Spurs beat Mavericks 125-92 to register victory
Victor Wembanyama had 40 points and 15 rebounds in a highlight-reel return
Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a 117-116 victory over the Boston Celtics
Victor Wembanyama had 40 points and 15 rebounds in a highlight-reel return, helping the San Antonio Spurs spoil No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg's debut in a 125-92 rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Flagg, the second-youngest player to start in his NBA debut by two days behind LeBron James, didn't score until the first possession of the second half, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting and 10 rebounds.
The 18-year-old from Duke had more trouble getting into the flow than the second overall choice. Dylan Harper came off the San Antonio bench midway through the first quarter, started the run that put the Spurs in control and scored 15 points. Reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle had 22 points for the Spurs.
Anthony Davis had 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Mavericks await the return of star guard Kyrie Irving, who is likely months away from his season debut while recovering from ACL surgery.
Wembanyama, who set a team record for points in a season opener, dominated the matchup of two of the three most recent top draft picks. The 2023 No. 1 choice added three blocks to several spectacular dunks and a couple of buckets with fouls that sent Davis and Dereck Lively II to the bench.
The 7-foot-4 sensation was playing in the regular season for the first time since deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot condition in the shoulder, required surgery and ended his second season in February.
Knicks beat Cavs to give Brown first win
The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111 at Madison Square Garden, giving head coach Mike Brown his first win with the organisation in a season-opening matchup of Eastern Conference hopefuls.
OG Anunoby had 24 points, 14 rebounds and three steals, and Jalen Brunson scored 23 for the Knicks, who replaced Tom Thibodeau with Brown after losing to the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 Eastern Conference finals.
Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 31 points for Cleveland, which was the No. 1 seed in the East last season but lost to Indiana in the semifinals.
Brown, who took over in New York despite Thibodeau leading the Knicks to their first East finals appearance since 2000, is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year and four-time NBA champion as an assistant.
He ranks sixth among active NBA head coaches in both career victories (455) and play-off wins (50).
Maxey, Edgecombe lead 76ers past Celtics
Tyrese Maxey scored 40 points and VJ Edgecombe added 34 in the highest scoring NBA debut in 66 years as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a 117-116 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Edgecombe, the third overall selection in this year’s draft, scored the most points in an NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain had 43 on Oct. 24, 1959.
Philadelphia led by four with 22 seconds left, but it was down to one when Edgecombe missed a pair of free throws with 9.1 seconds to play. Payton Pritchard had two shots for the winner and missed both.
Joel Embiid played for the first time since February and was limited to four points on 1-of-9 shooting. The 2023 NBA MVP and a two-time league scoring champion had six rebounds in 20 minutes as he returns after a 2024-25 season when he was limited to 19 games because of a sprained left foot, a sinus fracture and arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Jaylen Brown returned from a hamstring injury in the preseason finale to score 25 points. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP is expected to carry a heavier load this year with fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum, who watched the game from the bench in street clothes, recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
