The Houston Rockets (0-1), pegged by many as a favorite to emerge from the Western Conference this season, received a wake-up call from the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, getting thumped, 131-112. The Rockets were simply out-manned at every turn, despite a team-high 21 points off the pine from Eric Gordon. Chris Paul and PJ Tucker put up 19 points apiece, with Paul adding six assists, five rebounds and three triples, and Tucker shooting 4-of-7 from downtown. James Harden logged 18 points and had 10 assists on his way to a double-double in the loss, on a night when he received his 2017-18 MVP trophy. New Houston member Carmelo Anthony had a subdued outing in his debut with the team, coming off the bench for nine points and four rebounds in 27 minutes of floor time. The team will remain at Staples through the weekend, as they take on the L.A. Clippers on Sunday.

Despite a pair of early, scintillating dunks in his Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) debut, LeBron James' third team fell on the road to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, 128-119. James was the leading offensive contributor in the loss, dropping 26 points and grabbing 12 boards for the double-double. The superstar struggled from long range, where he missed all four of his shot attempts, in line with the team's woes from deep as a whole, where they went a collective 7-for-30. Josh Hart played off the bench for 20 points and nearly half of the team's three-point production with three triples, while Brandon Ingram had 16 points and four boards. Next up for the Lakers will be a Monday night visit from the San Antonio Spurs.