‘Mr. Kardashian’ helps New Jersey Nets silence Washington Wizards
AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin
WASHINGTON—Maybe Washington Wizards fans were keeping up with the Kardashians.
At least that might explain why they relentlessly booed Kris Humphries, the New Jersey Nets forward famous for his much-hyped—and short-lived—marriage to Kim Kardashian.
Jeered during pregame introductions and harangued every time he touched the ball Monday, Humphries ignored all the attention and finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds, helping New Jersey erase a 21-point deficit and come all the way back to beat Washington, 90-84, in the season opener for both teams.
“To me, it’s motivation. People are yelling at you—you’ve got to perform, you’ve got to play hard. They might want to have a reason to say something. You want to try and give them that reason,” said Humphries, who was married to the reality TV star for just 72 days.
Nets coach Avery Johnson was at a loss to explain all the hostility.
“I’m trying to figure out: What did he do? I’m serious. It may be because I don’t follow reality TV—I don’t know all the ins and outs of it. It’s pretty hilarious to me,” Johnson said. “I don’t even know if they know why they’re booing.”
Deron Williams had 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for New Jersey, which trailed by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, but began to turn things around with a 16-2 run.
Backup shooting guard Nick Young led Washington with 16 points in just 18 minutes. He missed a large part of the second half with a foot injury but returned.
In Oakland, Stephen Curry had 21 points and 10 assists as Golden State surprised Chicago, 99-91, giving new coach Mark Jackson his first victory.
Monta Ellis scored 26 points for the Warriors, who lost their opening game on Christmas Day.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, the Hornets erased a 14-point deficit to edge the Minnesota Timberwolves, 96-95.
DJ Augustin scored 19 points while rookie Kemba Walker added 13, including two free throws with 9.9 seconds remaining.
Brandon Jennings had 22 points for the Bucks.
In Orlando, Hedo Turkoglu scored 23 points to lead five Magic players in double figures as the Magic held off the Houston Rockets, 104-95.
Orlando got 13 points from Turkoglu and eight points from JJ Redick in the fourth quarter to help the Magic stave off a handful of second-half charges by the Rockets.
Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 12 assists for Houston.
In Indianapolis, Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 14 rebounds as the Pacers ripped the Detroit Pistons, 91-79.
David West, Indiana’s big free agent addition, had 11 points and 12 rebounds, even though he made just 3 of 12 field goals.
The Pacers shot just 37 percent from the field, but got away with it because they outrebounded the Pistons, 53-40. Indiana had 18 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points.
In Cleveland, rookie Kyrie Irving scored just six points and hardly played like the No. 1 draft pick as the Toronto Raptors spoiled the Cavaliers guard’s NBA debut with a 104-96 victory.
Irving, who played just 11 college games before turning pro, finished just 2 of 11 from the field—he made a meaningless 3-pointer in the final minutes. The Cavs are counting on the 19-year-old to turn around a team that won just 19 games last season.
In Minneapolis, Kevin Durant scored 33 points as the young Oklahoma Thunder rolled to their second straight victory to open the season with a 104-100 tripping of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Russell Westbrook added 28 points, six assists and six rebounds for the Thunder, who have started off a season loaded with expectations.
Kevin Love had 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves, who saw the hyped debut of Spanish guard Ricky Rubio get spoiled.
In Dallas, Ty Lawson scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half for the Denver Nuggets, which faced little resistance on its way to a 115-93 crushing of the defending champion Maverick’s.
In Phoenix, Eric Gordon made a 20-footer from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds to play in his New Orleans debut to give the Hornets an 85-84 squeaker over the Suns.
Gordon finished with 20 points and Carl Landry added 14 for New Orleans.
In San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 24 points as the Spurs got some payback after its stunning playoff collapse last season, beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 95-82.
In Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and seven rebounds as the Trail Blazers edged the Philadelphia 76ers, 107-103.
