Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points as the Dallas Mavericks held off a late rally by the winless Los Angeles Lakers for a 103-93 victory on Sunday night.
This is the first time in franchise history the Lakers have started 0-3 in consecutive seasons. They lost their first five games last season and ended up with their worst record ever (21-61).
The Mavericks opened the game with a 15-0 blitz that included two three-pointers each by Wesley Matthews and Nowitzki — the latter has made more three-point shots than any 7-footer in league history (1,580). The Lakers missed their first five shots before Julius Randle’s dunk with 7 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first quarter.
Randle posted his second consecutive double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Kobe Bryant had 15 points on three-of-15 shooting.
THUNDER 117, NUGGETS 93
In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 25 points to help Oklahoma City beat Denver.
Durant made eight of 11 field goals and all six of his free throws to help new coach Billy Donovan remain unbeaten in the NBA.
Serge Ibaka had 18 points, seven rebounds and five blocks and Russell Westbrook had 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who have won their first three games for the first time since the 2011-2012 season.
The Thunder shot 52 percent from the field, and all five Oklahoma City starters rested for the entire fourth quarter.
Danilo Gallinari and Will Barton each scored 15 points and Jameer Nelson added 13 points and seven assists for the Nuggets, who shot just 38 percent.
BULLS 92, MAGIC 87
In Chicago, Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic each scored 16 points as Chicago withstood a late surge from Orlando.
Chicago led by 14 at halftime and 12 after three quarters, and the Bulls appeared to be headed for an easy win. However, Orlando cut the lead to two with just under 3 minutes left before Chicago’s Jimmy Butler jumped to intercept a pass and squelch the comeback bid.
Then, under the Bulls’ basket after a Magic rebound, Butler came up with another takeaway to again foil Orlando.
It was the third win in four games for Chicago. The Magic dropped to 0-3.
Derrick Rose is still playing with a face mask as he recovers from a broken orbital bone suffered before the start of the season. He was held scoreless in the second and third quarters and finished with just six points.
HEAT 109, ROCKETS 89
In Miami, Hassan Whiteside had 25 points and 15 rebounds, while Chris Bosh scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter as Miami erased a 21-point second-half deficit to beat Houston.
Dwyane Wade scored 20 points and Luol Deng added 14 for Miami, who outscored Houston 65-24 in the final 23 minutes. It was Miami’s largest comeback win since a 27-point rally against Cleveland in March 2013.
Marcus Thornton scored 21 points for Houston, and James Harden had 16. The Rockets have dropped their first three games of the season — all by exactly 20 points each.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Hawks 94, Hornets 92
‧ Spurs 95, Celtics 87
‧ Raptors 106, Bucks 87
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