Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives on Marcus Thornton #23 of the...SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- For Sacramento fans, just seeing their Kings on the court was a victory after all the talk of moving at the end of last season.Marcus Thornton scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the Kings beat the Lakers at home for the first time in more than three years, 100-91 on Monday night.More Lakers-Kings CoverageThe Lakers are there for the taking right now. They'll get another chance for win No. 1 at home Tuesday vs. Utah, but it will be their third straight game day, writes ESPN.com's J.A. Adande. [Read the full article]

26: Delonte West #13 of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball against the Denver Nuggets on...DALLAS -- Ty Lawson and the Denver Nuggets opened their season with a performance that sent a clear message to the rest of the NBA.The reigning champions have quickly become a team everyone wants to play. There's no telling which is worse right now, their offense or defense, their conditioning or chemistry, as they were drubbed for a second straight game, losing 115-93 to the Nuggets on Monday night.More Nuggets-Mavs CoverageESPNDallas.comTwo underwhelming showings by Lamar Odom and Vince Carter is not nearly at the top of the worry list for the Mavs. Defense is, writes Jeff Caplan. [Read the full article]

Philadelphia 76ers guard Lou Williams turned a would-be robbery into a chance for community outreach.Williams told the Philadelphia Daily News that he was stopped in his car in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk on Christmas Eve when he was approached by a man wielding a gun.But Williams, who has developed into a key reserve for the Sixers, said he managed to talk down the gunman -- and then treated his would-be assailant to McDonald's."A guy tried to rob me but decided not to because of whatever I do in the community," the 25-year-old Williams told the Daily News. "He's a Lou Williams fan, so he didn't rob me."Williams told the paper that he was driving his car when the man began to approach with a gun drawn and then knocked on the driver's window. [Read the full article]

The athletic abilities of star running back Adrian Peterson led the Minnesota Vikings to give him a seven-year, $100 million contract extension before the season started.Now, they hope his recuperative abilities are just as good and he is able to live up to being the highest-paid running back in the NFL. [Read the full article]