Jamal Murray scored 42 points and Nikola Jokić posted 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists as the Denver Nuggets came back from 23 points down to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 141-135 in overtime on 24 October, US time, according to NBA.com's Starting 5 newsletter. On the same night the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 to move to 3-0, Devin Booker scored 43 in the Phoenix Suns' 131-122 win over the Golden State Warriors, and the San Antonio Spurs won for the first time this season, 122-106 over a Dallas Mavericks side missing Cooper Flagg.
The results at a glance
KBVN+ compiled the eight games covered in Starting 5 (winners listed first):
| Game | Score | Standout |
|---|---|---|
| Nuggets vs Pelicans | 141-135 (OT) | Murray 42 pts; Jokić 35 pts, 15 reb, 10 ast |
| 76ers vs Bucks | 127-116 | Joel Embiid 28 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast |
| Suns vs Warriors | 131-122 | Devin Booker 43 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast |
| Spurs vs Mavericks | 122-106 | Victor Wembanyama 23 pts, 7 reb, 4 blk |
| Wizards vs Bulls | 124-120 | Trae Young 25 pts, 9 ast; Caleb Wilson (Bulls) 30 pts, 14 reb |
| Rockets vs Hawks | 121-114 | Kevin Durant 22 pts |
| Hornets vs Heat | 115-110 | Brandon Miller 34 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast |
| Cavaliers vs Nets | 125-121 | Jarrett Allen 21 pts, 8 reb |
Denver's duo avoid an 0-2 start
Denver trailed by 23 with five minutes left in the third quarter and were staring at only the third 0-2 start of the Murray–Jokić era, NBA.com noted. Instead, the pair dragged them into overtime, where Jokić (8 points) and rookie Trevon Brazile (7 of his 17) scored all 15 of Denver's points.
- Denver are now 5-0 all-time when Murray and Jokić combine for 75 or more points.
- It was Jokić's 199th career triple-double, leaving him 10 short of Russell Westbrook and 11 away from the all-time record.
Sixers stay perfect as Hawks lose for the first time
Philadelphia won on Jaylen Brown's 30th birthday, and without LeBron James. Embiid (28 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists), Brown (27 points, three steals) and Tyrese Maxey (26) combined for 81, the first trio this season to each score 25 or more in a game. VJ Edgecombe added 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Maxey beat the first-quarter buzzer from half-court.
Golden State were without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford, and Booker took 25 shots on his way to 43. In the same game, No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg had 26 points, nine rebounds, five assists and six 3-pointers, raising his scoring for the third game running.
Durant, 38, led seven Houston players in double figures as the Rockets handed Atlanta their first defeat despite 26 points, nine rebounds and 16 assists from Jalen Johnson. In Chicago, Caleb Wilson's first NBA double-double was not enough after Washington won the third quarter 40-20. Wilson now has 67 points in his first three games, second in Bulls history to Michael Jordan's 74, and at 20 years and 98 days he is the second-youngest Bull to post 30 and 10, behind Luol Deng.
Miami came back from 23 points down, opening the fourth quarter on a 25-4 run, to tie the game with 3:45 left, but Grayson Allen scored seven of his 20 points from there to see Charlotte home; Brandon Miller had 34, days after signing a five-year extension. Cleveland outscored Brooklyn by 16 in the paint, with Evan Mobley adding 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, to hold off a fourth-quarter surge in which Egor Dëmin scored 15.
Spurs win as Dallas play without Flagg
Wembanyama had 23 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and a team-best plus-32 as San Antonio beat their Texas rivals, a night after losing to Houston. For Dallas, No. 25 pick Sergio de Larrea scored 21 with five rebounds and four assists. It was also the home debut of Mavericks coach Dusty May, who led Michigan to the NCAA title last season.
Flagg sat out after an MRI revealed a mild sprain of his left shoulder, according to an Associated Press report carried by NBA.com. He was hurt just before half-time of the 121-105 win at Indiana on 23 October (US time), when Aaron Nesmith fouled him from behind on a drive after a steal; the play was ruled a Flagrant 1, and Flagg landed on his left shoulder behind the baseline and did not return. He had 14 points in 17 minutes, plus five rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block, at that point. Last season's Rookie of the Year scored 32 in the season-opening 128-110 loss at Houston and averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season.
What comes next
AP reported that Flagg will be re-evaluated the following week. KBVN+ covered the injury itself in Cooper Flagg exits with left shoulder injury.
NBA.com lists seven games on the 25 October (US time) schedule; the listed tip-off times fall between 04:00 and 08:00 on 26 October, Vietnam time. They include Minnesota's Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball against Kawhi Leonard's Toronto Raptors, 19-year-old rookies Darius Acuff Jr. and Cameron Boozer meeting in Kings vs Grizzlies, LeBron James's 76ers against Cade Cunningham's Detroit Pistons, and Luka Dončić's Lakers against No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz, plus Pacers at Nets, Magic at Knicks and Clippers at Thunder.