NBA illegal gambling scandal can't stop Heat's winning streak

The Miami Heat once again showed great mental toughness, earning their second straight win Sunday, early in the NBA regular season despite the arrest of Terry Rozier in an illegal gambling case. 

In addition, the Lakers said Slovenian star Luka Doncic will be out for at least a week because of discomfort in his hand and left leg. He will be re-evaluated in a week.

Victory with Mexican spice for Miami

Mexican-American Jaime Jaquez Jr. (17) and Italian Simone Fontecchio (14) came off the bench to combine for 31 points, helping the Miami Heat secure their first home win of the season, 115–107 over the New York Knicks.

Miami was coming off a convincing win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, two days after the arrests of guard Terry Rozier (for illegal sports betting), Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups (for involvement in illegal poker games), and former player and assistant coach Damon Jones (implicated in both cases) as part of an FBI investigation.

"We had a competitive spirit from our players," said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. "We were committed to the idea. It wasn't our best game, but the desire to win can carry you a long way."

Norman Powell, who is playing his first season with the Heat, led the team's with 29 points, including 12 from the free-throw line. The key, however, was his defensive effort, as he held Dominican forward Karl-Anthony Towns to just 15 points on 43% shooting from the field.

“Wemby” shows off in Spurs' tribute to Popovich

Frenchman Victor Wembanyama continued his blistering start to the NBA season, scoring 31 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking six shots in the San Antonio Spurs’ 118-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Spurs extended their winning-streak to three games after defeating the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans in the first two games of the season. At 21, Wembanyama, the Spurs’ franchise player, has been dominant, averaging 33.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and six blocks through his first three games.

Before the game, the Spurs raised a banner atop Frost Bank Center honoring the 1,390 wins of their former coach, Gregg Popovich. The legendary coach suffered a stroke last season and handed the reins to Mitch Johnson, who has gotten off to a promising start as head coach.

Cavs’ win renders Antetokounmpo’s 40 points useless

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-113 in a matchup that could be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals. Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s spectacular 40 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists were not enough to overcome one of last season’s best teams.

Four of the five starters on Kenny Atkinson's team scored over 15 points, with Donovan Mitchell being the top scorer with 24.

Reaves' 51 points lead Lakers without Doncic and LeBron to win over Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absences of LeBron James and Luka Doncic to beat the Sacramento Kings 127-120, thanks to a monumental 51-point, 11-rebound, nine-assist performance by guard Austin Reaves.

LeBron James, who has yet to make his season debut, is recovering from back and right leg ailments. In the absence of the Lakers’ two stars, Austin Reaves responded with 50 points, marking the first time in his career he has reached that milestone.

"It means a lot," Reaves saidin remarks picked up by AFP. "We are a family and I go to war for my teammates, it could have been easy to give up but we are not that kind of team."

Reaves, 27, joins Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron and Anthony Davis as the only Lakers players to score at least 50 points in the same game since 2000.