's five-game winning streak on Friday, but Kerr was full of praise for the way his former colleague has transformed the Cavs so far.

"This was a great job to get, just like mine was 10 years ago," Kerr said.

"Now you're just tweaking things and seeing where you can get better on the margins rather than trying to grow something organically. It's a perfect spot and Kenny has taken advantage.

"[They're] clearly one of the best teams in the league."

The Cleveland Cavaliers set a franchise record by building a 41-point half-time lead en route to their latest victory, a 136-117 drubbing of the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

Cleveland moved to 10-0 to extend the best-ever start in team history despite All-Star Donovan Mitchell managing just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Plenty of other Cavaliers stepped up with the playmaking guard struggling, however, as Darius Garland went 6 of 11 from 3-point range while totalling 27 points and Evan Mobley put up 23 points in 26 minutes.

The Cavaliers, the first team in NBA history to open a season with 10 straight wins while scoring at least 110 points in each, also received 13 points and 12 rebounds from Jarrett Allen and 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting off the bench from Ty Jerome.

Cleveland also held Stephen Curry to just 12 points while putting an end to the Warriors' five-game winning streak. 

Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 21 points, while fellow reserve Brandin Podziemski finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Cavaliers began the game on a 20-2 run and never looked back, as they sped out to a 39-22 lead after one quarter before completely dominating the second.

Cleveland outscored the Warriors by a 44-20 margin in the next period to own an insurmountable 83-42 advantage at the intermission, which tied a franchise record for points in a half. 

The Cavs shot 63.6 per cent (14 of 22) from 3-point range over the first two quarters, with Jerome and Isaac Okoro each tallying 13 first-half points and Garland and Mobley recording 11 apiece.

Nurkic's late surge lifts hot Suns over Mavericks

The Phoenix Suns are now on a seven-game winning streak after rallying in the fourth quarter for a 114-113 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Jusuf Nurkic scored the Suns' final five points and snapped a 113-113 tie by making one of two free throws with 0.8 seconds left. The veteran centre was fouled after grabbing the rebound of team-mate Royce O'Neale's missed shot to set up the go-ahead point.

Nurkic finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kevin Durant scored 26 points to help Phoenix improve to 8-1, which matches the 2009-10 team for the best start in franchise history. 

Luka Dončić had 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Dallas, but misfired on a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Kyrie Irving compiled 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the reigning Western Conference champion Mavericks, who have alternated losses and wins over a five-game stretch since starting 3-1. 

Dallas fought back from a 63-50 half-time deficit to take a 97-91 lead on Naji Marshall's layup with 7:47 remaining, but Bradley Beal had seven points during a 9-3 run that brought the Suns even at 100-100 with five minutes to go.

Nurkic scored on back-to-back possessions to give Phoenix a 113-111 edge with 31.4 seconds left. The Mavericks answered on their next trip down the court, however, as Doncic fed Daniel Gafford for a game-tying alley-oop dunk with 23.5 seconds left to play.

Thunder keep rolling with dominant win over Rockets

The Oklahoma City Thunder kept pace with the Suns atop the Western Conference by cruising to a 126-107 win over the Houston Rockets.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 29 points to help Oklahoma City (8-1) bounce back from its lone loss of the season, a 124-122 setback at Denver on Wednesday. 

The Thunder also kept Houston's top two scorers in check, as Jalen Green was held to 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting and Alperen Sengun missed nine of 12 shots while finishing with 11 points. 

Dillon Brooks led the Rockets, who had a two-game winning streak stopped, with 17 points.

After the teams played to a 31-31 tie through one quarter, the Thunder took control in the second by outscoring Houston by a 44-20 margin for the period.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren each had 10 points during the second quarter, and Oklahoma City shot 70 per cent from the field for the frame to go into half-time with a comfortable 75-51 lead.

The Thunder extended the margin to as many as 29 points in the third quarter, and Houston never got its deficit under 19 points the entire second half.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick stormed out of a press conference on Wednesday night, frustrated with reporters' line of questioning.

The Lakers were beaten 131-114 by the Memphis Grizzlies, bringing their record to 4-4, and Redick had been asked about his team's lack of energy on the night.

Having previously called for his team to match the commitment shown by LeBron James, he grew frustrated with being pressed by reporters on the subject.

Clearly frustrated about the Lakers' early-season form, when asked about his approach to getting the team to play like James, Redick replied: "I just did." He then put the microphone down, got up and left the press conference.

"He played hard," Redick had said earlier in the press conference, when talking about James.

"Almost 40 years old, played the hardest on our team. Says a lot about him." When asked if he was pleased with the effort from the rest of the team, he said: "No one is."

This comes at a time when the Lakers have assigned rookie Bronny James, LeBron's son, to their G League affiliate South Bay.

But James will be on the Lakers' roster for Friday's games against the Philadelphia 76ers, with the plan for him to only play G League home games as he goes between the Lakers and South Boy.

Redick confirmed last month that the "plan for Bronny to move between the Lakers and South Bay has always been the plan since day one."

Damian Lillard scored 34 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 16 rebounds in his return after a one-game absence and the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a six-game skid, beating the Utah Jazz 123-100 on Thursday night.

Antetokounmpo was back in action after missing a 116-114 loss at Cleveland on Monday night because of a right adductor strain.

The Bucks hadn’t lost six straight games since March 2015. They avoided their first seven-game skid since March 2014, when they dropped eight in a row.

Jordan Clarkson had 18 off the bench to lead the Jazz.

Utah led 71-70 before the Bucks took command with a 17-1 run late in the third quarter. Lillard and Antetokounmpo combined to score Milwaukee’s first 15 points in that spurt.

