Harden, Houston spoil another opener, win 105-100 at Kings

 James Harden had 27 points and nine assists, and the Houston Rockets made it a perfect two-game road trip to start the season despite playing this one without Chris Paul, beating the Sacramento Kings 105-100 on Wednesday night.

While he didn't shoot especially well, Harden hit a trio of dagger 3-pointers with 8:13, 6:00 and 5:13 left - the second of which put Houston ahead 89-79. He also had a key left-handed layup late and finished 8 for 21 and 4 of 14 from 3-point range.

Sacramento forced the Rockets into a shot clock violation and the Kings got the ball back with just less than a minute remaining and down 96-92. Willie Cauley-Stein made one of two free throws with 41 seconds left and Harden found Clint Capela for an alley-oop dunk moments later.

After the Kings stole the inbounds pass from Eric Gordon with 25 seconds left and down 98-95, it was initially ruled Sacramento ball but the play went to replay review and a foul was issued to George Hill instead. Gordon converted two free throws.

Capela had 22 points and matched his career high with 17 rebounds. Paul sat out with a bruised left knee that limited him during Houston's stunning comeback 122-121 win at Golden State on Tuesday after the Warriors held their championship ring ceremony.

Gordon started for Paul and scored 25 points with four 3-pointers, a night after missing all six of his tries from long range but still winding up with 24 points in 29 minutes.

Buddy Hield scored 10 of his 19 points in the third quarter for Sacramento and tied the game at 68 on a 3-pointer with 3:33 left in the period. Cauley-Stein had 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Rockets looked sluggish at times in the second game of a season-opening back-to-back. Yet Houston had enough to win its sixth straight in the series after winning all four games last season.

Zach Randolph missed making his Kings debut a day after undergoing oral surgery, but Vince Carter and Hill provided a veteran presence for the new-look Kings as they move forward beginning the season without DeMarcus Cousins after he was traded to New Orleans last February. Hill scored 16 points and Carter six in 14 minutes.

Both teams took a while to find their touch, with the Kings beginning the game 4 for 13 and the Rockets 3 for 10.

AILING PAUL

Coach Mike D'Antoni isn't counting on Paul being back Saturday for the home opener against Dallas.

"It's not a concern, it's just nagging," D'Antoni said. "We'll sit him until the training staff thinks he's ready to go and try to get over it totally."

Paul had four points and shot 2 for 9 at Golden State on Tuesday night but was limited by soreness in the knee. He led the Rockets with 11 assists and also grabbed eight rebounds, while playing 33 minutes in his regular-season debut with Houston after being traded by the Clippers during the offseason.

TIP-INS

Rockets: The Rockets were 13-3 in the second game of back-to-backs last season. The have 14 such sets, 13 remaining. ... Trevor Ariza was held to two points on free throws, shooting 0 for 6 and missing all five of his 3s. ... Houston's schedule includes seven of its first 10 games on the road. ... P.J. Tucker had just six points while dealing with foul trouble after scoring 20 points in his Rockets debut at Golden State.

Kings: Rookie De'Aaron Fox out of Kentucky drew big cheers when he checked in for his debut late in the first and finished with 14 points, five assists and four rebounds in 23 minutes. ... Second-year Golden 1 Center hosted its first season opener after the Kings began on the road last season.

UP NEXT

Rockets: Host Dallas on Saturday in home opener.

Kings: At Dallas on Friday to start a three-game road trip.

Rockets rally to spoil defending champion Warriors return

Confetti began to fall and the Golden State Warriors thought they had pulled off a wild opening-night win.

The Houston Rockets emphatically signaled otherwise - insisting that Kevin Durant's baseline jumper had swished through the net after the buzzer.

After one official got hurt, two remaining referees reviewed the play and ruled the Rockets had escaped with a 122-121 victory Tuesday on the night the Warriors received their championship rings.

