The NBA's most potent offence found themselves in a rare defensive battle as the Brooklyn Nets got the better of the Miami Heat 98-85.
Brooklyn, who went into the game averaging 120.3 points, struggled to find any rhythm offensively in the early going.
With each of their big three struggling to make shots, the Nets opted for a more defensive mindset in order to keep themselves from being blown out.
Clamped down. Got it done. 📼 Team Tape vs. Miami 📼 pic.twitter.com/qAjxkAnive — Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 26, 2021
The strategy paid dividends in the fourth, when Kevin Durant was able to string together a series of threes and spark the hosts on a game-winning run.
Durant finished with 20 points, while Bam Adebayo posted 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat.
LeBron James was at his veteran best for Los Angeles, scoring 46 points to lead the Lakers over the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108.
A third-quarter burst helped the Cavaliers make the fourth quarter interesting, but they found themselves outmatched down the stretch as the Lakers became the sixth team in NBA history to start the season with a 10-plus game win streak on the road.
4️⃣6️⃣ #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/6nUxDp0ZvK — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2021
Meanwhile Andre Drummond led the way for the Cavaliers with 25 points and 17 rebounds.
A historic night for Luka Doncic was not enough for the Dallas Mavericks, who went down 117-113 to the Denver Nuggets behind a 30-point performance from Michael Porter Jr.
The 21-year-old Doncic finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists in the loss to record the 16th 30-point triple-double of his career, tying Michael Jordan for eighth-most all-time.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ended their three-game losing streak in thrilling fashion, overcoming the Portland Trail Blazers 125-122.
Hungry for more. 🏗️🧱👷 pic.twitter.com/jV3dBGjtKE — Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) January 26, 2021
Delon Wright scored 28 points to guide the Detroit Pistons to a 119-104 upset win over the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers.
In the rest of the day's action: the Indiana Pacers defeated the Toronto Raptors 129-114, Nikola Vucevic scored 28 points to lead the Orlando Magic over the Charlotte Hornets 117-108, the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls by 16 and the Golden State Warriors cruised to a 130-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on the back of 36 points from Steph Curry.
