Bogdanovic debuts for Houston, Toronto routs Chicago by 43
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored five points in 13 minutes in his Houston debut, Nikola Jovic had four in Miami's loss, and Rajakovic's Toronto beat Chicago by 43 points.
Just before the season began, speaking to reporters in Denver, Nikola Jokic admitted that even after all his years in the league, nerves still hit him before every game. “I think that’s exactly why I play this sport, because of that,” said the three-time MVP. His Denver does not take the floor until the night between Thursday and Friday, but the first night of the NBA regular season is already behind us, with two Serbs on the court and a third who stayed on the bench.
How did Bogdanovic do in Houston?
Bogdan Bogdanovic made his Houston debut in a 128-110 win over Dallas. In 13 minutes he scored five points (2 of 3 from the field, 1 of 2 from three), with one rebound and two assists. Houston all but settled the game before halftime, when the lead had grown to 32 points.
The rest of the roster carried the load. Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points each, and Alperen Sengun finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. For the losing side, Cooper Flagg led the way with 32 points in 33 minutes. Kyrie Irving played his first game since March 2025 and his torn anterior cruciate ligament surgery, scoring 15 points in 24 minutes.
What did Jovic get in Miami?
Nikola Jovic scored four points in Miami’s 131-106 loss to Minnesota, shooting 2 of 8 from the field and 0 of 3 from three, with four rebounds, two assists and two turnovers. Sources disagree on his minutes: Mondo and Mozzart Sport report 22, B92 reports 24.
Minnesota won all four quarters and the lead reached 30 in the closing stretch. Anthony Edwards scored 45 points, hitting nine of 17 three-point attempts, and added 10 rebounds. That made him only the third player in league history with more than 40 points on opening night in two consecutive seasons, after Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. “Fire, that’s fire,” Edwards said after the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and grabbed six rebounds in his first game for his new club, and it was not enough for Miami.
Why did Darko Rajakovic’s Toronto beat Chicago by 43?
Toronto beat Chicago 135-92, and the gap was clear after the first quarter: 43-23. By halftime it had grown to 69-44. Chicago never led.
Toronto finished last season fifth in the East, and Darko Rajakovic got a new contract ahead of this one. The night was also marked by the return of Kawhi Leonard, who plays for Toronto again after seven years. Leonard finished with 23 points, six assists and four steals. Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes scored the same number of points, and RJ Barrett added 20. Quickley scored 14 points in the first quarter alone, with three threes on four attempts.
Barrett also had an important defensive job: he held Josh Giddey to two points on 1-of-10 shooting. Buzelis was Chicago’s top scorer with 17 points. Toronto visits Washington in two days. Washington took its first win of the season against Milwaukee, 128-116, with Anthony Davis scoring 34 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, and Trae Young adding 20 points and 13 assists.
Where were Markovic, Topic and Jokic?
Bogoljub Markovic did not enter the game in Milwaukee’s loss in Washington, a coach’s decision, so he is still waiting for his official NBA debut. Milwaukee’s top scorer was Tyler Herro with 24 points.
Nikola Topic of Oklahoma City is missing the start of the season with a back injury. He is exactly the player Jokic plans to meet before the game against Oklahoma City, at the Paycom Center, which starts at 3:30 a.m. Serbian time. “We’ll go to dinner. We’ll probably watch some games, have a bit of fun, so I won’t feel nervous,” Jokic said.
He also spoke about his new teammate Alpha Diallo, whom Denver brought in from the EuroLeague. “He’s good. He’s very athletic. He really knows how to get into position before the opponent. He also knows how to play a bit ‘dirty,’ so he has a bit of everything,” Jokic said. He was also asked about the spectacular passes from the preseason, and his answer was short: “It just comes naturally. Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes it’s the situation, and sometimes it just happens that way.”
The next date for viewers in Serbia is tonight at 3:30 a.m., when Denver visits Oklahoma City, while Toronto plays its next game in two days in Washington.
