Nikola Jokic suggested a novel way to try and get the Denver Nuggets firing after a stuttering start to the NBA season continued against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Superstar Jokic put up a hugely impressive 41 points but was unable to help the Nuggets to victory as the Clippers ran out 109-104 victors at the Ball Arena on Saturday.

It means the Nuggets have started the season 0-2 and Jokic was asked what the team could do differently to get things going.

He jokingly replied: "Party every time when we go out."

Jokic would later follow up with a more substantive answer, though, saying: "I really don't know, my friend. 

"We just want to win. We just want to win one game and uh, hopefully, we can do that on this road.

"I think we're really struggling to score. We scored 104 points. In today's NBA, I think that’s not a really good number. Last game, we scored 89 [actually 87]. I don't even know."

The Nuggets will attempt to get on the win column when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

Kevin Durant was hailed as a generational talent by Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer after becoming the eighth player to reach 29,000 career NBA points.

Durant scored 31 points as the Suns recorded their second victory in three games on Saturday, beating the Dallas Mavericks 114-102.

That made him just the eighth player in league history to score 29,000 points, after LeBron James, the NBA's scoring leader with 40,543 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain.

Addressing the 36-year-old's landmark after the game, Budenholzer said: "What a tribute to a great, generational talent. I feel incredibly lucky to be around him every day."

Durant now has 29,010 total points through his 17 seasons in the league with the Seattle Supersonics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix.

He has averaged over 20 points in each of his campaigns in the league, but he said the credit must go to those who have put him in a position to score points.

"I've got to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid," Durant said. 

"Team-mates who passed me the ball, set screens for me, coaches who drew up plays for me."

LeBron James shrugged off the suggestion that the Los Angeles Lakers are a team built for him after his superb fourth-quarter showing against the Sacramento Kings.

James scored 16 points and laid on an assist in an awesome run at the start of the fourth quarter, as the Lakers sank 21 unanswered points en route to a 131-127 victory on Saturday.

The Lakers have won their opening three games of the season, with James finishing with a game-high 32 points.

But the 39-year-old, who is playing in his 22nd NBA campaign, stressed it was a team effort that got the Lakers over the line.

"Listen, I could do that at 22, but at almost 40, I don't need to be doing it for four quarters," said James, who also added 14 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double.

"I have the luxury of having an MVP-calibre player next to me in Anthony Davis.

"[Austin Reaves] can get it going in bunches. [D'Angelo Russell] can catch fire. Rui [Hachimura] has been consistent, and he can get going and score in bunches, as well.

"This team is not built for me to have 16-point quarters through all four quarters. That's not how it's constructed and nor should it be. We're a team, and we all play together."

Lakers coach JJ Redick was blown away by what he saw from James.

"What can you say? We've all been very fortunate to watch his greatness for so long, and the fact that he's able to keep doing it – it's actually insane," Redick said.

For James' brilliant display, it was Davis grabbed the crucial points in the closing stages, sinking a three-pointer before nailing a free-throw in the final minute.

"We encourage him, coaches encourage him, we as his teammates encourage him to shoot that 3 ball," James said of Davis.

"Probably the biggest shot of the night is him making that 3, so it made it easy on me."

Davis has now put up three straight 30-point games to start the season, tying with Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Kobe Bryant in a franchise record.

LeBron James had a triple-double with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Anthony Davis added 31 points and nine rebounds to lead the unbeaten Los Angeles Lakers to a 131-127 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.

The Lakers improved to 3-0 under new coach JJ Redick, and Davis has scored at least 31 points in each game this season. 

Los Angeles was up by as many as 15 points in the first half, but the Kings cut the lead to 64-60 by halftime and had built a 7-point lead in the third quarter. James helped the Lakers come roaring back with 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Davis had a big 3-pointer with 37 seconds left to give the Lakers a 128-123 lead after the Kings had cut it to two.

Domantas Sabonis also had a triple-double in the loss. He scored 29 points on 10 of 14 shots and added 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

James made a long 3 in the fourth quarter to cap an 8-0 run to give the Lakers a 101-94 lead.

Durant, Suns overcome Doncic

Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Jusuf Nurkic added 18 points and 14 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Dallas Mavericks 114-102 despite Luka Dončić’s 40 points.

The Suns never trailed after the first quarter, though the Mavericks kept the deficit in the single digits for much of the night. Doncic also grabbed 10 rebounds while Kyrie Irving added 22 points.

