Something good should happen for the Brooklyn Nets or the Charlotte Hornets when they meet Saturday night in Charlotte.

Both teams need that desperately, though the Nets got a taste of something positive Friday night.

Brooklyn experienced on-the-court and off-court troubles throughout the past week, so a 128-86 romp past the host Washington Wizards should help matters.

“That’s how we want to play moving forward,” Nets standout Kevin Durant said after he finished with 28 points while six of his teammates also scored in double figures.

The Hornets have been ravaged by injuries, and they took two blowout road losses this week, including a 130-99 defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

This will be the first meeting of the season between the teams. Both teams had upheaval in terms of player availability, so future clashes might look different in terms of personnel.

But for now, this is where these teams are — and it has been troubling for both teams.

“Guys have to find a way to get ready to play,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. “We’re in a tough part of the schedule. That’s what the NBA is all about.”

The Nets have had such turmoil during the past week that getting away from New York might be a blessing. Guard Kyrie Irving has been suspended for at least five games in the wake of his support for an antisemitic documentary.

The response was encouraging with the Nets winning in Washington in their first game since the suspension.

“We’ve been able to support each other. We showed we were there for each other,” Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. “There’s a mental piece to that, for sure.”

The Nets also played Friday minus injured Ben Simmons, who also will sit out the game in Charlotte due to a sore left knee.

Of course, road games on back-to-back nights are never an easy assignment.

The key, Vaughn said, will be concentrating on winning each game as it comes along amid the distractions for the team. Those have included the firing of coach Steve Nash.

The Hornets have had lots of moving parts as well. Forward Gordon Hayward missed the Friday game because of a shoulder contusion, adding to the injury list.

“I do believe in the group,” Clifford said. “We’ve got to be able to focus on other aspects of the game when the ball isn’t going in the basket. (Saturday night) I’ll be disappointed if it’s not a different-looking team. We have to get past this. It doesn’t matter who’s playing, it’s how we play.”

Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball (ankle) remains out, though Terry Rozier (ankle) and Cody Martin (quad) might be close to being back in action for the Brooklyn game.

“It’s a question of making sure they’re ready,” Clifford said. “We don’t want to go through this again.”

After the Hornets allowed Memphis to shoot 51 percent from the floor, including 16 of 36 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range, Clifford said, “We got outworked, outcompeted. That’s not OK.”

Most concerning to the coach was the Hornets’ deviation from a game plan. He said it’s the players’ responsibility to be on point when it comes to sticking to the plan.

“We got drilled on all the stuff we worked on,” Clifford said, knowing that a younger lineup in the game’s late stages might have been good for development. “They learned. They did some good things and they did other things that they can learn from.”

–Field Level Media

Brandon Ingram returned from a four-game absence caused by a concussion to score a game-high 26 points as the host New Orleans Pelicans held off the short-handed Golden State Warriors 114-105 on Friday night.

Larry Nance Jr. and CJ McCollum added 20 points each, Zion Williamson scored 16 and Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado had 10 points each.

Jordan Poole scored 20, Jonathan Kuminga and Ty Jerome had 18 each, Anthony Lamb scored 16 and Moses Moody had 14 for the Warriors, who completed an 0-5 trip and dropped to 0-6 on the road.

Golden State played without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins because of injury maintenance.

Trail Blazers 108, Suns 106

Jerami Grant sank a fadeaway jumper from the right baseline as time expired to give Portland a dramatic victory over host Phoenix.

Grant scored a season-best 30 points as the Blazers defeated the Suns for the second time this season. Jusuf Nurkic recorded 14 points and eight rebounds, and Justise Winslow had 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Devin Booker scored 25 points for Phoenix, which had a five-game winning streak halted. Deandre Ayton contributed 24 points and eight rebounds after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury. Damian Lillard (calf) and Anfernee Simons (foot) sat out.

Nets 128, Wizards 86

Kevin Durant collected 28 points, a season-high 11 assists and nine rebounds to help visiting Brooklyn overcome the absence of Kyrie Irving and breeze to a victory over Washington.

Durant, who is from the Washington D.C. area, made 10 of 21 shots from the floor and all six attempts from the free-throw line. Nic Claxton recorded 18 points and nine rebounds while Cam Thomas contributed 17 points and six assists off the bench. Royce O’Neale added 13 points with eight assists and Edmond Sumner had 11 points while making the start in place of Irving.

Irving sat out the first contest of his team-imposed suspension that spans “no less than five games” after he failed to formally apologize for the hurt caused by his posts following his promotion of a book and film with antisemitic messages. For the Wizards, Bradley Beal scored 20 points, Kyle Kuzma had 19 and Kristaps Porzingis collected 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Bucks 115, Timberwolves 102

Jrue Holiday scored 29 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his first triple-double of the season as Milwaukee improved to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history with a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Bobby Portis added 18 points, rookie MarJon Beauchamp scored a career-high 14 and Grayson Allen chipped in 10 for Milwaukee, which never trailed after the opening two minutes and led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Mavericks 111, Raptors 110

Luka Doncic scored 35 points and made some history as Dallas held on to defeat visiting Toronto.

Doncic has scored 30 or more points in each of his first eight games of the season, a feat accomplished previously by one player: Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60, eight games; and 1962-63, 23 games). Spencer Dinwiddie had 21 points for Dallas, which has won three in a row. Christian Wood added 13 points, and Dorian Finney-Smith had 11 points.

The Raptors lost Pascal Siakam to a groin injury late in the third quarter, and he did not return. He had 18 points in 32 minutes. O.G. Anunoby scored 27 points for the Raptors.

Pacers 101, Heat 99

Buddy Hield tied his season high with 25 points, leading Indiana to a win over Miami in Indianapolis.

Miami’s Tyler Herro, who had a game-high 29 points, missed a would-be winning 3-pointer off the front rim at the buzzer. Miami, which was without leading scorer Jimmy Butler for a second straight game due to a sore left hip, also received 18 points and 10 rebounds from Bam Adebayo. Max Strus added 17 points, Gabe Vincent had 15 and Kyle Lowry 10.

Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton had a near triple-double with 22 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana’s rookie first-round pick, added 23 points off the bench, going 10 for 12 from the foul line.

Celtics 123, Bulls 119

Jayson Tatum ran up a team-high 36 points, Sam Hauser and Derrick White buried key fourth-quarter 3-pointers and host Boston avenged a recent loss to Chicago.

Malcolm Brogdon chipped in with 25 points and Jaylen Brown added 16 for the Celtics, who had lost three of their previous four, including a 120-102 setback at Chicago on Oct. 24.

DeMar DeRozan had a season-best 46 points in defeat for the Bulls, who led by as many as eight late in the first quarter before gradually watching their two-game winning streak end.

Knicks 106, 76ers 104

Obi Toppin scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:27 left for visiting New York, which overcame a 12-point deficit to beat undermanned Philadelphia.

Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and Julius Randle (17 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. RJ Barrett finished with 22 points and nine rebounds while Cam Reddish added 11 points off the bench.

Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points for the 76ers, who have lost two straight. They were without defending NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid, who missed a third straight game with a non-COVID illness, as well as James Harden, who suffered a right foot tendon strain Wednesday night that is expected to sideline him the remainder of the month.

Clippers 113, Spurs 106

Paul George scored 35 points and Ivica Zubac added 17 points and 15 rebounds as visiting Los Angeles came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat San Antonio to win its third straight game.

The Clippers trailed by four points heading to the fourth but ran past San Antonio with a 14-3 run over a span of four-plus minutes in the middle of the period. George hit a 3-pointer to put Los Angeles ahead for good at 99-96 with 6:41 to play and built its advantage to 11 points. John Wall added 15 points, Reggie Jackson scored 14 and Norman Powell added 13 off the bench for the Clippers.

Reserve Devin Vassell racked up a career-high 29 points to lead San Antonio, with Tre Jones adding 18, Keldon Johnson tallying 16 and Doug McDermott contributing 10 points. The game was the first of a home-road back-to-back for the Spurs, who play in Denver on Saturday.

Cavaliers 112, Pistons 88

Jarrett Allen had 23 points and seven rebounds and depleted Cleveland stretched its winning streak to seven games with a blowout win over host Detroit.

Kevin Love supplied 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds off the bench. Caris LeVert and Cedi Osman contributed 15 points and six assists apiece, while Evan Mobley tossed in 11 points with eight rebounds. Mobley added a career-high eight blocked shots for Cleveland, which hasn’t lost since its opener.

Cleveland’s starting backcourt was held out of action. Darius Garland was sidelined with a left knee sprain, while Donovan Mitchell sat out with a left ankle sprain. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 19 points, five assists and five rebounds while Saddiq Bey and Jaden Ivey had 18 points apiece.

Jazz 130, Lakers 116

Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Utah to a victory at Los Angeles.

Former Laker Jordan Clarkson contributed 20 points and Mike Conley totaled 15 points and 10 assists as Utah snapped a three-game road losing streak.

Russell Westbrook led the Lakers with 26 points off the bench. Anthony Davis scored 22 points, but only two after halftime, and grabbed eight rebounds, and LeBron James tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Grizzlies 130, Hornets 99

Behind a red-hot shooting night from Dillon Brooks and a record-setting performance from Steven Adams, Memphis rolled to a home win over Charlotte.

Brooks tied a career-high with six 3-pointers, finishing with a game-high 23 points. Adams had a double-double by halftime (13 points, 19 rebounds). His 16 boards through the game’s first two quarters set a Grizzlies franchise record and his career high for rebounds in the opening half. The entire Hornets team had just 17 at the break.

Charlotte’s Mason Plumlee had his streak of double-doubles snapped at two games. Plumlee finished with seven points, seven rebounds and three assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Hornets with 17 points, while James Bouknight had a season-high 14 points.

–Field Level Media

Lauri Markkanen continued his strong play this season, scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 130-116 victory over the host Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Former Laker Jordan Clarkson contributed 20 points with seven boards, Kelly Olynyk added 18 points, Collin Sexton scored 17 and Mike Conley totaled 15 points and 10 assists as Utah snapped a three-game road losing streak.

Russell Westbrook led the Lakers with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting off the bench. Anthony Davis scored 22 points, but only two after halftime, and grabbed eight rebounds, and LeBron James tallied 17 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Lonnie Walker IV added 19 points.

The Jazz shot the lights out, hitting 50.5 percent overall and drilling 17 3-pointers, including three treys apiece by Markkanen, Olynyk and Sexton.

Los Angeles, trying to mount a three-game winning streak after losing its first five games, erased most of Utah’s 16-point, third-quarter lead, pulling within 97-95 after a pair of Tony Brown Jr. free throws late in the third.

But the Jazz took a 100-95 lead into the fourth quarter after a three-point play by Nickeil Alexander-Walker and then controlled most of the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles was never able to get closer than five the rest of the way.

Utah, which has won seven of 10 this season, got off to a blistering start, shooting 65.4 percent while taking a 40-34 lead after the first quarter.

The Lakers made a push early in the second with a 10-0 run capped by a Matt Ryan 3-pointer to snag a 46-44 lead.

But the Jazz quickly found their groove, beginning with back-to-back 3s from Sexton during a 10-2 surge. Utah finished the first half up 75-62 — the second time Utah has scored 75 in an opening half this year — thanks to 60.8 percent shooting overall and 9-of-17 accuracy from 3-point range.

Olynyk matched the Jazz’s biggest lead of 16, 85-69, with a layup with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter. The Lakers scored seven straight and continued to chip away, led by Westbrook, to pull within two late in the third.

Los Angeles hosts Cleveland on Sunday afternoon before heading to Utah for a Monday rematch. The Jazz remain in L.A. to face the Clippers on Sunday night.

–Field Level Media

Jerami Grant sank a fadeaway jumper from the right baseline as time expired to give the Portland Trail Blazers a dramatic 108-106 victory over the host Phoenix Suns on Friday night.

Grant scored a season-best 30 points and capped his night in style as Justise Winslow lobbed a high-arching in-bounds pass in his direction with one second remaining.

Grant was able to gain separation from Phoenix big man Deandre Ayton to make the catch and knock down the shot as Portland defeated the Suns for the second time this season.

Jusuf Nurkic recorded 14 points and eight rebounds, Winslow had 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and Nassir Little also had 12 points for the Trail Blazers. Keon Johnson tallied 11 points.

Devin Booker scored 25 points for Phoenix, which had a five-game winning streak halted. Ayton contributed 24 points and eight rebounds after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury.

Damion Lee scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter for Suns. Mikal Bridges added 12 points and Chris Paul had 11 assists.

This was the first of back-to-back games between the teams. They also play Saturday night in Phoenix. The Suns have only lost to the Trail Blazers this season.

Portland star Damian Lillard (calf) missed his third straight game and backcourt mate Anfernee Simons (foot) also sat out.

Phoenix’s Cameron Johnson injured his right knee in the first quarter and missed the rest of the contest.

Nurkic drained a 3-pointer with 38.7 seconds left to give Portland a 104-103 lead. Booker answered with a trey to give the Suns a two-point edge with 31.3 seconds remaining.

Nurkic scored on a putback with 23.4 seconds left.

Phoenix shot 43.4 percent from the field, including 14 of 34 from 3-point range.

The Trail Blazers connected on 50.6 percent of their field-goal attempts and were 10 of 23 from behind the arc.

The Suns trailed by 15 points midway through the quarter before making a run in the final period.

Damion Lee made two 3-pointers in a 40-second span during an 8-1 spurt to bring Phoenix within 93-92 with 7:23 left in the game.

Three-plus minutes later, Lee sank a corner 3-pointer to knot the score at 97 with 4:16 to go.

Phoenix inched ahead on Booker’s short shot with 2:52 left for its first lead since early in the second quarter.

Nurkic answered inside 23 seconds later to tie it at 101 but Ayton scored on a tip-in to put the Suns back ahead with 46.1 seconds left.

Grant scored 16 of his 18 first-half points in the second quarter to help Portland hold a 59-49 lead.

–Field Level Media

Jrue Holiday scored 29 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his first triple-double of the season as the Milwaukee Bucks improved to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history with a 115-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in Minneapolis.

Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.

Bobby Portis added 18 points, rookie MarJon Beauchamp scored a career-high 14 and Grayson Allen chipped in 10 for Milwaukee, which never trailed after the opening two minutes and led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Jaylen Nowell chipped in 13 points for the Wolves, who lost their third straight and shot 11 of 41 (26.8 percent) from 3-point range.

Milwaukee remained the league’s only undefeated team after shooting 17 of 38 (44.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Bucks held an 11-point advantage entering the fourth quarter and extended the lead to 108-91 when Antetokounmpo scored with 8:07 remaining.

Edwards made one of his three 3-pointers to cut the lead to 108-99 with 5:10 left, but the Wolves would get no closer.

Holiday, who shot 12 of 24, is averaging 28.5 points on 55.8 percent shooting over his past four games.

Milwaukee ended the first quarter with a 34-26 lead after shooting 63.2 percent from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.

The Bucks stretched their lead to 14 on Beauchamp’s trey with 10:21 left in the second quarter.

Minnesota battled back and trailed 61-54 at the break after Jaden McDaniels closed the half with a 3-pointer.

Holiday scored 16 points in the first half to lead all scorers. Milwaukee was 11 of 23 (47.8 percent) from 3-point range while Minnesota was just 6 of 19 (31.6 percent).

The Bucks moved ahead 86-64 on Holiday’s 3-pointer with 4:17 left in the third quarter, but Minnesota responded with 10 straight points to stay within striking distance.

–Field Level Media