Oklahoma City Thunder repel late rally to down Charlotte Hornets 109-107

The Oklahoma City Thunder managed to repel a late rally from the Charlotte Hornets to claim a thrilling 109-107 win in their season opener.

Charlotte started strongly on their home court to take a two-point lead into half-time, however they fell off a cliff in the third quarter, scoring just 16 points.

The Thunder then opened up a 13-point lead in the fourth, before the Hornets caught fire in the final two minutes to draw level at 107-107 with 10 seconds left.

But it was all for nought as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a jumper at the buzzer to seal a two-point win.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 24 points, while Terry Rozier top-scored for the Hornets with 19.

It was another close game in San Antonio as the Spurs left it until the final minute to down the Toronto Raptors 119-114.

Down four with a minute left on the clock, former Raptor DeMar DeRozan sparked the Spurs into action with a clutch three-pointer to close the gap to one.

They then took the lead on the back of a quick score from LaMarcus Aldridge, while Kyle Lowry was unable to square things up for the visitors from 19 feet.

Rudy Gay then sunk two free throws to see the Spurs home, with San Antonio led by DeRozan’s 27-point effort.

D’Angelo Russell scored 25 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 116-111 win over the Utah Jazz.

Despite a double-digit deficit late in the game, the Jazz managed to pull within three with five seconds left, however they coughed up possession on an offensive foul.

Karl Anthony-Towns finished with a double-double for the Timberwolves, while Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points off the bench for the Jazz.

Domantas Sobonis was unstoppable for the Indiana Pacers, finishing with a 22-point triple-double in a 125-106 victory against the Chicago Bulls.

Sobonis also picked up 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Pacers cruised to a second-straight victory to start their season.

The Orlando Magic have also won two on the bounce, downing the Wizards 130-120 in Washington.

Terrence Ross led Orlando with 25, while Russell Westbrook became the fourth man in NBA history to record a triple-double in his team’s first two games.

The Portland Trail Blazers eked out a 128-126 overtime win against the Houston Rockets.

Collin Sexton dropped 32 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Detroit Pistons 128-119.

In the rest of the day’s games, the Atlanta Hawks claimed a 10-point win against the Memphis Grizzlies, Joel Embiid finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 109-89 victory over the New York Knicks, and the Sacramento Kings defeated the Phoenix Suns 106-103.