Wizards start Young, George, Coulibaly, Davis, Sarr

Irving was limited to just 23 minutes against the Rockets Wednesday as he was returning from injury. The 34-year-old point guard missed all of last season with a torn ACL and a calf strain. Irving still scored 15 points on nine attempts in those 23 minutes. Expect his minutes and production to increase as the Mavericks ease him into the beginning of the regular season.

Flagg filled up the stat sheet and dropped 32 points in the Mavericks season opener. There’s not much more you could ask from the 19-year-old, which shows how much of an uphill battle it might be for Dallas this year as the Mavericks lost to the Rockets by 18. Flagg and the Mavericks have two more games this week with a back-to-back against the Pacers and Spurs on Friday and Saturday.

Ighodaro took a hit to his right hip during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game. Although he initially tried to play through the injury, the 7-footer was subbed out with just over a minute left in the half. Ighodaro didn’t return to the bench for the third quarter, and he’s done for the night. Khaman Maluach, who started Wednesday’s game, should play more minutes while Duop Reath slides into the back end of the rotation.

Şengün didn’t record any blocks or steals in this one, but he was +23 in 29 minutes as the Rockets won by 18. The 24-year-old center had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. He also made both of his three-point attempts. After a what was considered a down-year for him last year, Şengün got off to a good start this season.

Durant started his 19th season in the NBA off with an excellent performance. The 38-year-old forward dropped 30 points on 16 attempts as the Rockets won going away over the Mavericks. Durant played 37 minutes after averaging 36.3 minutes last season. While the Rockets’ top brass has talked about managing his minutes, Durant wasn’t held back at all in the season opener.

The good news for fantasy managers was that Mitchell recorded a double-double, which included a game-high 10 assists. However, for category-league managers, the six turnovers hurt. Mitchell logged 33 minutes in Wednesday’s opener, with Pelle Larsson (two points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block) taking on the playmaking responsibilities when “Off Night” was on the bench. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo can also initiate the offense, and they’ll likely need to because Miami lacks depth at point guard.

After making two of his three three-point attempts and scoring six points in the first quarter, Thompson did not provide much value in his official Heat debut. While starting was a positive for the veteran guard, he played just 16 minutes. Meanwhile, Tim Hardaway Jr. (three points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one three-pointer) logged 18 minutes off the bench. Outside of deep leagues where you need three-pointers, you gain little by rostering Thompson.

Murray filled up the stat sheet in the loss to the Pacers Wednesday. The 30-year-old point guard was excellent and showed he could be in for a bounce back season after playing just 45 games over the past two seasons combined. Murray was also playing through a bruised toe that he suffered during the preseason.

After scoring six points on 3-of-9 shooting in the first half, Adebayo scored nine in the third quarter. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the Heat center went scoreless in the fourth, attempting just one shot. The on-court chemistry between Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo needs work, which isn’t a surprise. But at times, Bam looked like little more than a bystander on offense, and that can’t happen.

Giannis came out hot in his official Heat debut, scoring 14 points in the first quarter. He went into the halftime break with 21, but no other Heat player scored more than seven. Antetokounmpo finished with a solid stat line, but fantasy managers may have hoped for more on the defensive end. The Heat host the Pistons Friday in the first of two games in as many nights before visiting Charlotte on Saturday.