"I thought it had a chance but I knew it was a little late. I knew I was cutting it close," Durant said. "Tough loss. First game of 82, we've definitely got to move on. We've got to get better."

The Warriors got the ball for one final chance with 10.6 seconds left and Durant came up with the ball after Stephen Curry had missed.

"I didn't think it counted," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "When I saw it, it looked to me like it was a little late. Didn't surprise me it was overturned."

Trevor Ariza's 3-pointer with 2:09 remaining pulled Houston within 119-118 then Patrick McCaw hit a baseline jumper immediately after Golden State's timeout. James Harden made a layup and PJ Tucker hit two free throws with 44.1 to make it 122-121.

Nick Young came off the bench to hit six 3-pointers and score 23 points in a brilliant Warriors debut, Curry scored 22 points and Durant had 20 after a slow start. Klay Thompson added 16 points.

Chris Paul had four points on 2-for-9 shooting in his Rockets debut, while Harden scored 27 points, Eric Gordon 24 and Tucker 20 for the Rockets. Houston opened the fourth with a 9-0 run to get back in it.

"It's very encouraging to be able to beat a great team like that on a huge night for them," Anderson said.

The Warriors found their rhythm early but couldn't close it out after an abbreviated preseason in terms of practice time given their recent trip to China for a pair of games against Minnesota.

Draymond Green exited in the second half with a strained left knee after he contributed nine points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.

"When we're lacking conditioning like we are right now you have to have your high-energy guys," Kerr said. "It doesn't matter what it's because of, we just have to get in better shape."

Still, this opener was a far cry for the forgettable 129-100 defeat at home to San Antonio in Durant's Warriors debut a year ago when Golden State came off a record 73-win season and runner-up finish to Cleveland in the 2016 Finals.

"I just remember the last game of the season we played," Durant said of the Game 5 Finals clincher in June.

Young found his stroke right away, hitting his first four 3s and five shots overall. It's exactly what the Warriors want him to do: shoot every time he has a good look. His six 3-pointers set a franchise record for anyone in their Warriors debut and also in a season opener.

Durant had one spectacular sequence in the third when he blocked Anderson's shot on one end then converted a three-point play moments later on the other, slapping hands with a lucky boy fan on the baseline.

Houston acquired Paul from the Clippers to give them a 1-2 backcourt punch to try to gain ground on Golden State in the Western Conference.

"They came out and threw their best punch and it took us a while to adjust," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "The last quarter we held them to 20. We're not going to do much better than that."

RING CEREMONY

Kerr planned to pay extra attention as veterans Durant, Zaza Pachulia and David West each received a championship ring for the first time in their careers.

"Basketball accomplishments to me now are just what they are," Durant said after morning shootaround. "I can kind of separate the two now. I feel like it's more so just cool as hell more than anything. It's like getting a prize possession that you're just really excited about versus getting something that's going to change your life. ... I'll be more so just really giddy and happy more so than emotional. I won't be a mess."

BEAT-UP DUBS

Key backup and 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala missed the game with a back strain, while Omri Casspi - who had been questionable with a mild right ankle sprain - appeared in his 500th career game making his debut with the Warriors. He then tweaked the ankle again.

Iguodala is expected to return for the upcoming road trip.

INJURED OFFICIAL

Referee Tre Maddox, accompanied by medical personnel, left midway through the fourth quarter after a collision with David West and hard hit. The NBA said after the game Maddox sustained an abdominal wall strain.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Tucker earned a flagrant 1 foul for his hard hit on Durant in the second. ... D'Antoni joked "We're going to go to the In-N-Out burger" during the pregame festivities, opting to keep his team in the locker room. "They deserve it," he said. "They won it, we didn't." ... The Rockets hit 22 3-pointers in three preseason games and didn't allow more than 106 points, holding opponents to 93.8. ... Houston also opened the season vs. the Warriors in 2009 and `10. ...

