Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a triple-double before fouling out, and the Milwaukee Bucks erased a 16-point deficit to rally past the host Houston Rockets 117-111 on Thursday.
Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists before picking up his sixth foul with 5:18 remaining. The Bucks led 101-95 at that point, but they did not collapse with the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player watching from the bench. A collective effort carried Milwaukee to victory in the regular-season opener for both teams, as seven Bucks scored in double figures.
Wesley Matthews had 14 points while Ersan Ilyasova, who gave Milwaukee its first lead at 91-90 on a second-chance basket with 8:34 remaining in the contest, added 13 for the Bucks. Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez scored 11 points apiece, and Pat Connaughton added 10.
Russell Westbrook produced 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in his Houston debut while James Harden added 19 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds. Clint Capela finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Hawks 117, Pistons 100
One night after Detroit made a surprise first impression with a season-opening win on the road, visiting Atlanta did the same to the Pistons.
Trae Young scored 25 of his game-high 38 points in the first half and added nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Hawks to a win in their season opener at Detroit. Young went 11 of 21 from the floor, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range.
Derrick Rose came off of the bench to score 27 points in 25 minutes, and Andre Drummond had 21 points and 12 rebounds in defeat for the Pistons.
Clippers 141, Warriors 122
Los Angeles scored the first 14 points in the regular-season history of Golden State’s new home, the Chase Center in San Francisco, and rode balanced scoring to a front-running romp over the five-time defending Western Conference champions.
Lou Williams had 22 points to lead five Clippers with 16 or more as the visitors built upon a season-opening victory over the Lakers with a blowout win in which they never trailed.
Playing a regular-season game in San Francisco for the first time since 1971, the Warriors watched as Clippers center Ivica Zubac scored the first five points in Chase Center regular-season history and Patrick Patterson added a pair of 3-pointers in the game-opening, 14-0 flurry.
–Field Level Media
