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NBA Opening Night: Anthony Davis leads Lakers past Timberwolves on big night for LeBron and Bronny James; Celtics roll past Knicks

In a difficult shooting evening for both teams, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to secure a 110:103 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday.

The Lakers secured the win in JJ Redick's debut as head coach.

The game also marked the debut for Bronny James, who took the floor alongside LeBron James for the first time when the father-son duo arrived together late in the second quarter. Bronny played three scoreless minutes, ensuring that the Lakers' expected debut would not extend beyond the first game of the season.

While the James family grabbed the headlines, Anthony Davis was the star on the court with a 36-point, 16-rebound performance to lead the Lakers' performance. At the end of the night, Davis heard MVP chants from the home Lakers crowd.

The Timberwolves struggled to score in their first game since substituting Karl-Anthony Towns. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 27 points, six rebounds and three assists. Julius Randle scored 16 points in his Timberwolves debut.

There is no championship cat in Boston.

The Celtics hung their 18th banner and tried on their new rings in a pregame ceremony Tuesday night. They then defeated the New York Knicks and picked up where they left off in June with a 132-109 win to open the new NBA season, setting a 3-point record.

Jayson Tatum started the game with a 3-pointer in the first 10 seconds of the game. It was a sign of things to come as Boston torched the Knicks by going 29 of 61 from 3-point range, setting an NBA record for 3s made in a single game. The Milwaukee Bucks set the record back in 2020 with 29 3-pointers in a 144-97 win against the Miami Heat.

Tatum, who spent most of his summer in Paris on the bench as a little-used Olympian, led the way and once again showed his skills as the centerpiece of a championship team. He finished the game with 37 points, 10 assists and four rebounds while shooting 14 of 18 from the field and 8 of 11 from 3.

Yahoo Sports brings you previews of all 30 teams, hot takes, breakout candidates and more. Stay with Yahoo Sports below for live coverage of the 2024 NBA Opening Night.

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  • Lakers win, 110-103

    There was no comeback for the Timberwolves. On a big night for Anthony Davis, the Lakers secured a 110-103 victory over the Timberwolves in JJ Redick's debut as an NBA head coach.

  • The Lakers extend their lead back to 10

    The Lakers responded to the Timberwolves' run and extended their lead to 103-93 with 3:37 left. Minnesota needs some stops along the way.

  • The Timberwolves cut the Lakers' lead to four

    Minnesota opened the fourth quarter with a 7-3 run to cut the Lakers' lead to 85-81 and force a timeout. A Naz Reid 3 capped a 12-3 run that extended into the third quarter.

  • Lakers 82, Timberwolves 74 after 3 quarters

    The Timberwolves cut the Lakers' lead to single digits with a 7-2 run at the end of the third quarter and stayed within striking distance.

    Anthony Davis is the best player on the court through three quarters with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 19 points and 5 rebounds. He made 4 of 9 3-point attempts. Minnesota will need a strong fourth quarter from its young star to mount a rally.

  • Are Timberwolves missing KAT?

    The Timberwolves traded an All-Star scorer and rebounder in Karl-Anthony Towns. They have allowed 14 offensive rebounds to the Lakers so far and face a 74-55 disparity in field goal attempts.

    They are still within striking distance as the Lakers hold a 77-65 lead late in the third quarter. But they have problems on offense and along the perimeter.

  • Anthony Davis denies Rudy Gobert

    Anthony Davis has been one of the NBA's best defenders since he first stepped foot on an NBA court. He was never named Defensive Player of the Year. That suspension against reigning and four-time DPOY Rudy Gobert must have felt good.

  • The second half is underway. Can the Timberwolves make a game out of this?

  • Lebron's pep talk to Bronny

    Here's how LeBron prepares Bronny from the bench, just moments before their father-son debut on the court.

  • Half-time statistics, observations

    Anthony Davis led the Lakers at halftime with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Rui Hachimura has 11 points. LeBron James has eight. Rookie Dalton Knecht quickly scored five points off the bench in his first NBA appearance. Bronny James scored 0 points on two shots and managed a single rebound in a brief appearance alongside his father late in the half.

    Anthony Edwards was largely a one-man show for the Timberwolves with 14 points and 3 rebounds. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is Minnesota's second leading scorer with 7 points off the bench.

    The Lakers are shooting just 41.5% (22 of 53) from the field and 15.8% from 3 (3 of 19), but have limited Minnesota to 16 field goals on just 39 attempts (41%) while also committing 10 turnovers Timberwolves forced.

  • The Lakers go into the half with a lead of 55:42

    The Lakers opened the second quarter with a 29-9 run and gained a 51-32 lead late in the second quarter. The Timberwolves fought back to reduce their deficit and trailed the Lakers 55-42 at halftime.

  • Bronny back on the bench

    Bronny James' first move into the rotation as an NBA player lasted 2:41. He took and missed two shots, including a 3-point attempt off a pass from LeBron, and headed back to the bench with 1:19 left in the half. He recorded one rebound before leaving the game.

    The Jameses had their moment. Will we see Bronny again tonight in anything other than trash time?

  • LeBron and Bronny make their debut

    With the Lakers holding a 51-35 lead with four minutes remaining in the second quarter, the long-awaited moment has arrived for the James family. LeBron James and his son Bronny just came off the bench together to make their father-son debut on an NBA court in a regular season game.

  • Dalton Knecht practices the first NBA 3-point attempt

    Lakers rookie and former Tennessee star Dalton Knecht has had a strong start to his NBA career. He rolled off a screen and pulled up to hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key on his first NBA field goal attempt.

  • The Lakers' run forces a timeout for the TWolves

    The Lakers opened the second quarter with a 12:4 run and took a 34:27 lead. The Timberwolves called a timeout to stop the bleeding.

  • END OF Q1: Timberwolves 23, Lakers 22

    Minnesota ended the quarter with an 11-4 run and took its first lead at the end of the first quarter. Anthony Edwards leads all scorers with eight points.

  • The Lakers appear to be more active on the boards

    One thing JJ Redick has said about the Lakers' improvement is the emphasis on offensive rebounding, where they ranked last in the NBA last season. The early results are solid, with four boards on 13 misses, despite elite defensive rebounder Rudy Gobert being on the other team.

  • The Lakers lead 11-7 for the first time

    The Lakers may not have made many personnel changes in the offseason, but LeBron James still looks like he could be nice. The Timberwolves' offense still appears to be a work in progress after trading Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, with as many turnovers as baskets.

  • Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. in the house to watch LeBron and Bronny make history

    Bronny James is being viewed as a possibility to become the younger half of the NBA's first father-son pair on the court. Two of the few people who can understand something are present.

  • The Lakers and especially Rui Hachimura got off to a good start

  • Timberwolves-Lakers tips

    The new $110 million man wins the tip and we're off to the Crypto.com Arena.

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