Los Angeles Lakers, strong favourite to win a second straight title, suffered a second defeat in four games in the new NBA season, falling 115-107 to Portland Trail Blazers.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Anthony Davis returned from a night off with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 31 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 28.
Overtime win
Memphis Grizzlies’ first win of the season was a costly one, as Rookie-of-the-Year Ja Morant limped out with a sprained ankle in the first half of a 116-111 overtime triumph over Brooklyn Nets.
Morant rose to block a shot by Brooklyn's French forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot with less than three minutes remaining in the first half, rolling his ankle as he came down and hopping to the baseline where he fell to the court.
He was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair, with the Grizzlies tweeting that the initial diagnosis was a sprained left ankle.
Kyle Anderson led the Grizzlies with 28 points — with a career-best four three-pointers — and Dillon Brooks added 24. Caris LeVert led the Nets with 28 points and 11 assists.
In Salt Lake City, Utah's Donovan Mitchell scored the Jazz's final 12 points — including the game-winner with seven seconds remaining — and Rudy Gobert shut down Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the rim as time expired to give the Jazz a 110-109 victory over Thunder.
Although the NBA managed to resume and crown a champion, the pandemic continues to affect the new season with games being played in largely empty arenas.
Houston Rockets, without John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Gordon and Mason Jones because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, fell 124-111 to the Nuggets in Denver, where Serbian center Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 18 assists to lead the hosts.
The results: Hawks 128 bt Pistons 120; Nets 111 lost to Grizzlies 116 (OT); Lakers 107 lost to Trail Blazers 115; Nuggets 124 bt Rockets 111; Thunder 109 lost to Jazz 110.