The Boston Celtics opened with a dud on the road and will try to make amends for that performance when they begin their home slate Friday against the Toronto Raptors. Newcomer Kemba Walker scored 12 points on 4-of-18 shooting and the Celtics shot 36.7 percent from the floor in Wednesday's 107-93 loss at Philadelphia.

The Charlotte Hornets and the Minnesota Timberwolves took part in two of the more exciting games on the NBA slate Wednesday - the first full day of action in the 2019-20 campaign. Both teams will try to build off the momentum of one-point wins when the Hornets host the Timberwolves on Friday.

The Brooklyn Nets outplayed the New York Knicks on the free-agent market this offseason and will try to get in the first punch in the rivalry on the court as the teams meet Friday in Barclays Center. Kyrie Irving, who along with fellow superstar Kevin Durant chose the Nets over the Knicks and other teams, had a 50-point performance in his team debut - the highest-scoring first game for a team in NBA history - but Brooklyn still fell 127-126 in overtime to Minnesota on Wednesday.

A pair of young teams with some work to do on the defensive end meet Friday in Memphis as the Grizzlies open their home slate against the Chicago Bulls. Memphis dropped its opener 120-101 at Miami on Wednesday, allowing 37 fourth-quarter points to spoil rookie Ja Morant's debut.

Kristaps Porzingis was finally back on the court for a regular season game after missing about 20 months with a knee injury and looked like he never left, scoring 23 points in his debut with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. Porzingis, the former fourth-overall pick in the 2015 draft by New York, will try to match that performance when the Mavericks visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are searching for a new identity following the departure of franchise icon Russell Westbrook over the summer, and grit and grind seems to be the early focus. The Thunder will try to grind their way to their first win when they host the Washington Wizards on Friday.

The Phoenix Suns hope to match a promising performance in their season opener at home, but they will have to do it without a key player when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Second-year center Deandre Ayton, who had 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in the 124-95 win over Sacramento on Wednesday, was suspended 25 games Thursday for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for a diuretic.

The Portland Trail Blazers got off to a disappointing start and look to reverse course on Friday when they visit the Sacramento Kings in the opener of a four-game road swing. Portland dropped a 108-100 decision to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday to end an 18-game winning streak in home openers, the longest such run in NBA history.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their first game during the era in which Anthony Davis and LeBron James are teammates. Los Angeles looks to chase that initial victory again on Friday when it hosts the Utah Jazz.