The Los Angeles Lakers finally earned their first win of the new NBA season as LeBron James led them to a 121-110 victory against the Denver Nuggets.
James, 37, scored 26 points and Anthony Davis added 23 as the Lakers ended their five-game losing start.
Russell Westbrook came off the bench to add 18 points, while Nikola Jokic scored 23 points for the Nuggets.
“We needed to prove something to ourselves,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who took over in the summer.
“Not to the world, not to the media. We had to prove it to ourselves. I feel great about how we responded throughout the game.”
The Nuggets, who were without Bones Hyland after he was injured during the warm-up, built a lead in the third quarter and were 83-75 in front with 3:45 left in the period.
But the Lakers rallied and showed their togetherness by turning the deficit around.
Lonnie Walker IV scored 10 points during an 18-2 run that gave the Lakers a 93-85 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
After surviving a late push by the Nuggets, the hosts closed out victory with a tip-in by Davis and a lay-up from Westbrook giving former Milwaukee Bucks assistant Ham his first NBA victory as a head coach.
The Detroit Pistons ended their five-game losing streak with a 128-114 win against the Golden State Warriors, while Jaylen Brown scored 24 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 112-94 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Sunday’s results:
LA Clippers 91-112 New Orleans Pelicans
Detroit Pistons 128-114 Golden State Warriors
Cleveland Cavaliers 121-108 New York Knicks
Boston Celtics 112-94 Washington Wizards
San Antonio Spurs 107-98 Minnesota Timberwolves
Dallas Mavericks 114-105 Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns 124-109 Houston Rockets
LA Lakers 121-110 Denver Nuggets