Antetokounmpo had six offensive rebounds to increase his career total to 1,469 and become Milwaukee's career leader. Marques Johnson, now part of the Bucks' television broadcast team, had 1,468 offensive rebounds with the Bucks from 1977-84.

Edwards’ all-around game powers Wolves

Anthony Edwards had 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Chicago Bulls 135-119.

Julius Randle had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Rudy Gobert tallied 21 with nine boards for the Wolves, who rallied from a 13-point deficit for their second straight win.

It was Chicago's fourth consecutive loss. Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points for the Bulls on 11-for-15 shooting and Coby White had 24 points and eight assists.

Chicago led 95-90 after three quarters, but Minnesota controlled the action in the fourth. Randle's driving layup lifted the Timberwolves to a 107-106 lead with 6:47 left.

Trailing 106-101 in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves rattled off a 12-0 run to take the lead for the first time since the game’s opening minutes. Two 3s by Edwards gave the Wolves a 113-106 advantage and forced the Bulls to call a timeout.

Minnesota shot 70.8% from the field in the fourth, including 6 for 11 from 3.

Spurs run past Trail Blazers

Keldon Johnson and Malaki Branham each had 17 points and the San Antonio Spurs handled the Portland 118-105 in their fourth game without coach Gregg Popovich.

Popovich has been out since having a medical episode Saturday before a home game against Minnesota. Prior to the game Thursday, Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson said the team is unsure when Popovich will return.

Zach Collins and Julian Champagnie added 14 points apiece to help the Spurs snap a two-game skid. Branham exited two minutes into the fourth quarter after rolling his right ankle.

Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Portland, while Jerami Grant added 21 points and Anfernee Simons contributed 19.

With Portland trailing 64-62, San Antonio was able to extend the lead to four points on a 3-pointer by Branham and off-the-ball foul on Grant that Victor Wembanyama converted into a free throw. The play gave the Spurs a 68-62 lead.

San Antonio reserves Branham, Johnson, Collins and Blake Wesley combined for 58 points.

The struggling Philadelphia 76ers will be without Tyrese Maxey for multiple weeks after the All-Star point guard sustained a right hamstring injury in Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Maxey left prior to the fourth quarter Wednesday before Philadelphia fell to 1-6 on the season with a 110-98 loss in Los Angeles.

Maxey entered Wednesday with averages of 30.2 points and 4.3 assists in Philadelphia's first six games.

Selected 21st overall by the 76ers in the 2020 NBA Draft, Maxey was the 2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player and a first-time All-Star last season, when he averaged career highs of 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 70 games.

Philadelphia is also without former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who has yet to play this season due to left knee management and a three-game, league-imposed suspension for shoving a member of the media that will need to be served once healthy.

Paul George, though, did make his 76ers debut Monday after Philadelphia signed the nine-time All-Star in the offseason.

George sat out the team’s first five games after injuring his knee during the preseason.

Paul George was treated to a mixed reaction on his return to Los Angeles, receiving a video tribute before boos from the crowd as the Philadelphia 76ers lost.

The Los Angeles Clippers came out on top in a 110-98 victory on Wednesday to compound the Sixers' tough start to the NBA season.

Despite suffering defeat at the Inuit Dome, George impressed, scoring 18 points, making seven of nine shots, and also got seven rebounds and three steals.

George spent five years with the Clippers before signing for the Sixers as a free agent in the close season, signing a four-year $212million max contract, having previously stated he wanted to stay in LA, who declined the contract he wanted.

However, after he left for Philadelphia, he irked some of the Clippers' fans with comments made on his podcast where he described returning to his hometown of Los Angeles like being on the "B team" because rival Lakers fans suggested he should have signed for them instead.

While he appreciated the video tribute from the Clippers, he admitted to being surprised by the fans' reaction, especially after helping the franchise reach their only Western Conference finals in 2021.

"It is stupid," George said. "I mean, I was a free agent, you know what I mean? It wasn't something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here.

"I was a free agent. The team presented something that was team-friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation.

"So, there were the cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for. The boos I didn't get it. I still don't get it when I go [back] to Indy, but it is what it is. It's sports. I look forward to next year being back here and more boos."

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.

J.B. Bickerstaff believes the Detroit Pistons are "getting better at everything" after bouncing back to beat the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

The Pistons suffered a heavy defeat to the New York Knicks on Friday but made it two wins from three with their 106-92 victory over the Nets after they lost their opening four games of the NBA season.

Detroit finished with six players on double figures, with Cade Cunningham leading the charge with 19 points. It was the second time this season they have had that many players score 13 points or more in a single game, after doing it just once last term.

And while their attack was impressive, they also held the Nets to just 15 points in the fourth quarter, showing a vast improvement to their defense.

Bickerstaff was impressed with how his team have grown already since the start of the season.

"The guys did a great job of bouncing back," Bickerstaff said. "The conversation around the group has been to be better than we were the other night.

"Every single night we step on the floor, we aim to improve. The guys, just from a grit standpoint, how hard they played and how they shared the ball, it was unbelievable.

"We're getting better at everything. I feel our guys have embraced the system. They're really competing on that end of the floor. Individually, everybody's taking the challenge.

"There are still small things systematically, we're going to continue to improve on things. I'm learning what guys are capable of, but guys' willingness to take the challenge has given us an opportunity to put ourselves in a position that now we have a foundation of that, and we can grow from there."

Malik Beasley, who was another to finish on double figures as he scored 18 points, including two critical 3-point shots, believes their more proactive approach to defending pushed them towards the win.

"We started the game physical," Beasley said. "Last game, New York came out and just got whatever they wanted to get to.

"We made a point today to be physical and if we get fouls called early, it is what it is. We need to be known for a grit team, the Bad Boys, that whole thing. We did that [on Sunday]."

The Pistons are in action again on Monday when they face the Los Angeles Lakers.