BOSTON (AP) -Kevin Garnett had 22 points, 20 rebounds and five assists, Paul Pierce scored 28 points and sparked Boston’s take-charge rally in the first half, and the Celtics opened their promising season with a 103-83 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Add 17 points from Ray Allen, another veteran newcomer, and the Celtics looked nothing like the teams Pierce played for in his first nine seasons with Boston. Those teams won just three playoff series.
Garnett, Pierce, and Allen left the game to a standing ovation with 2:30 left and the score 98-75. Garnett and Pierce raised their right index fingers to the screaming crowd, then Garnett knelt in front of the bench and slapped hands with his teammates.
Gilbert Arenas scored 21 points and Caron Butler had 18 for the Wizards, who were eliminated in the first round last season by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Arenas was just 5-for-20 from the field.
Cavaliers 110, Knicks 106
CLEVELAND (AP) – LeBron James scored 45 points and Daniel Gibson made four 3-pointers in just over two minutes in the fourth quarter to rally Cleveland past New York.
James bounced back from a 10-point performance in a season-opening loss to Dallas by scoring the most points ever by a Cleveland player against New York. World B. Free dropped 39 on the Knicks in 1984.
Gibson, Cleveland’s shooting star in last season’s playoffs, finished with six 3-pointers and 24 points. Drew Gooden had 14 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 12 rebounds for Cleveland.
Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and Zach Randolph had 21 points and 14 rebounds in his debut with the Knicks, who were finally playing a meaningful game following a turbulent offseason that included a jury finding coach Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden had sexually harassed a former team executive.
Raptors 106, Nets 69
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Andrea Bargnani scored 21 points to lead Toronto over New Jersey in the first meeting between the teams since the Nets ousted the Raptors in the opening round of last season’s playoffs.
Chris Bosh had 15 points and Juan Dixon 14 for Toronto. Jose Calderon, Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker all had 10 as the Raptors set a team record for margin of victory in a road game. Their previous best was 33 at San Antonio on Feb. 19, 1997.
Richard Jefferson was the one bright spot for Nets with 27 points. Nets stars Vince Carter and Jason Kidd had dismal nights. Carter scored only seven points against his former team, while Kidd had two.
Hawks 101, Mavericks 94
ATLANTA (AP) – Joe Johnson scored 28 points and Atlanta beat Dallas in its season-opener.
The Hawks opened the season with a home win for the first time since the 1998-99 season, the last time they appeared in the playoffs.
Josh Smith had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta, while Marvin Williams added 16 points and Tyronn Lue had 14.
Dirk Nowitzki 28 points for Dallas, while Jason Terry had 20 and Jose Barea added 14.
Pistons 116, Magic 92
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Chauncey Billups had 18 points and seven assists to lead Detroit to a second straight victory without Richard Hamilton.
The Magic were looking to avenge eight losses against Detroit last season, the last four of which swept Orlando from its first playoff appearance in four years.
Hamilton also missed Thursday’s victory over the Miami Heat for personal reasons, but again others picked up offensively. Flip Murray scored 19 points, Tayshaun Prince, who had a career-high 34 Thursday, had 17, and Rasheed Wallace had 16 points and seven rebounds.
Rashard Lewis scored 21 points for Orlando, Dwight Howard had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Hedo Turkoglu added 17 points. Keith Bogans had 14 points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting from 3-point range.
Pacers 87, Heat 85
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Danny Granger was 10-of-13 from the field and had 25 points and nine rebounds to help Indiana beat Miami.
Ike Diogu scored 16 points, Mike Dunleavy added 15 and Jamaal Tinsley had 10 assists for the Pacers, who have opened 2-0 under new coach Jim O’Brien.
Indiana forward Jermaine O’Neal, who sat out the opener with a hyperextended left knee, had 10 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 24 minutes.
Rookie Daequan Cook, who didn’t play in the season-opening loss to Detroit, led Miami with 17 points, while Ricky Davis added 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Shaquille O’Neal had eight points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes.
Bobcats 102, Bucks 99
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Raymond Felton had 26 points and 12 assists, and hit two free throws with 0.1 seconds left to preserve Charlotte’s win over Milwaukee.
Gerald Wallace added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Jason Richardson had 21 points in his first game with Charlotte to help the Bobcats win their opener despite hitting just 22 of 43 free throws.
Michael Redd scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half, and Mo Williams added 20 for the Bucks in their second straight loss. China’s Yi Jianlian, the No. 6 pick in the draft, was held to two points and four rebounds and didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Spurs 96, Kings 80
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Tim Duncan and Tony Parker scored 15 points apiece, and San Antonio beat Sacramento to remain unbeaten.
The Spurs are 3-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when they finished with the best record in the league. The Kings have yet to win a game this season.
Offseason addition Ime Udoka had 14 points, including three 3-pointers, for San Antonio. Fabricio Oberto and Duncan each had 10 rebounds.
Kevin Martin scored 22 points for the Kings, who never led.
Nuggets 99, Timberwolves 91
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota outplayed Denver for most of the night, but couldn’t come up with the big shots down the stretch and Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points to rally Denver.
Playing the first game in 13 years without Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves raced to an early lead, but Anthony, Allen Iverson and the Nuggets rode an overwhelming advantage at the free throw line to the win.
Iverson shot just 4-for-14 from the field, but still managed 24 points thanks to his 15-for-16 performance at the line. Marcus Camby added 14 points, 21 rebounds and six blocks for Denver
Rashad McCants led the Wolves with 23 points and Al Jefferson had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the new-look Timberwolves.
76ers 96, Bulls 85
CHICAGO (AP) – Andre Miller scored 25 points, Andre Iguodala added 11 of his 22 in the fourth quarter, and Philadelphia hung on to beat winless Chicago.
It was a disappointing home opener for the Bulls, who played like a team that could use some star power, even if general manager John Paxson put to rest the Kobe Bryant trade rumors the previous day. Some fans made it clear they wouldn’t mind seeing the Lakers’ superstar in a Chicago uniform, chanting “Kobe! Kobe!” in the closing seconds.
Ben Gordon led Chicago with 25 points. Second-year pro Tyrus Thomas had one of his best games, finishing with 21 points and a career-high 12 rebounds while blocking three shots.
Hornets 113, Trail Blazers 93
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Chris Paul scored 19 points and Peja Stojakovic added 18 as sharp-shooting New Orleans beat the Portland.
Seven players hit double figures for the Hornets, who drained 11 3-pointers in a victory that wasn’t in doubt from midway through the third quarter on.
David West and Bobby Jackson each scored 14 for New Orleans. Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Rasual Butler scored 11 points and Jannero Pargo 10.
After scoring only seven points in Portland’s opening night loss at San Antonio, Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 23. James Jones added 14, scoring all but five in the fourth quarter, and Martell Webster scored 13.
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