LOS ANGELES: Dwight Howard scored 28 points, Kobe Bryant had 15 points and eight assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers finally got their first victory of the season, 108-79 over the winless Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
Metta World Peace scored 18 points and Pau Gasol added 14 for the Lakers, who went 0-8 in the preseason and started the regular season 0-3 for just the fourth time in franchise history despite adding Howard and Steve Nash over the summer.
The Lakers’ growing worries about their new offense and their roster’s durability vanished for a day against the struggling Pistons, who never led. Jonas Jerebko scored 18 points for Detroit in the second stop on a difficult six-game road trip.
Raptors 105 Timberwolves 86: In Toronto, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each scored 22 points, Alan Anderson had 18 and the Toronto Raptors earned their first victory of the season.
Andrea Bargnani scored 10 points as the Raptors extended Minnesota’s miserable record against Toronto. The Raptors have won 15 of the past 16 meetings, including nine straight at home. Minnesota has not won in Toronto since Jan. 21, 2004.
Andrei Kirilenko scored 17 points and Nikola Pekovic had 15 for the Timberwolves, who were outscored 26-13 in the fourth quarter, making just four of 16 field goal attempts.
Derrick Williams had nine points and eight rebounds for Minnesota, who are without injured forward Kevin Love (broken hand) and guard Ricky Rubio (left knee).
Winless in two games coming in, Toronto was playing the second game of two straight. The Raptors lost 107-100 at Brooklyn on Saturday night, the Nets’ first game in their new home.
The Raptors scored 27 points off of 16 Minnesota turnovers in the first half, and got seven points from Lowry in a 12-4 run over the final 3:10 of the second quarter to open a 56-47 lead at the intermission.
Hawks 104 Thunder 95: In Oklahoma City, Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Lou Williams added 10 of his 19 points during Atlanta’s decisive fourth-quarter surge and the Hawks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Williams hit a 3-pointer, a 24-foot jumper and converted a three-point play off a driving scoop in the lane during a 12-4 push midway through the fourth quarter that put the Hawks in front to stay. Williams’ two free throws made it 91-84 with 4:44 to play, and Atlanta held off a final charge by Oklahoma City.
Williams ended up scoring 14 points overall during the fourth quarter as the Hawks won their road opener despite playing without starting forward Josh Smith because of a sprained right ankle.
Kevin Martin scored 28 points off the bench to lead the Thunder and Kevin Durant chipped in 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Magic 115 Suns 94: In Orlando, Florida; J.J. Redick scored 24 points, Arron Afflalo and Glen Davis each had 22 points, and Nikola Vucevic added 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Orlando Magic rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns.
The Magic trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half, but used a 40-point third quarter to build as much as a 21-point cushion in the fourth.
Luis Scola led the Suns with 24 points and Michael Beasley added 22. But Phoenix’s shooting eroded overall in the second half.
With the victory the Magic opened a season 2-0 for the first time since 2009-10. The Suns lost their fifth straight game in Orlando.
The Magic hit the road for the first time Tuesday for back-to-back games at Chicago and Minnesota.
Knicks 100 76ers 84: In New York, Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points, JR Smith had 20, and the New York Knicks rode another big 3-point shooting night to a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the opener of home-and-home series.
Jason Kidd had 12 points and six assists, and Raymond Felton added 11 points for the Knicks (2-0), who followed their 19 3-pointers in a season-opening victory over Miami by making 11 Sunday. They have won their two games by a combined 36 points.
Jrue Holiday had 27 points and seven assists for the 76ers (1-1), who will try for a split Monday at home. Thaddeus Young scored 16 points before fouling out and Evan Turner had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Lakers crush Pistons to finally get 1st victory
Lakers crush Pistons to finally get 1st victory
Riyadh 2026: The gateway to LIV’s most global season yet
- We are the world’s golf league, says LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil
- Riyadh will host the LIV Golf League season opener for the second consecutive season
RIYADH: Under the lights of Riyadh Golf Club, LIV Golf begins its campaign from February 4 to 7 in the Kingdom’s capital, opening what is the most international season to date. With 14 events scheduled across 10 countries and five continents, LIV has doubled down on its ambition to position itself as golf’s leading global circuit outside the United States.
For LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil, that identity is no longer about staging tournaments in different timezones, but also about aligning more closely with the sport’s tradition. One of the league’s headline shifts for 2026 has been the switch from 54-hole events to 72 holes.
“The move to 72 holes was much talked about,” O’Neil said at the pre-season press conference. “For us, that was relatively simple. We want to make sure that our players are best prepared for the majors, that it’s not as much of a sprint, that our teams have a chance to recover after a tough day one.”
He added that the decision was also driven by the league’s commercial and broadcast momentum across several markets.
“With the overwhelming support we have seen in several of our markets, quite frankly, more content is better. More fans come in, more broadcast content social hospitality checks check,” O’Neil said.
Launched in 2022 after a great deal of fanfare, LIV Golf had initially differentiated itself from other golf tours with a shorter, more entertainment-led event model. This includes team competition, alongside individual scoring, concert programming and fan-focused activations.
After four campaigns with 54-holes, the shift back to 72 signals an attempt to preserve the golf identity while answering longstanding questions about competitive comparability with golf’s established tours.
Riyadh will now host the LIV Golf League season opener for the second consecutive season, following its debut under the night lights in February 2025. As the individual fund rises from $20 million to $22 million, and the team purse increases from $5 million to $8 million, LIV Golf is not backing down on its bid to showcase confidence and continuity as it enters its fifth season.
For the Kingdom, the role goes beyond simply hosting the opening event. Positioned at the crossroads of continents, Riyadh has become LIV’s gateway city — the place where the league sets its tone before exporting it across various locations across the world.
“Players from 26 countries? Think about that being even possible 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago,” O’Neil said. “That there would be players from 26 countries good enough to play at an elite level globally, and there is no elite platform outside the U.S.”
The departure of Brooks Koepka from LIV and his return to the PGA Tour has inevitably raised questions around player movement and long-term sustainability. O’Neil, however, framed the decision as a matter of fit rather than fallout.
“If you are a global citizen and you believe in growing the game, that means getting on a plane and flying 20 hours,” he said. “That’s not for everybody. It isn’t.”
Despite the separation, O’Neil insisted there was no animosity.
“I love Brooks. I root for Brooks. I am hoping the best for him and his family,” he emphasised.
Attention now turns to the players who have reaffirmed their commitment to LIV Golf, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith. Amid continued tensions with the DP World Tour and the sport’s traditional power centres, O’Neil insists the league’s focus remains inward.
“There is no holy war, at least from our side. We are about LIV Golf and growing the game globally,” he said.
From Riyadh to Adelaide, from Hong Kong to South Africa, LIV Golf’s 2026 calendar stretches further ever than before. As debate continues over the league’s place within the sport, LIV is preparing to show that its challenge to golf’s established order is not, as some doubters suggest, fading.
With the spotlight firmly on its fifth season, Riyadh will provide the first impression — the opening statement from which LIV Golf intends to show the world where it stands.
