Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes, and the Boston Celtics cruised to a 122-102 victory over the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points in the Celtics’ first road game of the season. Derrick White had 19 as the defending NBA champions extended their winning streak against Washington to five games.

Jordan Poole scored 26 points in the rebuilding Wizards’ season opener.

After taking their first double-digit lead just before halftime, the Celtics outscored the Wizards 34-19 in the third quarter.

MAVERICKS 120, SPURS 109: Luka Doncic had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 22 points in his Dallas debut and the Mavericks beat visiting San Antonio in the opener for both teams.

Kyrie Irving added 15 points for the defending Western Conference champion Mavericks, who got eight assists from Doncic and seven rebounds from Thompson.

A four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star with the Warriors, Thompson was traded to Dallas in a six-team trade in July.

Victor Wembanyama shot just 5 of 18 from the field for 17 points to open the young French phenom’s second year with the Spurs.

Thompson’s first game with the Mavericks was the headliner, but Chris Paul’s San Antonio debut to start his 20th season was an important moment for the Spurs in the growth of a young team seeking to end a five-season playoff drought. The offense looked rough, and Paul’s only points came on a 3 in the third quarter. But the point guard’s long-term value showed with eight assists and seven rebounds.

NBA INVESTIGATING EMBIID ABSENCE: The NBA is investigating why Philadelphia center Joel Embiid did not play in the team’s nationally televised opener against Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

The investigation was opened as part of the NBA’s player participation policy that went into effect last season.

Such a move was to be expected. The NBA has said that any time a star player misses a game — it defines “star” as someone who was an All-Star or All-NBA selection in any of the previous three seasons, and Embiid is one of those — an investigation can be opened to “promote compliance” with league rules and can include “independent medical review and related determinations regarding player availability.”

Embiid — who helped the U.S. win Olympic gold at the Paris Games — missed the entire preseason and was ruled out for Wednesday’s opener with the 76ers citing “left knee injury management.” Embiid has a long history of injury issues, including knee problems.

Embiid has never played more than 68 games in a season and was limited to 39 last season in large part because of knee surgery.

It is not clear how long the investigation will take. Philadelphia was also without newcomer Paul George; he suffered a bone bruise during the preseason.

WISEMAN TEARS ACHILLES: Indiana Pacers center James Wiseman tore his left Achilles tendon in the season opener.

Wiseman was playing in his first game with the Pacers when he was hurt in the first quarter of their 115-109 victory at Detroit on Wednesday. Wiseman limped off the floor following a missed 3-pointer after scoring six points in his first 41/2 minutes.

Wiseman had an MRI Thursday that confirmed the injury, and the Pacers said they are working with Wiseman to evaluate treatment options.

The No. 2 overall pick by the Warriors in the 2020 draft joined Indiana this summer after playing the last 1 1/2 seasons in Detroit.