AROUND THE NBA Friday’s games

Knicks 107, Nets 86

NEW YORK

Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and nine rebounds, and the New York Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets for their first victory of the season. Rookie guard Frank Ntilikina also broke the ice with his first NBA points and finished with nine as the Knicks became the last team in the league to get a win this season. D’Angelo Russell returned from a one-game absence with 15 points for the Nets, who looked nothing like the team that beat Eastern Conference champion Cleveland two nights earlier. Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek gave veteran Jarrett Jack his first start at point guard and he responded with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists. Ntilikina, who missed the previous two games with a sprained left ankle after a scoreless NBA debut, made a long jumper with 49 seconds left in the third quarter. The French guard hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth. Russell got the first basket of the third quarter to cut New York’s lead to three, but the Knicks controlled the next seven minutes of play. Porzingis had a follow dunk and three-point play as he and Enes Kanter combined for all the points in a 9-0 run. Soon after, a 12-2 spurt extended the lead to 72-50.

Nuggets 105, Hawks 100

ATLANTA

Nikola Jokic recorded a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds, Will Barton and Gary Harris each scored 18 points and the Denver Nuggets beat Atlanta in the Hawks’ home opener. Emmanuel Mudiay had 16 points for Denver (2-3). It was the Nuggets’ first win in Atlanta in six years. Paul Millsap, the former four-time All-Star for the Hawks, had 16 points and six rebounds for Denver in his return to Atlanta. Dennis Schroder, back in the lineup after missing two games with a sprained left ankle, led Atlanta with 20 points. Taurean Prince had 19 points and Dewayne Dedmon had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta. The Hawks gave Millsap a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout and fans responded with an ovation. Millsap smiled and waved to the fans.

Rockets 109, Hornets 93

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

James Harden had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets made 22 of 57 3-point attempts in a victory over the Charlotte Hornets. The Rockets nearly broke their own NBA regular season records of 24 3-pointers made and 61 3-pointers attempted set last December. Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson led the 3-point barrage. Gordon was 6 of 16 from beyond the arc and had 26 points, while Anderson was 6 of 15 and finished with 21 points. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 26 points, and Dwight Howard had another strong game with 19 points and 16 rebounds against his former team. It’s the fifth straight game Howard has recorded at least 15 rebounds. However, Howard’s poor free throw shooting — he was 5 of 15 — cost the Hornets points and momentum. The Rockets fouled Howard in the fourth quarter, willing to trade three points for one.

Magic 114, Spurs 87

ORLANDO, FLA.

Evan Fournier scored an efficient 25 points and the Orlando Magic handed the San Antonio Spurs their first loss. Fournier made 10 of 12 shots, including all four of his 3-point tries. It was the third straight win for the Magic, who got 17 points from Jonathon Simmons, 16 from Aaron Gordon and 15 from Nikolai Vucevic. LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio. Patty Mills added 12 points, and Pau Gasol scored 12 points with 11 rebounds. The quick tempo led to wide-open looks all over the floor. Orlando scored half its points in the paint and hit 6 of 12 3-pointers en route to 61-34 halftime lead. Aldridge was the only effective player for the Spurs on offense in the first half, hitting 5 of 9 shots and scoring 12 points. The rest of the team combined for 7-of-35 shooting, and no other Spur had more than four points at the break. Orlando had 22 assists in the game, 19 of them in the first three periods.

Timberwolves 119, Thunder 116

MINNEAPOLIS

Karl-Anthony Towns had 33 points and 19 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the Oklahoma City Thunder. Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler, back after missing two games with an upper respiratory infection, came up big down the stretch. He scored nine points in the final 4:09 to help the Wolves close it out. Butler finished with 25 points and was 11 of 13 at the free throw line. Russell Westbrook led the way for Oklahoma City with 27 points. He had nine assists and eight rebounds, falling just shy of a triple-double. Carmelo Anthony added 23 points for the Thunder. It was the second time in a week the Timberwolves edged the Thunder in a close game. Minnesota won Sunday in Oklahoma City on a buzzer-beater by Andrew Wiggins. This time, Anthony’s 3-point attempt to tie it at the end of regulation was no good. Minnesota point guard Jeff Teague had 16 points and 10 assists for his first double-double of the season. Teague hit a free throw with 12.4 seconds to play, giving the Wolves a three-point lead. Towns finished with a season-high four blocks. Minnesota overcame an 11-point deficit to enter halftime with the game tied at 59. A three-point play by Towns put the Wolves up two with just under a minute to play in the half. There were 31 lead changes in all, and the game was tied 15 times. Anthony couldn’t miss from the floor in the second quarter, scoring the Thunder’s first nine points of the period on several long jumpers. The Timberwolves used an 8-0 run in the third to go ahead 83-78. Towns and Taj Gibson each had four points during that stretch, which was capped by Gibson’s dunk in transition.

Associated Press