LOS ANGELES – The Miami Heat finally earned their first win of the season with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the ranks, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 129-117 on Oct 28.

The Greek two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player had been expected to immediately propel Miami into the ranks of Eastern Conference contenders, but his first victory in a Heat uniform came at the fifth time of asking.

Antetokounmpo, who had a triple-double in a defeat by the Dallas Mavericks two nights earlier, again racked up impressive numbers, with 24 points and 18 rebounds.

This time, he was backed up by teammates Bam Adebayo, who scored 24 with nine rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins, who added 18 points.

Former Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo, with one steal against the Hawks, reached 1,000 career steals, while Adebayo became the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder, surpassing the record of 5,791 previously held by Udonis Haslem.

“I can’t really put it into words, man. I just wish I could have did it at the crib (home),” Adebayo said at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.

The star-packed Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from a disappointing loss on Oct 25 against Detroit to move to 4-1 with a 114-109 victory in a back-and-forth clash with the Indiana Pacers.

LeBron James and the Sixers struggled to see off Indiana, which this week announced they would be without star Tyrese Haliburton for around two weeks due to a hamstring injury.

The Sixers fell behind in a lopsided third quarter, but rallied down the final stretch to seal the road victory.

Tyrese Maxey scored 17 of his 27 points in a blistering fourth-quarter showing to spare his team’s blushes. James managed just 13 points but added 10 assists, while Joel Embiid had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown contributed 20 points.

“JB and (Embiid) and Bron kind of got on me not being aggressive the first three quarters. When JB checked back in the game in the fourth quarter he said ‘you owe us, take us home’,” said Maxey.

“I just gotta do what my vets tell me to do.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first loss of the season, falling 120-96 to the Dallas Mavericks.

A victory would have made the Thunder the only team in NBA history to start three straight seasons 5-0, but they were denied as Cooper Flagg scored 26 points with eight assists for Dallas.

“I think we just got guys that are bought into a winning culture,” said 19-year-old star Flagg.

Dybantsa debut

AJ Dybantsa, the top overall pick of the NBA Draft, played his first NBA minutes during the Washington Wizards’ 121-111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Dybantsa, 19, had missed the Wizards’ first four games with an ankle sprain but started on Oct 28, scoring 19 points.

The Cavaliers clinched victory in the final quarter. Donovan Mitchell scored 19 points with seven assists.

French superstar Victor Wembanyama poured in 36 points with 14 rebounds as his San Antonio Spurs won a third successive game with a 117-111 triumph over the Utah Jazz.

The Houston Rockets, one of three remaining undefeated teams, became the first to improve to 5-0, with a 132-100 win against the Bucks.

Fred VanVleet scored a game-high 24 while Amen Thompson added 23.

Milestone for Jokic

Nikola Jokic, 31, became the second player in NBA history to tally 200 career triple-doubles and Christian Braun knocked down back-to-back three-pointers during a critical late-game stretch as the Denver Nuggets held off the hosts New Orleans Pelicans 104-91.

It was Jokic’s second triple-double of the season, both coming against New Orleans, as the veteran finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. He joined Russell Westbrook, the all-time leader in triple-doubles who piled up 209 in 18 seasons.

All five Nuggets players finished with double-digit points, led by Jamal Murray’s 23. Aaron Gordon registered a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, Braun added 12 points and Trevon Brazile chipped in 11 points.

Derik Queen came off the bench to post a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, but no other Pelican except for Zion Williamson (game-high 25 points) scored more than 11.

Warriors hold their nerve

Stephen Curry scored 44 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.

Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points for Golden State, who won their second straight game after losing their first three contests of the season. Brandon Williams chipped in with 11 points off the bench.

Jonathan Kuminga scored 20 points against his former team to lead Minnesota, who dropped their second game in a row after a 3-0 start.

Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. each finished with 19 points, and Ayo Dosunmu contributed 17.

Minnesota played without top scorer Anthony Edwards for the first time since the team announced he would undergo a procedure on his right knee. He is expected to miss about two months.

“There’s a slight bit of relief, but there’s still an understanding... the second half tonight mostly fourth quarter, we know we can play better,” Curry said in the post-game conference, of improving to 2-3 on the season after their poor start.

“There’s bits and pieces of our defence, or connecting the game that we’re really proud of, and the effort that we’re playing with, the brains behind what we’re trying to do. This one was a little more nerve-racking than it should have been.

“We still have a lot of things to do. You like learning lessons while you’re winning. A 2-1 road trip – that’s a step in the right direction.” AFP, REUTERS