Basketball

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets raised their championship banner on Tuesday night, then dropped the hammer on the Los Angeles Lakers with a 119-107 victory fueled by Nikola Jokic’s triple-double.

DENVER (AP) — The bling and the banner were nice. What the Denver Nuggets really relished, though, was opening defense of the franchise's first NBA title with a 119-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic alternated his gaze between the flashy ring on his left hand and the new championship banner heading toward the rafters. Both put a big grin on the big man's face.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to make sure his contract status didn't distract the Milwaukee Bucks as they made a run at another championship.

TORONTO — A new era of the Toronto Raptors will dawn on Wednesday when they kick off the 2023-24 NBA season. But just what this new version of the team will look like is still unknown.

When he was hired by the Orlando Magic in 1999, Doc Rivers told a colleague at Turner Sports that he had to take care of his coaching itch and that he would be back in five years.

TORONTO — Precious Achiuwa is going to let his agent do the talking for him. The Toronto Raptors and Achiuwa did not reach an agreement on a contract extension ahead of Monday's deadline.

TORONTO — Another year, another record set for Canadians in the NBA. Canada set a new mark with 27 players on an NBA roster for the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.

NBA teams currently have about $4.8 billion in salary committed to players for this season, meaning the average per team is around $160 million. Just three seasons ago, only two teams spent more than $160 million.

Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic Orlando, Florida; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Magic -3.5; over/under is 222.5 BOTTOM LINE: The Orlando Magic begin the season at home against the Houston Rockets.