NBA Roundup: Celtics Earn First Win

Philadelphia — Kyrie Irving scored 21 points, Al Horford had 15 and the Boston Celtics won for the first time since losing Gordon Hayward, 102-92 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

The Celtics lost their first two games after Hayward went down in the opener with a mangled ankle that may cost him the season. Horford and Irving took over down the stretch to quiet a raucous 76ers crowd in their home opener.

Jayson Tatum scored 15 points and Terry Rozier III had 14 to keep the Celtics afloat with a makeshift lineup. Boston snapped a tie game with an 11-4 run late in the fourth that steadied a franchise still reeling from Hayward’s injury.

Joel Embiid knows the feeling of missing an entire season. The Sixers center missed his first two NBA seasons with foot injuries and was limited to 31 games last year. Healthy and ready to play, Embiid had one of his worst games as a pro, with 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting. He missed all six 3s in 28 minutes. J.J. Redick led the Sixers with 19 points.

Moments after he checked in late in the third, Embiid drove past Horford for his first basket of the game and a 65-56 lead. Embiid missed his first eight shots — he spent more time exhorting the fans to chant “trust the process,” — before he gave the fans a real reason to cheer.

Already playing shorthanded, the Celtics wasted points with a 15-of-25 effort from the line through the third quarter. Aaron Baynes slipped in for a tip-in at the horn when Embiid failed to box out that cut Philly’s lead to 72-69.

Wizards 115, Pistons 111

Washington — John Wall scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half and added 10 assists to lift Washington over Detroit.

Otto Porter led the Wizards with 28 points, and Bradley Beal added 24. Washington won despite blowing a 15-point fourth-quarter lead.

Hornets 109, Hawks 91

Charlotte, n.c. — Kemba Walker scored 26 points, Dwight Howard had 20 points and 15 rebounds in his first home game with Charlotte, and the Hornets rallied to beat Atlanta.

The Hornets trailed by as many as 20 in the first half, but used a 24-0 run in the third quarter to blow open the game and win their home opener.

Cavaliers 116, Bucks 97

Milwaukee — LeBron James had 24 points and eight assists, and Kyle Korver hit three straight 3s in a decisive third-quarter run to help Cleveland beat Milwaukee.

Kevin Love added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs. Their 15-5 spurt over the final 4:25 of the third quarter, sparked by Korver’s long-range shooting, opened a 13-point lead. Cleveland led by double digits most of the rest of the way to spoil the Bucks’ home opener.

The defending Eastern Conference champions started the season with a second straight victory over an East contender after beating the Celtics in their home opener.

Nets 126, Magic 121

New York — D’Angelo Russell, Trevor Booker and DeMarre Carroll all scored 17 points, and the Nets beat Orlando in their home opener.

Booker added 11 rebounds and made the clinching free throws with 0.9 seconds left after Orlando’s Evan Fournier missed a tying 3-point attempt.

The Nets bounced back after yielding 140 points Wednesday night in a season-opening loss to Indiana, a game in which they lost Jeremy Lin for the season after a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee.

Blazers 114, Pacers 96

Indianapolis — CJ McCollum scored 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting to lead Portland past Indiana.

With Pacers starting center Myles Turner out with a concussion, McCollum teamed with backcourt mate Damian Lillard to take advantage of an inexperienced Pacers interior defense.

Lillard did most of his damage in the paint in the first half. McCollum picked it up in the second half, scoring Portland’s final 12 points of the third quarter and giving the Blazers a 91-73 lead.