CLEVELAND Cavaliers leaned on Collin Sexton’s exploits in the extension period to beat Detroit Pistons, 128-119, in the 2020-2021 National Basketball Association (NBA) Season on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, United States.
Already down 112-103 in the first overtime, the Cavaliers went on a 9-0 blast on an inside hit by Andre Drummond, a triple by Kevin Love and back-to-back layups by Sexton to force another OT.
The Cavaliers went with their run in the 2nd OT behind Sexton and Darius Garland for a 119-112 count. Baskets from Love and Cedi Osman sealed the win for Cleveland.
Sexton finished the match with 32 points, while Drummond, Osman and Garland contributed 23, 22 and 21 markers respectively as the Cavaliers opened the season with a 2-0 win-loss slate.
San Antonio Spurs went on a 6-0 spurt in the final 29 seconds to pull off a come-from-behind 119-114 victory over Toronto Raptors for a 2-0 start. The Raptors dropped to 0-2.
Down 113-114, the Spurs surged ahead with a layup from Lamarcus Aldridge with 29 seconds left. Following misses from Toronto, Rudy Gay and Keldon Johnson sealed the win for SAS with free throws.
Meanwhile, Trae Young tallied 36 points as Atlanta Hawks cruised to a 122-112 triumph over Memphis Grizzlies for their second win in the season. The Grizzlies dropped to 0-2.
Indiana Pacers also recorded their second consecutive win after beating lowly Chicago Bulls (0-2), 125-106. TJ Warren tallied 23 points while Domantas Sabonis added 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the winning team.
Philadelphia 76ers also remained unscathed after two games following their 109-89 triumph over the 0-2 New York Knicks. Joel Embiid top-scored with 27 points while Tobias Harris and Seth Curry added 17 markers each.
Orlando Magic notched its second straight win with a 130-120 domination over Washington Wizards. Terrence Ross tallied 25 points while Nikola Vucevic added 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Magic.
Moreover, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a jumper with a second left as the Oklahoma City Thunder debuted with a 109-107 escape over Charlotte Hornets.
BOX SCORE:
CLEVELAND 128 – Sexton 32, Drummond 23, Osman 22, Garland 21, Love 15, McGee 11, Exum 4, Okoro 0, Nance 0.
DETROIT 119 – Grant 28, Griffin 26, Wright 19, Rose 13, Mykhailiuk 12, Plumlee 6, Okafor 6, Jackson 6, Hayes 3, Doumbouya 0, Bey 0.
QUARTERSCORES:
Q1, 26-26; Q2, 59-53; Q3, 81-86; Q4, 101-101; OT, 112-112; 2OT, 128-119./PN
