Cavs become 6th NBA team to start season 13-0; Giannis powers Bucks with 59 points


At a glance

  • Donovan Mitchell scored 11 of his 23 points in the final three minutes of the game and the Cleveland Cavaliers became the sixth team in NBA history to start a season 13-0 with a 114-106 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, Nov. 13.


PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 11 of his 23 points in the final three minutes of the game and the Cleveland Cavaliers became the sixth team in NBA history to start a season 13-0 with a 114-106 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, Nov. 13.

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Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell (45) passes against Philadelphia 76ers' Adem Bona (30) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 13, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Mitchell also grabbed 13 rebounds and added nine assists as Cleveland became the first team since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors to win 13 straight to begin a season. That Warriors team holds the record for most wins to begin a campaign at 24 straight.

Darius Garland scored 25 points while Evan Mobley had 14 points with seven rebounds.

Jared McCain had a career-high 34 for the 76ers, who played without Paul George and Joel Embiid on the second night of a back-to-back as part of left knee injury maintenance. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 20 points while Caleb Martin added 18 for the Sixers.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 59 points to pace the Milwaukee Bucks to a 127-120 overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons.

It was a league-high for points by an NBA player this season and the second-highest single-game total for Antetokounmpo, who had 64 against Indiana last season.

Antetokounmpo hit 21 of 34 shots and 16 of 17 free throws and added 14 rebounds and seven assists as the Bucks rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit.

Brook Lopez added 29 points for the Bucks. Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 35 points and Malik Beasley had 26 against his former team.

Detroit’s Ron Holland II was fouled by Antetokounmpo with one second left in regulation and the score tied at 111, but Holland missed both free throws.

The Pistons were without starters Jaden Ivey and Tim Hardaway Jr. Ivey was out with a toe injury and Hardaway missed the game after taking stitches to the head following a fall in Tuesday’s game against Miami.

Milwaukee played without Damian Lillard (concussion protocol), Ryan Rollins (left shoulder instability) and Bobby Portis (right elbow contusion).

In Orlando, Franz Wagner scored 29 points, Jalen Suggs hit two free throws with 9.8 seconds left and the Magic beat the Indiana Pacers, 94-90, to remain unbeaten at home.

Orlando is 6-0 at home this season and has won 13 in a row overall at home.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 29 points. Bennedict Mathurin added 23 points — scoring 12 straight Pacers points late in the fourth quarter — and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton had with nine points and 12 assists.

Earlier, Jayson Tatum had 36 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 24 points and 12 rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets, 139-114.

Payton Pritchard had 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Celtics, who quickly and emphatically bounced back with their highest points total of the season after a surprising 117-116 home loss to Atlanta on Tuesday night.

In New York, Zach LaVine scored 31 points and Colby White had 22, including the winning free throws with three seconds left, as the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Knicks, 124-123.  

The Bulls led by as many as 22 in the third quarter, but the Knicks rallied and went ahead 123-121 on Jalen Brunson’s bucket with four seconds remaining.