The Suns led 91-80 heading into the fourth quarter and extended the lead to 105-90 six minutes later. Devin Booker added 21 points while rookie Ryan Dunn scored 13 in his first career start. Tyus Jones added seven assists.

Doncic started hot with 23 points in the first half but cooled off after halftime. He shot 12 of 25 from the field, including 5 of 13 from 3-point range. Klay Thompson had 19 points, making five 3s.

The Suns led by as many as 13 in the first half but settled for a 63-55 lead at the break.

Clippers survive Jokic’s 41

James Harden had 23 points and 16 assists, Norman Powell scored 26 of his 37 points in the second half and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame Nikola Jokić's 41 points to beat the Denver Nuggets 109-104.

Jokic made a career-high seven 3-pointers but missed a free throw with 20 seconds left that would have tied it. Harden made four from the line in the final 30.5 seconds.

The Clippers trailed 103-100 when Powell hit a 3-pointer. Jamal Murray, who had 22 points, missed a layup and Harden then made two free throws.

After Jokic split a pair from the line, Harden made two more foul shots to make it 107-104 and Jokic missed an off-balance 3-pointer.

Harden was 12 of 13 from the line and several of his 16 assists were to Ivica Zubac, who had 24 points and 15 rebounds.

The Los Angeles Lakers must continue to make Anthony Davis "the main focal point" of the team after he starred in their win over the Phoenix Suns. 

Those were the words of LeBron James after the Lakers recorded their first 2-0 start to an NBA season with a 123-116 triumph over the Suns on Friday.

Davis finished with 36 points, becoming the third player after Elgin Baylor and Jerry West to notch at least 35 points in consecutive games for the Lakers.

It has been an impressive start for Davis, who, at age 31, and in his sixth season with the Lakers, is looking to take the torch from James as the team's leading man. 

James, who finished the game with 21 points and eight assists, expressed Davis' importance this season, particularly how he can be kept involved effectively for the duration of the game. 

"It's very important that he's the main focal point for us every single night," James said.

"We know what he's going to do defensively, but offensively, we have to find him in multiple places on the floor throughout the whole game.

"And we've done that through two games."

It also marked a memorable game for Los Angeles coach JJ Redick, who became the first Lakers boss to win his first two games since Phil Jackson in 1999.

The Lakers hired Redick in the offseason with the expectation that he would bring knowledge of the game of basketball along with an ability to connect with players.

There were immediate sceptics of the hire, as Redick had never coached professionally, but Davis was quick to praise his coach and the game plan that led to the win.

“The game plan, the schemes that he had on both ends of the floor," Davis said.

"He trusts us, and we trust him as far as what he teaches us and what he wants us to do on the floor, on both ends, and it’s our job to go execute it.

“I think we were very prepared tonight. Like I said, we executed the game plan to a T.

"I’m not going to tell you the game plan because I know Minnesota will probably be watching this and figure out how to try to beat us next time.

"But our game plan was elite, and we executed it and were able to get the win.”

Anthony Davis scored 35 points, Austin Reaves added 26 and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns 123-116 on Friday night for their first 2-0 start since 2010-11.

LeBron James had 17 of his 21 points in the second half for the Lakers, who trailed by 22 points in the second quarter.

Davis is the 3rd Lakers player with consecutive 35-point games to start a season in franchise history, joining Elgin Baylor in 1962 and Jerry West in 1969.

Kevin Durant led Phoenix (1-1) with 30 points and Devin Booker had 23.

The Lakers were down 61-52 at halftime, then outscored Phoenix 35-24 in the third quarter to take the lead as Davis and James each scored 11 in the period.

Phoenix made 21 of its first 30 shots, including nine straight 3-pointers, before going 21 of 52 the rest of the game. Phoenix was 24 of 39 from the field in the first half, but 9 of 27 in the third quarter.

The Lakers trailed 81-74 with three minutes left in the third before scoring nine straight points to grab the lead. That was part of a 20-6 run during a nearly five-minute span from late in the third to early in the fourth.

Young lifts Hawks over Ball, Hornets

Trae Young scored 38 points and the Atlanta Hawks overcame LaMelo Ball's 34 points and career-best nine 3-pointers to beat the Charlotte Hornets 125-120.

Ball made 9 of 14 3-pointers, surpassing his previous career high of eight.

De'Andre Hunter added 24 points and Dyson Daniels scored 18 for Atlanta, which has won its first two games.

