NBA Scores, Oct. 23: Hawks Rout Hornets by Franchise-Record 47

NBA scores for Oct. 23

Atlanta turned Friday’s 12-game NBA slate into a history lesson, beating Charlotte 128-81 on the road. No Hawks team had ever won by more than 46, Field Level Media reported, so the 47-point gap is a new franchise high.

The tighter games were the better theater. In Austin, Houston escaped San Antonio 114-110 when Amen Thompson swatted Victor Wembanyama’s layup in the final second. In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 36 and the Celtics beat the Knicks 107-103. All 12 games ended in regulation, and none was postponed, according to Land of Basketball’s October results.

All final scores

The Bulls-Bucks game tipped at 4 p.m. ET, per NBA.com’s game page. FOX6 Milwaukee reported it was moved up four hours so it would not overlap with World Series Game 1 in Milwaukee.

Thompson’s block settles it in Austin

The Spurs’ “home” game was played at the Moody Center, which also made it a homecoming for former Texas star Kevin Durant. Sengun scored eight points in a row during the fourth quarter, and Durant made a big 3 with 1:34 to go, AP reported.

San Antonio’s last possession had a strange twist. Wembanyama banked in a long 3, but it was wiped out because coach Mitch Johnson had already called timeout with 5 seconds left. Thompson then blocked Wembanyama’s layup try, and Fred VanVleet’s two free throws closed the scoring. Wembanyama finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Thompson had 20 and 10, and Dylan Harper added 20 for the Spurs, according to the FOX Sports box score.

Tatum answers a rough opener

Tatum shot 6 of 23 and scored 13 in Boston’s season-opening loss. On Friday he went 14 of 26, adding nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals, NBA.com reported. His step-back 3 with 35 seconds left put the game away. He scored 25 of his 36 after halftime, according to AP.

The lead changed hands 12 times. Boston took control with a 33-24 third quarter and started the fourth up 10 before New York made a late push. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 22, while Mikal Bridges went scoreless and is 2 of 16 from the field this season. NBA.com noted that New York is the first defending champion to lose its first two games since the 2011-12 Mavericks. It was the 503rd game between the two franchises, the most of any NBA pairing.

Atlanta’s record night

The Hawks led 68-43 at halftime and outscored Charlotte 60-38 after the break. Atlanta shot 50.5% from the field, and Aaron Wiggins hit 7 of his 9 shots. He and Jalen Johnson each scored 19, and Johnson added eight assists. Seven Hawks reached double figures.

Charlotte’s offense never found a rhythm. The Hornets made 2 of 15 3-point tries in the first quarter, gave the ball away 27 times and got 2-of-14 shooting from Brandon Miller. Naz Reid led them with 17. The old club record was a 126-80 win over Sacramento on Nov. 15, 2017.

What it means

Among the 24 teams that played Friday, two games in:

• 2-0 (8 teams): Houston, Detroit, Atlanta, Minnesota, Portland, the Lakers, Toronto and Memphis.
• 1-1 (8 teams): Chicago, Boston, Utah, Charlotte, Washington, Dallas, Indiana and the Clippers.
• 0-2 (8 teams): New York, Miami, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Orlando, New Orleans, Sacramento and Golden State.

Road teams went 9-3. Only Boston, Utah and the Lakers won at home, and Sacramento and Milwaukee lost their home openers.

Four games were decided by four points or fewer: Utah by one, Memphis by three, and Boston and Houston by four. Utah’s win came after New Orleans led 90-86 entering the fourth quarter, according to Crescent City Sports. It was also the Jazz’s first win, the Salt Lake Tribune noted.

Miami’s problem is defense. The Heat have given up 259 points in two games, a franchise worst, and Detroit led from start to finish, AP reported. That works out to about 130 points allowed per game. The Pistons are 2-0 for the first time since 2018-19. Miami has opened 0-2 eight times in 39 seasons.

Elsewhere, Minnesota won by 22 even though Anthony Edwards made only 5 of 23 shots, AP reported. Toronto forced 23 turnovers in Washington, AP’s recap said. The Lakers forced 26 and pulled away in the third quarter, Field Level Media reported, while Walker Kessler had 22 points and six blocks, per The Sporting Tribune. Portland earned its first road win, KATU reported, despite 33 points from Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. Sabonis had 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, The Kings Herald reported.

The other finals come from the SI.com box scores for Dallas-Indiana and Memphis-Golden State. Pregame records come from the CBS Sports scoreboard. For the opening-night results, see our Oct. 21 roundup.

What’s next

Saturday, Oct. 24, has eight games, all times ET:

• Miami at Charlotte, 6 p.m.
• Brooklyn at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
• Milwaukee at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
• San Antonio at Dallas, 8 p.m.
• Washington at Chicago, 8 p.m.
• Houston at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., a matchup of 2-0 teams
• New Orleans at Denver, 9 p.m.
• Golden State at Phoenix, 10 p.m.

Eleven of the 16 teams on Saturday’s schedule also played Friday. The Knicks host Orlando on Sunday, and the Celtics host Chicago on Monday.