Nikola Jokic led the way for the Denver Nuggets as the defending NBA champions beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-107 in their opening game of the new season.
Nuggets players were presented with their championship rings before tip-off at the Ball Arena in Colorado and produced an impressive display.
Serbia’s Jokic finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists while team-mate Jamal Murray added 21 points.
LeBron James top-scored for the Lakers with 21 points.
In Tuesday’s other game, Devin Booker inspired the Phoenix Suns to a thrilling 108-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.
The 26-year-old scored 32 points and dished out eight assists, including a pass to Jusuf Nurkic who scored a layup with 10.3 seconds remaining to secure the win.
Former Warrior Kevin Durant scored 18 points for the Suns on his first game back in the Bay Area since he left Golden State in 2019.
Stephen Curry was one of six Warriors players to reach double figures, finishing with 27 points, but failed to score on 10 of his 14 three-point attempts.
