Butler scores 33 points, cheered in Wolves win

Jimmy Butler scored 33 points on 10-of-12 shooting during his first home contest of the season to help the Minnesota Timberwolves post a 131-123 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night in Minneapolis.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 20-10-2018 11:57 IST | Created: 20-10-2018 11:14 IST
Butler scores 33 points, cheered in Wolves win
Victor Oladipo scored 25 points to lead the Pacers. (Image Credit: Twitter)
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Jimmy Butler scored 33 points on 10-of-12 shooting during his first home contest of the season to help the Minnesota Timberwolves post a 131-123 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night in Minneapolis.

Butler was heartily booed in pregame introductions, stemming from his trade request and vow not to re-sign with the Timberwolves. He hit all 12 of his free throws -- later receiving "M-V'-P" chants while he was at the line -- and also contributed seven rebounds and four steals in 36 minutes.

Andrew Wiggins added 22 points and Taj Gibson had 13 points for Minnesota, which shot 50.6 per cent from the field and made 33 of 35 free throws. Four other players scored in double digits: Karl-Anthony Towns and Derrick Rose each scored 12 points, and Gorgui Dieng and Anthony Tolliver had 11.

Kevin Love had 25 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers. Cedi Osman recorded 22 points and eight assists, Jordan Clarkson scored 19 points while Collin Sexton and Tristan Thompson (10 rebounds) had 14 points apiece.

Raptors 113, Celtics 101

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points -- 22 in the second half -- and added 10 rebounds to help Toronto defeat visiting Boston.

Serge Ibaka added 21 points for the Raptors while Kyle Lowry had 15 points, Danny Green 14 and Fred VanVleet 11.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 21 points, and Jayson Tatum added 16 points with nine rebounds. Al Horford had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Boston while Gordon Hayward also scored 14 points and Jaylen Brown had 13.

Warriors 124, Jazz 123

Jonas Jerebko tipped in a missed basket by Kevin Durant with 0.3 seconds left to help to visit Golden State escape with a win over Utah.

Jerebko's basket capped a rally from a 16-point third-quarter deficit for the Warriors. Durant scored 38 points, collected nine rebounds and dished out seven assists to lead the way. Stephen Curry added 31 points and eight assists.

Joe Ingles scored 27 points, Donovan Mitchell added 19 and Jae Crowder chipped in 17 off the bench for the Jazz. Utah made a franchise record 10 3-pointers in the second quarter.

Pelicans 149, Kings 129

Nikola Mirotic scored a career-high 36 points as New Orleans set a franchise record for scoring in winning its home opener against Sacramento.

Mirotic led eight double-figure scorers for the Pelicans, who opened the season with a 131-112 win against Houston on Wednesday. They have started 2-0 for the first time since 2011-12.

Anthony Davis had 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists; Jrue Holiday had 15 points, 10 assists and three steals; Elfrid Payton scored 11, and E'Twaun Moore 10 as all five New Orleans starters had at least 10 points. Willie Cauley-Stein led the Kings in scoring for the second consecutive game, totalling 20 points.

Bucks 118, Pacers 101

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out five assists as Milwaukee opened up its new home, Fiserv Forum, with a win over Indiana.

Antetokounmpo recorded a double-double in the first half, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Bucks took control after a shaky start and never looked back. The Bucks' starting backcourt of Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon combined for 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.

Victor Oladipo scored 25 points to lead the Pacers.

Nets 107, Knicks 105

Caris LeVert scored 15 of his career-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and hit the tiebreaking layup with one second remaining as Brooklyn made its home opener a success and beat New York.

LeVert snapped a 105-105 deadlock by showing some quickness and a strong finish at the rim after getting the inbounds to pass from Joe Harris. He began his drive above the 3-point line at the top of the key and drove around former University of Michigan teammate Tim Hardaway Jr.

After New York called timeout, the game ended when Hardaway's long 3-point attempt clanged off the rim. Hardaway and Enes Kanter led all scorers with 29 points.

Clippers 108, Thunder 92

Tobias Harris scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Danilo Gallinari also scored 26 as Los Angeles started fast but still needed a second-half rally to beat visiting Oklahoma City.

The Clippers came back from a nine-point deficit in the second half for the victory, after roaring out to a 16-0 lead to open the game. Lou Williams scored 17 points off the bench for the Clippers while Marcin Gortat had 12 rebounds.

Paul George scored 20 points, and Steven Adams added 17 points with 18 rebounds to lead the Thunder, who were without Russell Westbrook for the second straight game. Westbrook, who underwent a knee procedure, could possibly be available for Sunday's home opener against Sacramento.

Hornets 120, Magic 88

Kemba Walker scored 26 points, all in the first three quarters, and Charlotte continued its mastery over host Orlando with a rout.

The victory was the Hornets' first of the season and the first for new coach James Borrego. It came at the expense of Magic coach Steve Clifford, who coached the Hornets the last five seasons before being let go last spring.

Charlotte has now beaten Orlando 12 straight times dating to 2015, a franchise record for the Hornets against any opponent.

Grizzlies 131, Hawks 117

Garrett Temple scored 30 points and helped Memphis set a pair of franchise scoring records in its rout of visiting Atlanta.

The Grizzlies broke the previous franchise record of 117 for most points scored in a home opener. They broke the franchise mark for points in a first half when they scored 77, besting the previous mark by three points.

Temple went 10-for-11 from the field and 5-for-6 on 3-pointers and added four rebounds. Rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. came off the bench to add 24 points -- shooting 8-for-12 -- with seven rebounds in his home debut. The Hawks got 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting from Taurean Prince and 20 points and nine assists from rookie Trae Young.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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