Warriors 120 (4-2), Wizards 117 (3-2)
Golden State came back from down 18 and used a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter to take the lead and defeat the Wizards in a heated thriller at Oracle Arena. John Wall missed a three with three seconds to go that would have tied it, then Jodie Meeks missed a desperation heave at the buzzer, allowing the Warriors to escape.
It was an emotional game, highlighted by Draymond Green and Bradley Beal getting tangled up late in the first half. Both were tossed:
Well, it’s going down in Oracle! pic.twitter.com/UPIK5G4wMF
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 28, 2017
The Wizards went into the locker room up 14 and held that lead through much of the second half, thanks in part to Otto Porter Jr.’s hot shooting. Porter was 7-9 from three for the game and made two of them on back-to-back possessions in the fourth, keeping the pressure on the Warriors. Golden State pulled ahead for good on an Andre Iguodala layup with 3:13 to play.
Rockets 109 (5-1), Hornets 93 (2-3)
James Harden’s triple-double (27 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) powered the Rockets to their fifth win of the season in a game that was closer than the final score indicated. Houston led by just four headed into the fourth quarter, but went on a 9-0 run early in the final period to create some distance. Eric Gordon scored eight points in the final quarter (and 26 overall), including a couple of key threes during the Rockets’ run. Kemba Walker had 26 for Charlotte, while Dwight Howard had 19 points and 16 rebounds.
Magic 114 (4-1), Spurs 87 (4-1)
The Magic are one of the early surprises of the NBA season, and they continued their strong start with a blowout win over the previously unbeaten Spurs. Orlando led by as many as 36 points, led by Evan Fournier’s 25 point performance on 10-12 shooting. Former Spur Jonathon Simmons had 17 off the bench against his former team and in the early going this season has more than doubled his scoring average from last year. LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 11 boards to lead San Antonio.
Orlando’s back at it again 💪 (via @OrlandoMagic) pic.twitter.com/ZSJ0oG9Tdn
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 27, 2017
Nuggets 105 (2-3), Hawks 100 (1-5)
Paul Millsap enjoyed a sweet return to Atlanta as the Nuggets escaped with a narrow win over the Hawks. Though Denver led for the entire fourth quarter, the outcome was in doubt almost the entire way. Millsap got the Nuggets going with their first basket of the game and helped seal the victory with seven points over the final 3:23.
Denver shot just 4-20 from three, but Nikola Jokic dominated inside to the tune of 18 points and 15 rebounds. Dennis Schroeder had 20 points and six assists for the Hawks, who have now lost five straight games. They’ll look to snap their skid Sunday with a home game against Milwaukee.
Denver caught them napping (via @nuggets) pic.twitter.com/hmcjqrzK8F
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 28, 2017
Knicks 107 (1-3), Nets 86 (3-3)
The Knicks’ first win of the season came against their cross-town rivals, thanks to a 30-point outburst from Kristaps Porzingis. KP did more than just put up numbers, however. He made noise:
Posters, courtesy of KP. pic.twitter.com/ejEDRd1LxC
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 28, 2017
Rookie Frank Ntilikina made his home debut and gave fans a taste of what’s to come. Here was one of his five assists:
French dime. pic.twitter.com/FruDYe4aTr
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 28, 2017
The Nets, coming off a huge win over the Cavs at home, led by five after the first quarter, but promptly gave up a 10-1 run to start the second. The Knicks led by five at halftime and never trailed again, eventually going up by as many as 23.
Timberwolves 119 (3-3), Thunder 116 (2-3)
For the second time in a week, a Timberwolves-Thunder game was decided at the buzzer. This time, it was Carmelo Anthony who missed a three as time wound down, allowing Minnesota to earn its second win over Oklahoma City in five days.
In a game that saw 31 lead changes and 15 ties, Karl Anthony Towns was the star, posting 33 and 19. Jimmy Butler had 25, 13 of them coming in the second quarter, in his return to the court after missing two games with an upper respiratory infection. For the Thunder, Russell Westbrook had his typical boxscore-stuffing game with 27 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
Gotta pick him up! (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/GTqcJEREsR
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 28, 2017
Raptors 101 (3-2), Lakers 92 (2-3)
Serge Ibaka got the Raptors going early as Toronto picked up a road win in Los Angeles.
SERGE!!! (via @Raptors) pic.twitter.com/ZHHUqJRoYB
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) October 28, 2017
The Lakers committed 21 turnovers and shot just 3-23 from three. Yet somehow, LA hung tough, even leading into the fourth quarter. A 17-4 run from Toronto, however, ended the intrigue and bumped the Raptors over .500 for the season. DeMar DeRozan had 24 points to lead the Raptors, while Julius Randle had 18 for the Lakers.