Ball scored 34 points in the Hornets' 110-105 win at Houston on Wednesday to open the regular season. He matched that total with his ninth 3 with 7:31 remaining.

The Hornets were without two starters, including guard Brandon Miller. The team said Miller will be out at least a week because of a strained left glute. Center Mark Williams was held out with a strained tendon in his left foot.

Despite missing two starters, Charlotte showed depth with four players in double figures. Miles Bridges scored 27 points, Tre Mann had 17 and Nick Richards tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds.

With the game tied at 90, Young's 3 gave the lead back to Atlanta. Following a tying 3 by Charlotte's Josh Green, Young answered with a short jumper.

Bulls sink 21 3-pointers to beat Bucks

Coby White scored 35 points, and the hot-shooting Chicago Bulls spoiled Milwaukee’s home opener with a 133-122 victory over the Bucks.

Zach LaVine added 25 points, Nikola Vucevic had 22 and Josh Giddey scored 17 for the Bulls, who shot 21 of 47 from 3-point range.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 38 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Damian Lillard had 28 points, but only went 3 of 12 from deep.

After the first three minutes of the third quarter featured five lead changes, the Bulls broke a 72-all tie and pulled ahead for good by scoring seven straight points.

After Milwaukee's A.J. Green made a pair of 3s in the first minute of the fourth quarter to cut Chicago's lead to 102-101, Patrick Williams answered with a 3 of his own. Williams' basket ignited a 13-1 run, and the Bucks never seriously threatened again.

Derrick White believes Neemias Queta is "more sure of himself" after helping the Boston Celtics cruise to a 122-102 win over the Washington Wizards.

The Celtics maintained their perfect record in the NBA this season with their first road win of the season, with Jayson Tatum leading the charge with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown scored 27, while White added 19 as the reigning champions extended their winning streak over Washington to five games.

The Wizards struggled to gain any momentum in what was their season opener and trailed the Celtics throughout.

Boston were much changed from their opening win over the New York Knicks, as Joe Mazzulla went with a double-big line-up to make up for Sam Hauser's absence.

One of those brought in was Queta, who scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, including a game-high four on the offensive end.

And White was impressed with the influence Queta had despite his short time on the court.

"He's athletic, seems to get every offensive rebound, and is just a big body around the rim," White said.

"I just think he's a little more comfortable, a lot more sure of himself, of where to be in the offense. I think last year he was maybe thinking too much, but this year he's just playing and doing what he does.

"He was really good for us in training camp and again [against Washington]."

Xavier Tillman and Luke Kornet were the other backups brought in by the Celtics, and proved their most efficient scorers, shooting a combined 10-of-14 from the field.

"The standard is the standard and no matter who we put in there, we expect the same things," White added.

"Obviously, it's not Sam Hauser running around out there, but there's a lot of ways for us to create advantages and I thought all the bigs did a great job for us today."

Klay Thompson was delighted with his "great" debut, after setting a new franchise record in the Dallas Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs.

He got 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes, with eighteen of those points coming from 3-pointers, a record for a Mavericks player.

Thompson, who left the Golden State Warriors after 13 years in the close season, helped push the Mavericks to a 120-109 victory on Thursday.

"Great debut," Thompson said.

"It's only one game in October, but it feels good just to get that first one out of the way.

"I had a ton of excitement, really just an awesome feeling. And you only get the first time of something so often."

Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, finished with 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting with nine rebounds, one assist and a game-high-tying four turnovers to open his second season with the Spurs.

Due to his involvement in the Paris Olympics, Wembanyama was limited to fewer than 40 minutes in preseason, and he admitted he felt that in their season opener.

"Some moments felt great," Wembanyama said. "A little hard conditioning-wise at first, of course [as] I expected.

"But I think we had some good basketball moments and some really bad ones.

"None of us really have played four games since [the] middle of the summer for me. It's a struggle.

"Every player in the NBA goes through it. Conditioning is not an excuse [for missed shots]. I'll have different weapons we need to know when to use.

"So, for the missed shots, it's more getting used to taking shots, getting used to again taking shots in a game."

Anthony Edwards sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining and the Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled Sacramento's opener by beating the Kings 117-115 on Thursday night.

Edwards was fouled by Domantas Sabonis on a drive with the game tied and calmly hit the free throws to give him 32 points.

Keegan Murray's 3-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer for the Kings.

Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 33 points in his second game after being acquired in a trade from New York this month.

Demar DeRozan scored 26 points to lead the Kings in his debut for Sacramento after being acquired this summer in a sign-and-trade from Chicago. Sabonis added 24 points and Murray had 23.

Edwards and Naz Reid hit back-to-back 3-pointers that started an 11-0 run for Minnesota that turned a five-point deficit into a 105-99 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

After going 13 for 41 from 3 in the opener, Minnesota shot 20 for 50 from long range against Sacramento. The 91 attempted 3s are the most ever for the Timberwolves in the first two games of a season.

Holmgren's all-around performance powers Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, Chet Holmgren added 25 as part of a stellar all-around game and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 102-87 in the season opener for both teams.

Holmgren proved to be a handful at both ends of the floor. He tied a career-high with 14 rebounds and had five assists and blocked four shots. Reserve Aaron Wiggins added 15 points.

It was an important divisional game right out of the gate. The Thunder and Nuggets both finished 57-25 last season, with the Thunder earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference by virtue of a tiebreaker.

Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his 131st triple-double.  

Jokic's point guard partner, Jamal Murray, had 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Christian Braun added 16 points, while Aaron Gordon, fresh off signing a new contract extension, added 12 points. Denver missed 32 of 39 3-pointers.

New addition Russell Westbrook was held to six points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Doncic, Thompson pace Mavericks

Luka Doncic had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 22 points in his Dallas debut and the Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs 120-109 in the opener for both teams on Thursday night.

Kyrie Irving had 15 points for the defending Western Conference champions, who got eight assists from Doncic and seven rebounds from Thompson.

Thompson set a franchise record in a debut with six 3-pointers.

He scored 14 points after halftime and was 4 of 5 from long range, as Dallas went 13 of 21 from deep after making just 6 of 23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champ with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.

Victor Wembanyama shot just 5 of 18 from the field for 17 points to open the young French phenom's second year with the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie scored 18 apiece.

Chris Paul had three points on 1-of-6 shooting to go with eight assists and seven rebounds in his Spurs debut.

Anthony Edwards sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining and the Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled Sacramento’s opener by beating the Kings 117-115 on Thursday night.

Edwards was fouled by Domantas Sabonis on a drive with the game tied and calmly hit the free throws to give him 32 points.

Keegan Murray's 3-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer for the Kings.

Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 33 points in his second game after being acquired in a trade from New York this month.

Demar DeRozan scored 26 points to lead the Kings in his debut for Sacramento after being acquired this summer in a sign-and-trade from Chicago. Sabonis added 24 points and Murray had 23.

Edwards and Naz Reid hit back-to-back 3-pointers that started an 11-0 run for Minnesota that turned a five-point deficit into a 105-99 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

After going 13 for 41 from 3 in the opener, Minnesota shot 20 for 50 from long range against Sacramento. The 91 attempted 3s are the most ever for the Timberwolves in the first two games of a season.

Holmgren’s all-around performance powers Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, Chet Holmgren added 25 as part of a stellar all-around game and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 102-87 in the season opener for both teams.

Holmgren proved to be a handful at both ends of the floor. He tied a career high with 14 rebounds and had five assists and blocked four shots. Reserve Aaron Wiggins added 15 points.

It was an important divisional game right out of the gate. The Thunder and Nuggets both finished 57-25 last season, with the Thunder earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference by virtue of a tiebreaker.

Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić had 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his 131st triple-double.  

Jokic's point guard partner, Jamal Murray, had 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Christian Braun added 16 points, while Aaron Gordon, fresh off signing a new contract extension, added 12 points. Denver missed 32 of 39 3-pointers.

New addition Russell Westbrook was held to six points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Doncic, Thompson pace Mavericks

Luka Dončić had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 22 points in his Dallas debut and the Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs 120-109 in the opener for both teams Thursday night.

Kyrie Irving had 15 points for the defending Western Conference champions, who got eight assists from Doncic and seven rebounds from Thompson.

Thompson set a franchise record in a debut with six 3-pointers.

He scored 14 points after halftime and was 4 of 5 from long range, as Dallas went 13 of 21 from deep after making just 6 of 23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champ with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.

Victor Wembanyama shot just 5 of 18 from the field for 17 points to open the young French phenom's second year with the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie scored 18 apiece.

Chris Paul had three points on 1-of-6 shooting to go with eight assists and seven rebounds in his Spurs debut.

