NBA Results Roundup (26 Oct, Saturday): Westbrook triple double helps Houston edge Pelicans; Kawhi Leonard's Clippers fall to Suns
Blowout victories, shock upsets, and breathtaking individual performances highlighted Saturday's NBA action.
The Miami Heat kicked things off with a trip to Milwaukee to lock horns with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks side, while the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz were also in action on a busy night in the NBA.
Without further ado, let's get into the results from all the games of the night.
#1 Miami Heat score 131 to neutralize Giannis Antetokounmpo performance
Miami Heat, led by Bam Adebayo's double-double, pulled off a shock upset over the Bucks. The Heat trailed by as many as 21 points at one stage but an improved defensive effort in the second half sparked their comeback.
Giannis once again impressed for the Bucks in their home opener, finishing with 29 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists. However, he fouled out in overtime and the Bucks struggled to generate any sort of rhythm on offense in his absence, allowing the Heat to sneak a 131-126 victory.
Heat 131-126 Bucks (Adebayo 19 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists)
#2 Tobias Harris fires Philadelphia 76ers past Detroit Pistons
Tobias Harris' spectacular shooting display powered the 76ers to their second straight victory of the new season. Harris finished with 29 points and seven rebounds on 66.7% shooting from the field, while Ben Simmons' career-high seven steals also played a role in consigning the Pistons to their second defeat in three games.
The game was on a knife-edge heading into the third quarter, and 15 missed free throws by the Pistons ultimately proved to be their undoing.
76ers 117-111 Pistons (Harris 29 points, 7 rebounds)
#3 Orlando run out of Magic as Trae Young sparkles for Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young capped off a sensational week with a stunning 39-point display against the Orlando Magic.
Young poured in 38 in a win against the Pistons earlier in the week and continued from he had left off. The 21-year-old seems to have taken his game to a whole new level this season and single-handedly dragged Atlanta to their second straight victory.
The game see-sawed for the most part, with plenty of lead changes heading into the final few minutes but the Hawks held their nerve late on to seal a 103-99 win.
Magic 99-103 Hawks (Young 39 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists)
#4 Boston Celtics score 118 on back of Kemba Walker performance
The New York Knicks' disastrous start to the season continued as they slumped to a 118-95 defeat to the Boston Celtics.
After a disappointing couple of games, Kemba Walker finally came to the party for the Celtics. Walker drained seven of his 11 attempts from beyond the arc to finish with 32 points. He received plenty of assistance from his supporting cast as well, with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combining for 34 points.
For the Knicks, RJ Barrett impressed with 26 points, but lack of scoring options and an insipid display on defense meant they were blown out by the Celtics.
Celtics 118-95 Knicks (Walker 32 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists)
#5 Thompson, Love help Cleveland Cavaliers subdue Indiana Pacers
Surely, things can only get better for the Indiana Pacers from here. At least that's what coach Nate McMillan will be hoping for after watching his side slump to a 99-110 defeat to one of the league's worst teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Indiana began strongly but a second-quarter blitz by the Cavs in which they outscored the Pacers by 19 put the game beyond doubt. Cavaliers veterans Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love both had double-doubles to neutralize Malcolm Brogdon's 30-point effort.
Pacers 99-110 Cavaliers (Thompson 25 points, 13 rebounds)
#6 Pascal Siakam leads Toronto Raptors' rout of Chicago Bulls
Inconsistency has been the Chicago Bulls' Achilles heel the past few years. Following a blistering offensive display against the Hornets and Grizzlies, the Bulls managed just 84 points against the Raptors, shooting 30% from the field.
Wendell Carter Jr top-scored for the Bulls with 12 points, which is evidence of how poor Chicago was on offense all night long.
For the Raptors, Pascal Siakam continued to impress, finishing with 19 points. while OG Anunoby, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet combined for 51 points to seal Toronto's 10th straight win over the Bulls.
Raptors 108-84 Bulls (Siakam 19 points)
#7 Brandon Ingram stars but New Orleans Pelicans rocked by Russell Westbrook performance
The Houston Rockets were at the receiving end of a Brandon Ingram masterclass but managed to eke out a three-point victory on the back of Russell Westbrook's historic triple-double.
James Harden had another poor shooting night, making just two of his 18 attempts from downtown, although he did manage to finish with 29 points. With Harden struggling, the onus was on Westbrook to carry the Houston offense and he did just that, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Westbrook also converted two clutch free throws in the dying stages of the game to cap off a historic night in which he passed Magic Johnson to become the player with the second-most triple-doubles in NBA history.
For the Pelicans, Ingram starred once again, pouring in 35 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
Pelicans 123-126 Rockets (Ingram 35 points, 15 rebounds; Westbrook 28 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists)
#8 San Antonio Spurs score freely in offensive slugfest with Washington Wizards
In a game that featured over 40 lead changes and boiled down to the final shot, the San Antonio Spurs edged the Washington Wizards after Bradley Beal's driving layup was blocked by Derrick White on the final possession of the game. San Antonio had as many as five players who finished with double-digit points, LaMarcus Aldridge leading the pack with 27.
DeMar DeRozan, who finished with 26 points, put San Antonio in the lead with 5 seconds to go and the Spurs then held on for their second victory of the season. For the Wizards, Beal finished with 25 points and 11 assists, while Davis Bertans was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field,
Wizards 122-124 Spurs (Aldridge 27 points, 9 rebounds)
#9 Buddy Hield, De'Aaron Fox struggle as Sacramento Kings suffer third straight loss
A season that initially promised so much has delivered so little for the Sacramento Kings, who suffered their second blowout in three games to start the new campaign. The Kings were outscored 66-41 in the first half which left them stunned and unable to stage a recovery.
Sacramento's normally prolific duo of Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox struggled on the night, combining for just 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the field. The Jazz, meanwhile, had a huge contribution from Bojan Bogdanovic, who finished with 26 points.
Kings 81-113 Jazz (Bogdanovic 26 points)
#10 Kawhi Leonard suffers first loss as Los Angeles Clippers score 130 but fall to Phoenix Suns
Kawhi Leonard suffered his first loss as a Clipper, as Los Angeles fell to an inspired Phoenix Suns side. The Clippers entered this contest on the back of wins against the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors and were expected to cruise to yet another victory.
However, they were torched by Devin Booker and stifled by a relentless Suns defense. Leonard finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists, while Montrezl Harrell poured in 28 of his own albeit in a losing cause.
The Suns looked in control throughout and rode on Booker's 30-point effort to end a 10-game losing streak to the Clippers.
Clippers 122-130 Suns (Booker 30 points; Leonard 27 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists)