Australian guard Patty Mills lit up the court with 15 points and four assists in his 19 minutes as the San Antonio Spurs scored a 114-94 NBA home win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The Spurs shot 55.6 per cent for the game, but it was not until their 42-point explosion in the third quarter that they took control on Saturday night.
Guard Manu Ginobili knocked down three three-pointers and Mills added another one in the middle of a 24-2 run late in the third that turned a six-point deficit into an 89-73 advantage.
While Mills had a good Saturday night, shooting six of nine from the field, it was Kawhi Leonard who led the Spurs with 23 points and four rebounds as they took their season record to 4-2.
In Sacramento, Mills' countryman Andrew Bogut was rested and superstar Stephen Curry cooled off but it made no difference as reigning champions Golden State Warriors reeled off their seventh straight win to open the season, a 103-94 triumph over the Kings.
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Curry went into the contest after four straight games of 30 points or more but settled for 24 in his worst shooting night of the season.
The reigning MVP missed his first eight shots from three-point range. He finished by connecting on eight of 18 attempts from the floor, two of 10 from three-point range.
Curry wasn't the only player struggling from long range as the Warriors missed 16 of their first 17 shots from beyond the arc.
But they benefited from 21 Kings turnovers that led to 29 Warriors points as Sacramento again felt the absence of All-Star centre DeMarcus Cousins, who missed his fourth game with a strained Achilles tendon.
James Harden scored a season-high 46 points to lift the Houston Rockets to a 109-105 come-from-behind victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Harden connected on five of 10 three-point attempts and made 13 of 14 free-throws as the Rockets won their fourth straight.
The Clippers, playing without point guard Chris Paul, who was sidelined by a groin strain, lost at home for the first time this season.
Minnesota guard Andrew Wiggins scored a season-high 31 points and the Timberwolves held Chicago scoreless in overtime in a 102-93 victory over the Bulls.
In a contest that featured 15 ties and 18 lead changes, the Timberwolves out-scored the Bulls 9-0 in overtime.
It was the first time in the 50-year history of the franchise that the Bulls were held scoreless in overtime.
The league's last three winless teams - the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans - all saw their season-opening skids continue.
The Milwaukee Bucks downed Brooklyn 94-86 to drop the Nets to 0-7. The injury-hit Pelicans fell to 0-6 with a 107-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks and the Orlando Magic beat Philadelphia 105-97 as the 76ers fell to 0-6.
