By james art 
Darius Garland dropped 39 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers held off a late rally by the Milwaukee Bucks to outlast them 116-114 on Monday to improve their NBA record to 8-0.
Garland hit a crucial step-back three-pointer to give Cleveland a 113-111 lead with 45 seconds left, then set up Jarrett Allen for a game-clinching layup.
The Cavaliers, who led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter, tied their franchise’s best start to a season last accomplished in 1976.
“It’s hard to get one [win] so eight is crazy,” Garland said.
The Bucks, missing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo with an adductor strain, snapped their sixth straight game after a one-point loss at home to the Cavs on Saturday.
Milwaukee point guard Damian Lillard scored 14 of his 36 points in the third quarter as the Bucks fought back to take a 91-89 lead into the fourth quarter.
They extended their lead to eight points midway through the final quarter, but could not withstand the Cavaliers’ comeback.
Evan Mobley contributed 17 points and Allen finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds and a crucial block on Lillard with 8.8 seconds left to secure the victory.
“We had to fight for 48 minutes,” Garland said. “We knew they were going to come out in the second half and try to be more aggressive.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder remained the only undefeated team, defeating the Orlando Magic 102-86 to improve to 7-0.
Jaylen Williams scored 23 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21 as the Thunder held an opponent to less than 95 points for the fifth time this season.
In other action, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115-103, while the defending champions Boston Celtics topped the Atlanta Hawks 123-93.
The Golden State Warriors welcomed the return of Stephen Curry after a three-game absence with a 125-112 win against the Washington Wizards.
In Detroit, Cade Cunningham had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his third career triple-double, while Jaden Ivey scored 26 points to power the Pistons to their third win of the season.
Anthony Davis scored 37 points for the Lakers despite a left ankle injury in the fourth quarter. He stayed in the game, throwing down a dunk that cut the Pistons’ lead to five points with 4:10 left, but Detroit pulled away again.
LeBron James added 20 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, but the Pistons held on after taking an early lead.
In Washington, Curry scored a team-high 24 points in his return, marking his first game since injuring his left ankle on Oct. 27.
Durant lifts the Suns
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 28 points, while Derrick White added 21 as Boston struggled without injured star Jaylen Brown.
In Phoenix, Kevin Durant scored 35 points, including a layup with 24 seconds left to give the Suns a 118-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Six Suns players scored in double figures as they spoiled nine-time All-Star Paul George’s delayed debut with the 76ers after he joined them as a free agent in the offseason.
In Miami, Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis delivered the game-winner, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring with seven-tenths of a second left to lead the Kings to a 111-110 victory over the Heat.
In Denver, reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists as the Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 121-119.
The Utah Jazz ended a six-game losing streak to start the season with a 135-126 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
