NBA round-up: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets overpower Phoenix Suns in season opener between heavyweights | NBA News

11 games of NBA action on Wednesday night mean our morning round-up is split into two parts. Here’s everything that happened in the Western Conference, featuring the Nuggets avenging last season’s playoffs defeat to the Suns, two incredible Ja Morant highlights and a bad night for Damian Lillard.

Game of the Night: Denver Nuggets 110 – 98 Phoenix Suns

The visiting Denver Nuggets used one of the Phoenix Suns’ primary weapons against them, riding balanced scoring to a 110-98 victory over the defending Western Conference champions.

Reigning Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic led six players in double figures with 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were swept by the Suns in the Western Conference semi-finals last year.

Jokic got plenty of help as Will Barton (20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) and Michael Porter Jr. (15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) both had strong games. Aaron Gord (12 points), P.J. Dozier (10) and debutante Jeff Green (13) were the other Nuggets to score in double-digits.

Chris Paul had 15 points and a game-high 10 assists for the Suns, who were outshot 53 per cent to 41.4 per cent.

Mikal Bridges had 16 points. Deandre Ayton matched Paul with 15, while Devin Booker had 12 on a rough 3-for-15 shooting.

Play(s) of the night: Ja Morant

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate this oh so casual piece of point guard wizardry from the Memphis Grizzlies talisman.

And then there’s this: a genuine dunk of the year contender in only his first game of the season. Mind your head, Ja.

Morant poured in a game-high 37 points, including two huge hoops after Cleveland closed the gap late, as the host Memphis Grizzlies spoiled the NBA debut of Evan Mobley with a 132-121 victory over the Cavaliers.

Desmond Bane and De’Anthony Melton had 22 and 20 points respectively, while Steven Adams snatched a game-high 14 rebounds in his Grizzlies debut.

Mobley, the third overall pick in July’s draft, had 17 points, a team-high-tying nine rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, who lost despite shooting 50.5 per cent from the field.

Performance of the Night: Harrison Barnes

Harrison Barnes established career-highs of 36 points and eight three-pointers, along with collecting nine rebounds to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 124-121 road victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

De’Aaron Fox added 27 points and eight assists and Richaun Holmes (9-for-10 from the field) had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings. Buddy Hield scored 17 points and made four three-pointers to tie the franchise career mark of 1,070 set by Peja Stojakovic (1998-2006).

Damian Lillard missed what would have been a trademark 31-foot, three-point bomb just before time expired for the Trail Blazers.

Lillard recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds but was just 8-for-24 shooting and missed all nine three-point attempts in Portland’s first game under new coach Chauncey Billups.

Headlines

Thunder no match for Jazz

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points, Jordan Clarkson added 18 off the bench and Rudy Gobert compiled 21 rebounds and 16 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 107-86 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City.

All-Star Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz’s leading scorer last year, struggled from the field while scoring 16 points on 6-for-17 shooting in their season-opening game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma with 18 points but hit just 1-7 three-point attempts as the Thunder shot 37.4 per cent overall and 20 per cent from beyond the arc.

Timberwolves trio ravage young Rockets

Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell fuelled an explosive season debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who rolled to a 124-106 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets in Minneapolis.

Towns paired 30 points (on 11-of-15 shooting) with 10 rebounds while Edwards chipped in 29 points along with hitting six three-pointers. Russell finished with 22 points and seven assists as Minnesota grabbed a first-quarter lead and never looked back, leading by as many as 35.

Christian Wood had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets, who received a combined 20 points on 8-for-26 shooting from their youthful backcourt duo of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green, the second overall pick of the 2021 draft.

Eric Gordon added 15 points off the Houston bench.

Vassell comes off the bench to inspire Spurs

Devin Vassell poured in 19 points off the bench, including eight during a third-quarter spurt that cemented the game, as the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 123-97 win over the visiting Orlando Magic.

Lonnie Walker IV added 17 points, also as a reserve, with Derrick White going for 16 and Keldon Johnson and Dejounte Murray scoring 15 points each. Jakob Poeltl led all players with 13 rebounds.

Mo Bamba led the Magic with 18 points, while Terrence Ross scored 15 and Wendell Carter Jr. added 13.