Durant leads Suns to overtime win against Clippers
Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Bradley Beal 24 as the Phoenix Suns opened their NBA season with a 116-113 overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Durant scored inside the final 30 seconds of regulation time to tie the game at 103-103, although James Harden’s buzzer beater for the Clippers bounced off the rim.
Beal put the Suns – playing a competitive match at their Intuit Dome stadium for the first time – 114-110 ahead with one minute 20 seconds left in overtime thanks to a pair of free throws.
Harden had the chance to level the scores when he missed the second of two free throws with five seconds remaining, before Jusuf Nurkic scored two free throws at the other end.
Harden finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while team-mate Ivica Zubac scored 21 points.
The Suns remain in California for Friday’s meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Clippers travel to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Stephen Curry scored 17 points as the Golden State Warriors cruised to a 139-104 win at the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Orlando Magic won 116-97 at the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks triumphed 124-109 at the Philadelphia 76ers.