Kevin Durant scores for 42 points as Thunder win opener

Oklahoma City beat Utah thanks to a pair of Durant free throws with less than seven seconds left to win on the first full night of the NBA season.

Kevin Durant averaged 28.1 points per game for Oklahoma City last season. Gene Sweeney Jr / Getty Images / AFP

Thunder 101, Jazz 98

Kevin Durant scored 42 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a victory over the Utah Jazz in the teams’ 2013-14 season opener.

Durant only shot nine-for-24 from the field, but nailed 22 of 24 free throws, including a pair with 6.8 seconds remaining in the win.

Thabo Sefolosha and Reggie Jackson each added 14 points as the Thunder (1-0) won without injured star point guard Russell Westbrook.

Gordon Hayward had a chance to force overtime, but his 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining bounced off the rim.

Warriors 125, Lakers 94

Klay Thompson buried three three-pointers among 13 points in an eight-minute flurry as the Golden State Warriors opened the 2013-14 season on a rampage en route to a crushing of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Taking immediate advantage of a team playing their second game in two nights and doing so without injured Kobe Bryant and a resting Steve Nash, the Warriors ran to a 25-point lead in the first half and retained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

Thompson finished with a career-high 38 points and David Lee added 25 for the Warriors.

Cavaliers 98, Nets 94

Tristan Thompson’s 18 points led six double-figure scorers for the Cavaliers as Cleveland defeated the revamped Brooklyn Nets 98-94 in the season opener for both teams.

Nets center Brook Lopez had a game-high 21 points for the new-look Brooklyn team who debuted veterans Paul Pierce (17 points) and Kevin Garnett (eight points, 10 rebounds).

Rockets 96, Bobcats 83

Dwight Howard made his debut with the Houston Rockets memorable, tying his career high by grabbing 26 rebounds in a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Howard, signed this off-season following a tumultuous campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, added 17 points and two blocked shots.

He teamed with James Harden, who scored 21 points despite battling back tightness, to carry the Rockets (1-0) down the stretch.

76ers 114, Heat 110

Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes each scored five points in a game-ending 15-3 flurry as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied from an eight-point deficit to shock the Miami Heat.

Philadelphia trailed 107-99 with 4:55 left but rallied and got stellar performances from Hawes (24 points), Turner (26 points) and rookie Michael Carter-Williams who set an NBA record for a player making his debut with nine steals.

LeBron James generated 25 points and 13 assists for Miami who was without a resting Dwyane Wade.

Spurs 101, Grizzlies 94

Tony Parker had 13 points and nine assists to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a win over the Memphis Grizzlies in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals.

San Antonio went on a 20-3 run in the second quarter to take control but they did lose Tim Duncan in the third after he suffered a chest contusion. He did not return.

Knicks 90, Bucks 83

Carmelo Anthony scored four key points late in the fourth quarter to lift New York to a win over the Milwaukee Bucks as both teams opened the season.

Anthony, who led the league in scoring and finished third in the MVP voting last season, led all scorers with 19 points. Gary Neal led the revamped Bucks with 16 points.

The Knicks were without JR Smith, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season, who is serving a five-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug program.

Pacers 95, Pelicans 90

Paul George scored a game-high 32 points and David West hit four free throws in the final 66 seconds to power the Indiana Pacers to a comeback victory.

The Pacers (2-0) trailed 85-81 when Jrue Holiday canned a 15-footer with 1:58 left, but Indiana scored 12 of the next 16 points to pull away.

Raptors 93, Celtics 87

Rudy Gay scored 19 points as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Boston Celtics.

DeMar DeRozan and Amir Johnson, who was playing his 300th game for the Raptors, each chipped in with 13 points for Toronto while Jeff Green led the Celtics with 25 points.

Pistons 113, Wizards 102

Greg Monroe powered for 24 points and 16 rebounds, lifting the Detroit Pistons to a victory over the Washington Wizards.

Josh Smith, Detroit’s high-priced free agent acquisition from Atlanta during the off-season, supplied 19 points, five rebounds and five assists on his Pistons debut.

Timberwolves 120, Magic 115 (OT)

Kevin Love’s three-pointer with 10.1 seconds left forced overtime, then Kevin Martin scored seven points and Nikola Pekovic added five to carry Minnesota to an overtime victory.

Love finished with 31 points and 17 rebounds, newly signed Kevin Martin had 23 while Arron Afflalo led six Magic players in double figures with 28 points.

Mavericks 118, Hawks 109

Monta Ellis made his debut in a Dallas uniform with 32 points and eight assists to lead the Mavericks over the Hawks.

Dirk Nowitzki added 24 points. Jeff Teague paced the Hawks with 24 points and nine assists.

Suns 104, Trail Blazers 91

Forward Miles Plumlee surpassed his scoring total from all of last year with 18 points, and he added 15 rebounds and three blocks as the Phoenix Suns posted a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Phoenix’s backcourt combination of Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic combined for 48 points and 15 assists as the Suns took a 14-point lead in the first quarter and carried it all the way home.

Kings 90, Nuggets 88

Jason Thompson’s put-back slam off a DeMarcus Cousins miss - his only basket of the night - snapped a tie with 41.5 seconds left in the final quarter and lifted the Sacramento Kings to a victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Thompson’s dunk saved the Kings after Denver scored six straight points to force the tie, and Cousins put up with a game-high 30 points and 14 rebounds.