Steph Curry praised the commitment of the Golden State Warriors after their squad depth was put to the test in their win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Warriors made a winning start to the NBA season, with a 139-104 victory on Wednesday, where coach Steve Kerr used 12 different players on the floor.

Despite Portland leading by nine points in the opening quarter, the Warriors rallied, taking the lead at the break before holding out for the win.

Overall, seven of the Warriors' players scored double figures, with Curry getting 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter.

Curry, who is playing his 16th year in the NBA, is looking forward to using the squad's depth this season.

"It's the identity of this team right now," Curry said. "We're going to rely on our depth.

"You have to have a commitment - no agendas, no egos, or healthy egos, where you know you're supposed to be out there, but if it's not your night, don't bring the team down with your energy.

"Haven't seen any red flags of that."

Buddy Hield led the team with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including five 3-pointers, off the bench. It is the most points scored by a Warriors player in 15 or fewer minutes since 1984.

Curry believes the 31-year-old could be key to filling the gap left behind by Klay Thompson's departure after he joined the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason, especially if the Warriors want to make the playoffs this time around.

"Without Klay, you need shooting, but we needed shooting anyway," Curry added.

"Me and [Hield] have been one and two [in 3-point shooting], and Klay's right there shooting threes for the last eight years, so we know what [Hield's] skill set is, we know what he's capable of doing.

"He's been a very seamless transition so far."

The Warriors face the Utah Jazz in their next game on Friday.

James Harden was frustrated the Los Angeles Clippers could not win on a historic night in their new arena, as they opened the NBA season with an overtime defeat.

Harden had 29 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers but missed a free throw with six seconds left of overtime, which would have tied the game against the Phoenix Suns.

Instead, they suffered a 116-113 defeat in the Intuit Dome, despite leading 99-90 late in the fourth quarter.

Up until that final throw, Harden had kept Los Angeles in the game and almost won it for them before Kevin Durant tied the score with 21 seconds remaining of normal time.

The star was left frustrated that they could not get a win over the line.

"I'm so disappointed that we didn't get the win," Harden said. "You know what I mean? That's like one of the most frustrating things that I can think about as far as tonight.

"Like just history in Inglewood. The Intuit Dome. The fans came out, they showed up, and we got the short end of the stick.

"But I think they gave us a great, great energy tonight and I think the more they continue that the better our results will be. So, we appreciate the fans. We got to do our part, and they definitely did theirs tonight.

"Individually, for me, I got to play way better. I think it was just having that week off, getting adjusted to the pace of the game.

"All of the above. Shooting the ball well, something that I can control, taking better shots. … And then just turning the ball over. Not just getting a quality shot possession by possession. … My play has to be a lot better."

Durant scored 25 points and Bradley Beal added 24 to help the Suns make a winning start to the NBA under Mike Buldenhozer.

"You know [the fans are] excited [in overtime]," Durant said.

"They were this close to getting a stop, and then I raised up and shot that and made it. Then it was silent in there. That's one of the best feelings, especially late in a game."

Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Bradley Beal added 24 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Clippers 116-113 in overtime Wednesday night, spoiling Los Angeles' Intuit Dome debut in the opener for both teams.

James Harden had 29 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers. He had a chance to send it to double overtime but missed the second of two free throws with 4.8 seconds remaining.

Jusuf Nurkic gave the Suns a three-point advantage with a pair of free throws. The Clippers had one last chance to send it to another extra session, but Grayson Allen forced a turnover near midcourt after the inbounds pass.

The victory made a winner out of new Suns coach Mike Budenholzer.

Ivica Zubac had 21 points for the Clippers but fouled out with 2:15 remaining in overtime.

The Clippers had a 99-90 lead before the Suns scored 11 straight points to go back on top. Devin Booker had four points during Phoenix's rally but fouled out with 1:27 remaining. Harden scored four straight points to give Los Angeles a 103-101 advantage before Durant tied it with a 15-footer with 21.2 seconds remaining.

Lillard, Antetokounmpo power Bucks

Damian Lillard scored 30 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 124-109 in the season opener for both teams.

Lillard scored 15 points in the third quarter and finished with six 3-pointers, nine rebounds and five assists.

Antetokounmpo shot 8 for 11 from the floor and had a game-high 14 rebounds as Milwaukee got double-figure scoring from six players.

Taurean Prince and Bobby Portis scored 16 points apiece for the Bucks, who shot 53.8 percent (43 of 80) from the field and connected on 16 of 37 from long range.

Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, which was without injured stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, who are sidelined due to knee injuries.

Milwaukee used a 25-12 run in a six-minute span of the second quarter to pull away. Prince hit consecutive 3s to extend the lead to 51-39 with 2:49 left in the first half.

Ball lifts Hornets in return

LaMelo Ball had 34 points and 11 assists in his return from an ankle injury and Grant Williams sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to help the Charlotte Hornets rally for a 110-105 win over the Houston Rockets.

Jalen Green scored five quick points to tie it for the Rockets before Williams put the Hornets on top with his step-back 3 to make it 106-103.

Ball, who was playing in his first regular-season game since Jan. 26, added two free throws to secure the victory. He made four 3-pointers and all 10 of his free throws.

Green led Houston with 28 points and Alperen Sengun added 25 points and 18 rebounds in his return after missing the last 19 games of last season with a severely sprained ankle.

The Hornets used a 10-0 run that spanned from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth to close the gap and put themselves in position for the win after trailing by as many as 16 points in the third quarter.

Charlotte’s Brandon Miller had six points in 11 minutes before sitting out the second half with soreness in his left hip.

Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown says it was "like a lid on the basket" as the team failed to break the record for the most 3-pointers in a single game despite having numerous attempts to do so.

The defending champions got off to a perfect start in their NBA opener, beating the new-look New York Knicks 132-109 on Tuesday.

Al Horford had tied the record in the fourth quarter, making Boston's 29th 3-pointer of the game (level with Milwaukee Bucks), but with nine minutes left to play, Boston failed to make their next 13 consecutive attempts.

Otherwise, it was the Celtics' day, as Jayson Tatum started their celebrations with 37 points and 10 assists, while Derrick White scored 24.

Brown added 23 himself but was left in disbelief that they had been unable to break the record after the start they had.

"It was almost like we got jinxed or something," Brown said. "It was like when we were just playing, having fun, playing our style of basketball, everything was going in.

"And then once the crowd got into it, and we started hunting them [3-pointers], we couldn't even hit the broadside of the barn. Everything was off. We got a bunch of great looks, and it was like a lid on the basket.

"So that just shows, like, we're not a team that's hunting 3s. We play the game, and we do what we're supposed to do, but I think towards the end it was tough because we wasn't playing the way we had normally played. But we still had a bunch of great looks."

The Knicks were tipped to be the Celtics' toughest opponents in the Eastern Conference this year but struggled to cause their opponents any real issues.

Jalen Brunson scored 22 points for New York, and new addition Karl-Anthony Towns had just 12 points and seven rebounds.

Despite the disappointing opener, coach Tom Thibodeau is already looking to how they can improve for their next game.

"It's Game 1," Thibodeau said. "We didn't have that much time yet. But it's early, and you got to learn from it.

"So, our thing is to get better from this and watch film, and I think it was a great test for a team like this, who are already up there.

"It's a good test, and we'll learn from that and try to build on what we got to do with our habits and everything."

The Celtics are next in action against the Washington Wizards on Thursday, while the Knicks will take on the Indiana Pacers a day later.

LeBron James said that it was "always family over everything" after making NBA history alongside son Bronny during the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener. 

LeBron and Bronny checked into the game together with four minutes left in the second quarter, becoming the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA game.

The pair spent over two and a half minutes on the court together and in those minutes, Bronny was credited with one offensive rebound on a put-back attempt and finished 0-for-2 from the field.

Bronny also missed an open three-pointer, but left the court to a standing ovation. However, he did not feature again in the Lakers' 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

LeBron, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, notched 16 points along with five rebounds and four assists, but was left emotional when asked to describe the historic moment. 

"It's always been family over everything," LeBron said.

"For me, I lost a lot of time because of this league, committing to this league, being on the road on times, missing a lot of [Bronny's] things, Bryce's things, Zhuri's things.

"So, to be able to have this moment where I'm working still, and I can work alongside my son – it's one of the greatest gifts I've ever got from the man above.

"I'm going to take full advantage of it."

The Lakers have declined to speculate on how long Bronny will stay on their NBA roster, but Bronny expressed his gratitude at being able to share the court with his father.

"I'm just extremely grateful for everything. I was given an amazing opportunity to come in this league and get better every day and learn every day," Bronny said. 

"Going up to the scorer's table with my dad and checking in for the first time, that's a crazy moment I will never forget."