San Antonio have pulled off a stunning 115-114 comeback victory over the Phoenix Suns after a basket from Keldon Johnson with 1.2 seconds on the clock gave the Spurs their first lead of the game.
The Spurs had trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter in Phoenix but 10 fourth-quarter points from Devin Vassell helped them back into the contest late on Wednesday (AEDT).
After the Suns in-bounded the ball in the final seconds, Johnson (27 points) picked the pocket of NBA superstar Kevin Durant as he looked for a pass.
The 24-year-old tore into the paint, where he stepped back for a shot that won the game to snap San Antonio's nine-game losing streak against the Suns.
Playing in his fourth NBA game, top-draft pick Victor Wembanyama missed his first five shots before throwing down a sensational dunk in the final seconds of the first half.
He finished with 18 points and had eight rebounds in 28 minutes as the Spurs, who finished on the bottom of the western conference standings last season, improved to 2-2.
Elsewhere, LA Clippers recruit James Harden was in the house as his new side posted a 118-102 victory over Orlando Magic.
Harden could not be on the Clippers' bench because the bumper trade bringing him to Los Angeles from the Philadelphia 76ers has not yet been finalised.
But the Clippers did not need the 10-time NBA All-Star on hand to cruise past the Magic, who were issued a reality check with back-to-back losses and sit at 2-2.
Paul George led the Clippers with 27 points and Russell Westbrook pitched in 18 as LA rode a 26-6 run in the third-quarter to a comfortable win.
The New York Knicks eased past Cleveland Cavaliers for a 109-91 win in the sides' first match since the Knicks eliminated the Cavs from the 2023 play-offs.
Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson each had 19 points as the Knicks led for the last three quarters of the game.
"It doesn’t matter what happened in the past, that’s all history,” Brunson said of the sides' first meeting since the play-offs.
“The only advantage is when you get back to playing certain teams, you can lean on certain tendencies against them.”
