LaMelo Ball had a good first three quarters in Brooklyn, then decided it was best if he watched the fourth.

Ish Smith was rolling so well that the Rookie of the Year told Charlotte coach James Borrego to stick with this backup.

“That’s big. That just shows where our growth is,” forward Miles Bridges said. “As long as he’s being mature and we’re all being mature, we’re going to keep winning.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t let the celebration of the franchise’s first NBA championship in half a century distract them as they opened their title defense.

In his first game since scoring 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 NBA Finals victory over the Phoenix Suns, Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Bucks to a 127-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

Rookie Evan Mobley had 17 points and 11 rebounds to help the Cleveland Cavaliers rally for their first win of the season with a 101-95 over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Ricky Rubio had 23 points and eight assists, and Jarrett Allen added 11 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland, which trailed by 13 points in the second quarter. The Cavaliers had lost their first two games, both by 11.

Opening night in Hollywood went well for three quarters for Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

But it was a flop for their new supporting cast, including L.A. native and former league MVP Russell Westbrook.

Chinese broadcaster and NBA partner Tencent is not showing current or archived Boston Celtics games on its platforms, in apparent response to comments that Celtics center Enes Kanter made to advocate Tibetan independence.

Kanter, as part of a series of social media posts, also called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator.” Kanter did not play in Boston’s season-opening 138-134 loss to New York on Wednesday night. The game that was not shown on the streaming services that typically broadcast most NBA games to millions in China.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen has signed a multiyear contract extension less than 2 ½ months after the team acquired him from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Allen joined the Bucks in an Aug. 7 trade that set guard Sam Merrill and two future second-round draft picks to Memphis.

Ben Simmons doesn’t want to play — or even practice — with the Philadelphia 76ers anymore. So coach Doc Rivers kicked out the All-Star guard and suspended him for the season opener.

Joel Embiid’s take on the whole fiasco? Good riddance. Last season’s NBA MVP runner-up put Simmons on blast: “At this point, I don’t care about that man. He does whatever he wants.”

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and the team he led to the best record in the Eastern Conference last season put their hands together in the middle of a huddle at the end of practice and counted off, “1-2-3! Together!”

Lingering outside the huddle, holding a basketball and looking uninterested was the $147 million puzzle piece in Ben Simmons. With Simmons focused and engaged, the Sixers are again a team to beat in the East this season.