Warriors: The Warriors are auctioning signed shooting shirts worn for the pregame festivities to benefit fire relief efforts in the North Bay. ... Thompson has hit a 3 in 55 straight games, second-longest active streak.

UP NEXT

Rockets: At Kings on Wednesday night in Sacramento's season opener.

Warriors: At New Orleans on Friday to start a three-game road trip.

Rockets top Mavs 106-98 with Nowitzki out for home opener

 James Harden walked the ball up the court in the final seconds of the third quarter, then decided he didn't want to set up the offense.

The Houston star simply pulled up and hit a long 3-pointer for the first double-digit lead during a late-quarter run that put the Rockets in control for good.

Trevor Ariza scored 27 points, Harden had 26 and Houston beat Dallas 106-98 with Dirk Nowitzki missing from the Mavericks' home opener Friday night.

Harden went scoreless while playing the entire first quarter, missing all five shots, before getting 10 points in the second and 12 in the third, including the punctuating 3 that followed two others on a 10-2 run to finish the quarter.

"I was in a groove and it was time to close out the quarter," Harden said. "Think that's one of the things that we're preaching is we got to end quarters the right way."

Harrison Barnes, playing his first home game for the Mavericks after signing a max contract in the summer, had a career-high 31 points.

Nowitzki didn't play for just the second time in 19 home openers with Dallas. The 38-year-old had a stomach ailment bad enough that coach Rick Carlisle wasn't sure he would make the trip to Houston for the Rockets' home opener Sunday.

"Dirk's not going to be around here forever. And we're going to be sitting him sometimes this year," Carlisle said. "The other guys have got to step up and step forward. And I'm one of them. We've all got to really raise the level of our game when a guy like that's not on the floor."

Two nights after recording a career-high 17 assists in an opening loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Harden had eight assists and seven rebounds.

Ariza was 5 of 7 from 3-point range, including one early in the fourth quarter to push Houston's lead back to nine points. He was fouled on 3-pointers twice and made all six free throws.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Harden became the second player in NBA history with at least 30 points and 15 assists in an opener when he had 34 points and 17 assists in the 120-114 loss to the Lakers. Tim Hardaway had 32 and 18 for Golden State at Denver in 1990. ... Eric Gordon was the other double-figure scorer for Houston with 18 points. ... Clint Capela had nine rebounds.

Mavericks: Dallas has the two highest totals for 3-point attempts in a game in league history after shooting 48 in the 130-121 overtime loss to Indiana in the opener. The Mavericks made 18 (38 percent). Dallas shot a record 49 on March 5, 1996, against New Jersey, also making 18 (37 percent). ... Andrew Bogut, a starter alongside Barnes at Golden State before both joined Dallas after the Warriors landed Kevin Durant in free agency, had a game-high 12 rebounds. ... Deron Williams had 14 points, but just one in the second half.

FILLING IN FOR DIRK

The only other home opener Nowitzki missed was in 2012 when he sat the first 27 games recovering from knee surgery. Sliding over to power forward, Barnes was strong inside and out, going 13 of 23 from the field with five rebounds. "I think he has a chance to be a very special player. I've felt that all along," Carlisle said.

DEFENSIVE TURNAROUND

After giving up 51 percent shooting in the loss to the Lakers, the Rockets allowed Dallas to shoot 52 percent in the first quarter while Barnes scored 12 points . But the Mavericks were held to 15 of 40 (38 percent) in the second and third quarters, when Houston outscored them 53-43. "We can't just rely on offense or James bailing us out like he did a lot last year," Ariza said. "We have to do it collectively on the defensive end."

SHOOTING STRUGGLES

Dallas' Wesley Matthews scored 13 points on a second straight bad shooting night. He's 7 of 30 from the field through two games, including 3 of 18 from 3-point range.

LONG-RANGE SUCCESS

The Rockets were 15 of 32 from 3-point range (47 percent). Ariza, Harden (4 of 9) and Gordon (3 of 6) combined to make 12 of 20 from beyond the arc. "I think our legs were a little bit better, and we'll get more in shape as we play more games," first-year coach Mike D'Antoni said.

