The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 110-98 at Footprint Center on Wednesday, getting revenge for being swept 4-0 by the opponents in the Western Conference semifinals last season.

The two sides committed a total of 35 turnovers on the court, showing exactly how much they still have to work on details of both offense and defense. Nikola Jokic dropped 27 points and 13 rebounds but only two assists for the Nuggets. Though he made several tough shots in front of Deandre Ayton, Jokic did not cause enough damage to convince the Suns to double-team him. The reigning MVP earned no free throw on the floor and was only 1-6 from downtown.

Since Jokic could not play the orchestrator, the rest of the Nuggets had to work out something themselves. Fortunately, Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Facundo Campazzo together delivered 18 assists. Of course, the cost of doing this was seven turnovers and more unreasonable passes or missed opportunities. But if the Nuggets want to rely on the whole team, and not Jokic alone, to survive the period until Jamal Murray comes back, they must stand the cost.

The Suns may envy their opponents for their role players' performance. Chris Paul gave a solid performance, putting down 15 points, four rebounds and 10 assists. He could still punish Jokic via screen play, but it's way too early for the 36-year-old to pull his full strength.

Devin Booker is usually the one that stands out, but that was not the scenario on Wednesday night. Having gone 3-15 in field goals, he only got 12 points for the Suns and committed three turnovers. Meanwhile, Jokic went 4-6 to get eight points, leading the Nuggets to take control in the last quarter. Booker missed all five of his shots.

Unlike their Nuggets counterparts, the Suns' role players, namely Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson only had six assists in the game. Crowder, Bridges and Payne were together 3-14 from the 3-point line.

Will LaMelo Ball become an All-Star this season?

The Charlotte Hornets began their new season with a close victory of 123-122 over the Indiana Pacers at Spectrum Center. The home team's young guard LaMelo Ball was 7-9 from the arc to score 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

The game did not start smoothly for the Hornets, as they trailed by 16 points in the first half and by 23 at most in the third quarter. Ball took over after that, claiming 12 points, five rebounds and two assists, leading a crazy 24-0 run against the Pacers and outpacing the Hornets.

The home fans understandably cheered "MVP" for Ball at the Spectrum Center. He already won the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season; it makes sense to aim for an All-Star spot in the second one.

Despite the loss, the Pacers' two-time All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis continued to be dominant offensively as he dropped 33 points and 15 rebounds, including going perfect 6-6 under the rim in the first quarter. Malcolm Brogdon stood by him with 28 points and 11 assists though he missed seven of 10 attempts from the triple line.

But the biggest surprise came from first-year guard Chris Duarte who drained six shots from downtown to get 27 points for the Pacers. As the 13th-overall selection of the 2021 Class, Duarte outperformed multiple who were drafted before him in their first game.

Jalen Green, second overall selection by the Houston Rockets, was 4-14 to get nine points, four rebounds and four assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Evan Mobley, third overall selection by the Cleveland Cavaliers, was 7-13 to get 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Scottie Barnes, fourth overall selection by the Toronto Raptors, was 5-13 to get 12 points, nine rebounds and six turnovers against the Washington Wizards.

Jalen Suggs, the fifth overall selection of the Orlando Magic, was 3-14 to get 10 points against the San Antonio Spurs.

Josh Giddey, the sixth overall selection of the Oklahoma City Thunder, was 2-7 to get four points and 10 rebounds against the Utah Jazz.

Cade Cunningham, first-selection by the Detroit Pistons, did not appear in the team's season opener against the Chicago Bulls due to injury.

Other games on Wednesday (away teams come first):

Chicago Bulls 94-88 Detroit Pistons

Boston Celtics 134-138 New York Knicks

Washington Wizards 98-83 Toronto Raptors

Cleveland Cavaliers 121-132 Memphis Grizzlies

Houston Rockets 106-124 Minnesota Timberwolves

Philadelphia 76ers 117-97 New Orleans Pelicans

Orlando Magic 97-123 San Antonio Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder 86-107 Utah Jazz

Sacramento Kings 124-121 Portland Trail Blazers