It’s no surprise Kobe Bryant has the Los Angeles Lakers off to a fast start. But few would have expected the Atlanta Hawks to still be unbeaten two weeks into the season.
Bryant scored 27 points and the Lakers improved to 6-0 – their best start since opening 7-0 in 2001-02 – with a 106-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Atlanta beat the Chicago Bulls 113-108 to also improve to 6-0, the Hawks’ best start since they won their first 11 games in 1997-98.
“No one expected it but us,” said Mike Bibby, who scored 22 points, including a few key 3-pointers to stave off the Bulls. “The only people who can stop us is ourselves.”
What’s most impressive is the Hawks won on a night when leading scorer Joe Johnson struggled. Al Horford scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked six shots to lead the Hawks.
“It shows how deep this team is and we’re all unselfish,” Horford said. “Not every night is going to be Joe this year like it was previously. Now he has a supporting cast.”
Antonio 92, New York 80; Detroit 100, Sacramento 92; and Golden State 113, Minnesota 110, OT.
In Dallas, the Lakers found themselves in an unfamiliar place.
Even with the Mavericks getting terrific games out of Jason Kidd and Erick Dampier, Bryant and friends found a way to pull out another one.
Trevor Ariza turned an offensive rebound into an emphatic, go-ahead dunk early in the fourth quarter and added an equally impressive block in the final minute to help the Lakers pull out the victory.
“Nobody panicked,” said Bryant, who scored nine of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. “We just kept at it.”
Kidd got the 101st triple-double of his career with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Cavaliers 99, Bucks 93
At Cleveland, LeBron James matched a season high with 41 points, finally putting Milwaukee away with a steal and soaring dunk in the final minutes, and Mo Williams scored 16 against his former team to help the Cavaliers win their fifth straight.
James scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and didn’t come out in the second half while playing a season-best 43 minutes.
With Cleveland leading by five, James poked away a pass intended for Richard Jefferson, streaked to the other end and lifted off one step inside the foul line before smashing the ball through the hoop.
er roll to give the Cavs an 11-point lead.
Nuggets 88, Bobcats 80
At Charlotte, N.C., Carmelo Anthony scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half, Chauncey Billups added a key three-point play late, and the Nuggets held off the Bobcats to stay unbeaten with Billups in the lineup.
After an 11-point fourth-quarter lead was sliced to 75-73, the undermanned Nuggets turned to Billups and their defense. Charlotte went six straight possessions without a point, while Billups found Nene for a thunderous dunk before Billups’ driving layup and free throw on the next possession made it 80-73 with 2:56 left.
The Bobcats couldn’t recover, sending coach Larry Brown to his fifth loss in seven games with his new team.
Jason Richardson scored 23 points to lead the sloppy Bobcats.
Jazz 93, 76ers 80
At Philadelphia, Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 16 rebounds and Deron Williams played for the first time this season to lift the visiting Jazz.
Williams had seven points and nine assists after missing the first six games because of a sprained left ankle he sustained in a preseason game Oct. 18 against Chicago.
Andre Miller scored 25 points, Andre Iguodala had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Elton Brand added 13 for the reeling Sixers, who lost their third in a row and fell to 2-5.
Spurs 92, Knicks 80
ts to lead the Spurs in their first game without injured point guard Tony Parker.
Parker will miss about a month due to a left ankle sprain. The Spurs’ other standout guard, Manu Ginobili, has not played this season and isn’t scheduled to be back from left ankle surgery until December.
Even without the two stars, San Antonio had enough to win.
Rookie George Hill started in place of Parker and scored a season-high 12 points.
Pistons 100, Kings 92
At Sacramento, Calif., Allen Iverson had 30 points and nine assists to win for the first time since he was traded from Denver to Detroit.
Tayshaun Prince added 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who had lost their first two games since acquiring Iverson last week for All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, key reserve Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb.
Sacramento played without its leading scorer, Kevin Martin, who is out at least a week after spraining his left ankle in a victory over Golden State on Sunday. Spencer Hawes scored 19 points for the Kings.
Warriors 113, Timberwolves 110, OT
At Oakland, Calif., Stephen Jackson tied the game late in regulation and scored six of his 30 points in overtime, leading the Warriors back from a poor fourth quarter.
Jackson hit a 3-pointer with 2:16 left in the extra session, and the Warriors sent the Timberwolves to their sixth straight loss.
in with 22.2 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 106 and Rashad McCants missed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc at the buzzer to send the game into extra time.
Al Jefferson had 25 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which led by 10 with 7:06 left.
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