NBA: 76ers trounce Celtics; Kyrie Irving's debut ends in OT loss to Timberwolves

NBA action continued on day two with 11 fixtures scheduled for the night. The star battle of the night between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. The leaders got two straight threes, after which they managed to hold back the opposition's advances, sealing the victory.

• Nuggets end Trailblazers' home opener win streak.
• Miami Heat beat the Memphis Grizzlies; Heat scored 37 points in the fourth quarter.
• San Antonio Spurs 120-111 New York Knicks
   

Ben Simmons ended with 24 points, amassing eight assists and nine rebounds. Gordon Hayward ended up the top scorer for the Celtics with 25 points, securing five assists and two rebounds for his side. Overall, it was the 76ers' dominating defense that helped them secure the victory in the season opener.

Nuggets end Trailblazers' record of home-opening wins

Damian Lilard's 32 points went in vain as Portland Trailblazers, who had never lost a home-opener since 2000 were left shell-shocked as the Denver Nuggets surged past them to claim an emphatic 110-109 victory.

The Nuggets had a bad start as they were down 19-7. They scored six off 10 three-pointers to end the quarter 27-24. However, a rush of energy fueled the Nuggets as they went up 49-39 at the end of Q2, leading by 10 points.

Nikola Jokic, who didn't get his first points till early in the second half, led the attack and scored 4 points, ending Q3, 74-73, in favor of Portland. Q4 was the twist in the tale as Denver surged ahead 97-90.

Portland cut down the margin 101-96 with 46.7 seconds remaining. But, the Nuggets secured the win by sinking seven out of eight free throws.

Kyrie Irving's debut ends in disappointment

The Brooklyn Nets were unable to shake off a slow start, falling prey to the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime. Even the 50 points dropped by their star couldn't help them get over the line as the Timberwolves overpowered them in overtime.

Kyrie Irving is the seveth player in franchise history to score 50-plus points in a game, and the superstar is only just making his debut for the Nets.

The Timberwolves were led by their center, Karl Anthony Towns, who scored 36 points, amassing 14 rebounds and three assists. He dropped seven treys in the game.

San Antonio Spurs topple New York Knicks

Despite staging a strong fight, the New York Knicks were unable to inspire a win as Spurs defeated the team from the Big Apple, 120-111, last night. Despite a closely contested Q2 and winning Q3, the Knicks' plans were laid to waste by Spurs' point guard Dejounte Murray.

The 23-year old, who signed a new four-year, $64 million extension, scored 18 points, provided six assists and snatched eight rebounds. His incredible all-round performance also included two crucial steals.

The Spurs' impeccable defense was on display in the first quarter as they allowed the Knicks to score only 15 points. Marcus Morris, who moved to Knicks from Spurs, led the scoring chart for the latter with 26 points. Julius Randle scored 25 points, including six assists and 11 rebounds.

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