An historic night for Carmelo Anthony helped the Los Angeles Lakers secure their first win of the NBA season with a 121-118 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 37-year-old contributed 28 points off the bench, including six field goals from beyond the arc, to improve to ninth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

The Lakers survived a 40-point effort from Memphis point guard Ja Morant, who also posted 10 assists, as he missed a free throw with 2.5 seconds to go which could have sent the game into overtime.

Anthony Davis finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Los Angeles, while LeBron James added 19 points.

The Orlando Magic also picked up their first win of the campaign by overcoming the New York Knicks 110-104 following a late surge from Terrence Ross.

Ross scored all of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Magic back from the brink.

He was ably supported by Cole Anthony, who claimed the first double-double of his career with 29 points and 16 rebounds.

Elsewhere, the Brooklyn Nets’ rocky start continued with a 111-95 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

A 38-point performance from Kevin Durant was offset by a sloppy final quarter in which Brooklyn were outscored 32-17.

Stephen Curry added yet another achievement to his storied career in the Golden State Warriors’ 119-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

He recorded 27 points to go alongside 10 assists, in the process becoming the first Warriors player to reach 5,000 career assists.

In Sunday’s other games, the Philadelphia 76ers rode a fast start all the way to a 115-103 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics held off the fast-finishing Houston Rockets 107-97.