Philadelphia 76ers remain undefeated with Korkmaz three-pointer

Ben Simmons nearly nailed a triple-double but it was team-mate Furkan Korkmaz who was the hero as the Philadelphia 76ers snuck home 129-128 against the Portland Trail Blazers and started their season with five straight wins.

There was less than half a second left in the game when the Turkish shooting guard lined up and drained a three-pointer to give the 76ers the lead.

Earlier, Australia’s Simmons had given Philadelphia the lead with a pair of free throws that took them up to 126-125, before Portland’s Anfernee Simons nailed his own three-pointer to put the Blazers ahead by two with just 2.6 seconds remaining on the clock.

Korkmaz’s steely nerves and subsequent bucket ensured the 76ers remain the only undefeated team in the league this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo promised an ill child from Make-A-Wish that the Milwaukee Bucks would win for him, and they got it done by beating the reigning champions the Toronto Raptors 115-105.

The Denver Nuggets beat the Orlando Magic 91-87, the Phoenix Suns finished 114-105 over the Memphis Grizzlies courtesy of 41 points from Aron Baynes and Devin Booker and the Minnesota Timberwolves increased their opening run to 4-1 with a 131-109 victory against the Washington Wizards.

The Golden State Warriors – without star guard Steph Curry due to a hand injury – could not get it done and lost 93-87 to Curry’s father’s old team, the Charlotte Hornets.

Derrick Rose was not on the court but his Detroit Pistons won 113-109 over the Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma Thunder finished 115-104 victors over the New Orleans Pelicans.