The Oklahoma City Thunder managed to repel a late rally from the Charlotte Hornets to claim a thrilling 109-107 win in their season opener.
Charlotte started strongly on their home court to take a two-point lead into half-time, however they fell off a cliff in the third quarter, scoring just 16 points.
The Thunder then opened up a 13-point lead in the fourth, before the Hornets caught fire in the final two minutes to draw level at 107-107 with 10 seconds left.
Game on the line. #ThunderUp | @shaiglalex pic.twitter.com/v8gtOghMeJ — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 27, 2020
But it was all for nought as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a jumper at the buzzer to seal a two-point win.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 24 points, while Terry Rozier top-scored for the Hornets with 19.
It was another close game in San Antonio as the Spurs left it until the final minute to down the Toronto Raptors 119-114.
Down four with a minute left on the clock, former Raptor DeMar DeRozan sparked the Spurs into action with a clutch three-pointer to close the gap to one.
They then took the lead on the back of a quick score from LaMarcus Aldridge, while Kyle Lowry was unable to square things up for the visitors from 19 feet.
No hesitation ➡ swish.@DeMar_DeRozan | #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/vQRea4SlVV — San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 27, 2020
Rudy Gay then sunk two free throws to see the Spurs home, with San Antonio led by DeRozan's 27-point effort.
D'Angelo Russell scored 25 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 116-111 win over the Utah Jazz.
Despite a double-digit deficit late in the game, the Jazz managed to pull within three with five seconds left, however they coughed up possession on an offensive foul.
Karl Anthony-Towns finished with a double-double for the Timberwolves, while Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points off the bench for the Jazz.
Domantas Sobonis was unstoppable for the Indiana Pacers, finishing with a 22-point triple-double in a 125-106 victory against the Chicago Bulls.
𝟸-𝟶 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗. 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊 #PacersWin: pic.twitter.com/Q29xIa6Qvb — Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 27, 2020
Sobonis also picked up 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Pacers cruised to a second-straight victory to start their season.
The Orlando Magic have also won two on the bounce, downing the Wizards 130-120 in Washington.
Terrence Ross led Orlando with 25, while Russell Westbrook became the fourth man in NBA history to record a triple-double in his team's first two games.
The Portland Trail Blazers eked out a 128-126 overtime win against the Houston Rockets.
Collin Sexton dropped 32 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Detroit Pistons 128-119.
In the rest of the day's games, the Atlanta Hawks claimed a 10-point win against the Memphis Grizzlies, Joel Embiid finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers' 109-89 victory over the New York Knicks, and the Sacramento Kings defeated the Phoenix Suns 106-103.
