Meanwhile, Celtics-76ers playoff heads for decisive game seven after Philadelphia beat Boston 106-93.
Elsewhere, Toronto Raptors beat Cleveland Cavaliers, snapping a 12-game playoff losing streak against the Cavs.
Kevin Durant scores 23 for Houston but the Lakers bag a 101-94 win despite a depleted team, with Luka Doncic missing.
Victor Wembanyama set a new San Antonio record for the most points in a playoff debut as the Spurs outlast Portland.
Despite missing leading scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the LA Lakers and LeBron James defeat Houston in opener.
US exhibition squad, the Harlem Globetrotters, met the pontiff in the Vatican, helping him to spin a basketball on the tip of his finger.