Austin Reaves banked in a 12-foot floater with less than a second on the clock, lifting the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. The guard poured in 28 points and tied his career high with 16 assists as Los Angeles played without LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
The Lakers led by as many as 20 before Minnesota mounted a 14-2 surge behind Julius Randle’s 33 points and Jaden McDaniels’ 30. The Timberwolves briefly moved in front with 10 seconds remaining, only to watch Reaves answer at the buzzer. Jake LaRavia added 27 points on 10-for-11 shooting for Los Angeles, while DeAndre Ayton contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds. Anthony Edwards sat out for Minnesota with an injury but offered spirited encouragement from the bench.
Rockets 139, Raptors 121
Houston flashed its best rhythm of the young season, powered by Kevin Durant’s 31 points and Jabari Smith Jr.’s 25. Alperen Sengun flirted with a triple-double as the Rockets controlled the glass 53-22 and secured at least five rebounds from seven different players. Amen Thompson finished with 18 points, Tari Eason had 14, and Steven Adams pulled down 12 boards.
Toronto stayed close from long range (21-for-40 on threes) but struggled in the paint. Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 31 points, Brandon Ingram scored 29, and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles added 13 in his first start while Jakob Poeltl was sidelined.
Bulls 126, Kings 113
The Chicago Bulls remained undefeated at 4-0 after topping Sacramento. Rookie Matas Buzelis paced Chicago with 27 points, and Josh Giddey nearly posted a triple-double with 20 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds. Nikola Vucevic supplied 13 points and 14 boards as the Bulls shot nearly 54 percent from the field.
Zach LaVine scored 30 in his return to the United Center following an offseason trade to the Kings. Chicago played a tribute video for the former All-Star during the first quarter. DeMar DeRozan added 19 points and Domantas Sabonis recorded 18 points and 11 rebounds for Sacramento.
The Bulls’ 4-0 start is their best since the 2021-22 campaign.
Source: Hoops Wire
