Miami earns its first win of the season with Antetokounmpo, while the Thunder miss out on a historic start

Miami waited five games for its first win

The Miami Heat finally earned their first win of the season, beating the Atlanta Hawks 129:117 on the road. As AFP notes, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who arrived from Milwaukee, was expected to immediately turn the team into an Eastern Conference contender, but his first win in a Heat uniform came only on the fifth attempt. The Greek posted 24 points and 18 rebounds — two days earlier he had recorded a triple-double in the loss to Dallas. He was supported by Bam Adebayo (24 points, 9 rebounds) and Andrew Wiggins (18 points).

Historic milestones in the game against the Hawks

The game in Atlanta was memorable for two personal milestones at once. Antetokounmpo reached the 1,000 career steals mark, while Adebayo moved into first place in Heat history in rebounds, surpassing the previous record of Udonis Haslem — 5,791. “I can’t find the words, man. Too bad I couldn’t do it at home,” AFP quotes Adebayo after the game at State Farm Arena.

Philadelphia held off Indiana

The Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from Sunday’s loss to Detroit and beat the Indiana Pacers 114:109 on the road, improving to 4-1. The game went back and forth: the Sixers trailed by a wide margin in the third quarter but managed to push past their opponent down the stretch. Tyrese Maxey played the key role, scoring 17 of his 27 points in the decisive fourth quarter. LeBron James finished with 13 points and 10 assists, Joel Embiid posted 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown added 20 points. “JB, Embiid and Bron called me out for being passive in the first three quarters. When JB came back on the floor in the fourth quarter, he said: ‘you owe us, carry us to the win,’” Maxey said. Indiana announced this week that Tyrese Haliburton will be out for about two weeks with a hamstring injury.

The Thunder miss out on a historic start

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first loss of the season, falling 96:120 to the Dallas Mavericks. A win would have made the Thunder the only team in NBA history to open three straight seasons with five victories, but 19-year-old Cooper Flagg, with 26 points and eight assists, spoiled those plans. “I think we just have guys who have bought into a winning culture,” Flagg said. The same game saw the debut of the first overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa: after missing Washington’s first four games with an ankle sprain, he scored 19 points in a 111:121 loss to Cleveland, for whom Donovan Mitchell added 19 points and seven assists.

Houston first to reach 5-0

Victor Wembanyama posted 36 points and 14 rebounds, helping San Antonio beat Utah 117:111 and claim a third straight win. The Houston Rockets, one of the three remaining undefeated teams of the season, were the first to improve to 5-0, crushing Milwaukee 132:100: Fred VanVleet led the way with 24 points, and Amen Thompson added 23.