UP NEXT

The Rockets' home opener Sunday against the Mavericks is their only home game in the first eight this season. One of three five-game road trips - a season high - follows.

Young Lakers roar past Rockets 120-114 to win Walton's debut

Before his official head coaching debut, Luke Walton cautioned the Los Angeles Lakers about the long, difficult road from the start of this rebuilding season to sustained success.

"The outcome is less of a concern than how we play, and how we get after it," Walton said.

Although these young Lakers won't be judged by wins and losses, their first victory together still felt awfully sweet.

Jordan Clarkson scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers held off the Houston Rockets 120-114 on Wednesday night to win Walton's debut.

D'Angelo Russell scored 20 points and Julius Randle added 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Lakers got off to an exciting start in the franchise's first season without Kobe Bryant since 1995. With a revamped roster coming off the worst season in the 16-time champion team's history, Los Angeles surged in the fourth quarter while the Rockets tired.

"It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done," Russell said. "Everybody did their part tonight, and it showed in the results."

The Lakers played an up-tempo offensive game under the 36-year-old Walton, and nobody seized the moment better than Clarkson, who came off the bench in his first game since signing a $50 million contract. His 3-pointer put Los Angeles up 116-112 with 1:48 left, and the Lakers hung on while the Rockets missed a series of open shots in the final minute.

James Harden had 34 points, a career-high 17 assists and eight rebounds for the Rockets, who lost in former Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni's debut on the Houston bench. The Rockets missed 15 of their 16 3-point attempts in the second half on admittedly weary legs.

"I told them, `Look, the only thing that's been determined tonight is we're not going to win 82 games,'" D'Antoni said. "We know that. You just throw it away and go to the next one. It's a marathon, a long time, and our legs will come to us."

After matching the franchise record with 14 first-half assists, Harden tied his career high with his 16th early in the third quarter. The Los Angeles native managed only six points in the fourth quarter, going 1 for 5, and his teammates were a combined 5 for 16.

"We were scoring so easily that we just didn't get stops," Harden said. "It gave them confidence early in the game to where they made shots at the end. But we're not going to get down."

FIRST TIMES

Brandon Ingram scored nine points in the No. 2 pick's debut for the Lakers. Timofey Mozgov had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Luol Deng had seven points in solid Lakers debuts for the veteran free agents.

Ingram got a loud ovation when he checked in for his debut midway through the first quarter. The lanky wing scorer's first NBA basket was a 3-pointer from the corner near the Lakers' bench with the shot clock winding down.

LUKE'S DEBUT

After leading the Golden State Warriors to a 39-4 start last season while filling in for Steve Kerr, Walton finally has an actual game on his coaching record. His wins in Oakland were attributed to Kerr, but Walton captured the attention of the NBA and the Lakers, who brought him back to the city where he won two NBA title rings as a player.

Hall of Famer Bill Walton proudly wore a purple Lakers T-shirt to his son's big night. Walton's mother and three brothers also attended the game. "The Walton force will be strong tonight," Luke said.

D'ANTONI RETURNS

The Lakers fired D'Antoni after he went 27-55 in 2013-14, the first of a franchise-record three straight non-playoff seasons. When D'Antoni was asked before the game about reflecting on his time in LA, the coach quickly quipped: "I try not to. ... No, I loved it. I actually did."

TIP-INS

Rockets: Eric Gordon scored 19 points. ... Clint Capela, the 6-foot-9 Swiss forward, replaced Dwight Howard in the middle of the lineup with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Lakers: Metta World Peace began his 17th NBA season, picking up three fouls in his first two minutes while guarding Harden. ... Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, director Peter Berg, YG, Kendall Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game.

UP NEXT

Rockets: At Dallas on Friday in the opener of a home-and-home series.

Lakers: Open a four-game road trip at Utah on Friday.