Hornets move past Celtics; Heat escape Bobcats
NEW ORLEANS — Jarrett Jack had 21 points and nine assists in his regular-season debut, and New Orleans dominated in its home opener, beating the winless Boston Celtics 97-78 on Wednesday night.
The Celtics are 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07, the season before they traded to bring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in to help star Paul Pierce. Pierce has yet to play this season because of a bruised right heel.
The Hornets were without Eric Gordon, who has a bruised right knee.
Jack did not play in the Hornets’ season-opening win at Phoenix on Monday night because of a one-game suspension stemming from an arrest for drunk-driving last season.
Carl Landry added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.
Allen led Boston with 15 points.
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PACERS 90, RAPTORS 85
At Toronto, Danny Granger scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as Indiana beat the Raptors.
Paul George had 18 points, David West scored 14 and Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Darren Collison became the fifth Pacers starter to reach double figures by making a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds left. He finished with 10 points and 12 assists.
Indiana, which beat Detroit at home on Monday, won for the seventh time in 11 games against Toronto, and ended a streak of 11 straight victories by the home team in the series.
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points and Andrea Bargnani had 21 for Toronto.
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CAVALIERS 105, PISTONS 89
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, rookie Kyrie Irving had 14 points and seven assists to help Cleveland beat Detroit, spoiling the Pistons’ first home opener with new owner Tom Gores.
Reserve Samardo Samuels scored 17 and Ramon Sessions had 16 points off the bench for the Cavaliers, who got 15 points from Antawn Jamison and 10 points apiece from Anderson Varejao and rookie Tristan Thompson.
Detroit Ben Gordon had 25 points and rookie reserve Brandon Knight scored 23.
Sessions made the last shot of the first quarter to put the Cavs ahead for good and they turned the game into a rout in the fourth quarter.
Rodney Stuckey scored 11 points for the Pistons, who got 10 points apiece from Tayshaun Prince and Greg Monroe.
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SPURS 115, CLIPPERS 90
At San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 24 points and DeJuan Blair added 20 to lead San Antonio over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Blake Griffin scored 28 points for the Clippers, while Chris Paul was held to 3-of-10 shooting and finished with 10 points.
Richard Jefferson added 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting for the Spurs, who have won 17 straight home games against the Clippers, a streak that dates to Jan. 31, 2002. Tony Parker scored 14 points, James Anderson 12 and Tim Duncan 10.
The Spurs hit 45 of 80 shots from the field while limiting the Clippers to 29-of-74 shooting. San Antonio led by only four points at halftime but outscored Los Angeles 36-15 in the third quarter to take control.
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76ERS 103, SUNS 83
At Phoenix, Andre Igoudala scored 15 points to lead six players in double figures as Philadelphia routed Phoenix.
Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young also scored 15 each for the Sixers, who used a 19-0 run at the beginning of the third quarter to extend a 14-point halftime lead to 67-34 with 6:44 remaining.
Ronnie Price, signed as a free agent on Dec. 13, matched a career high with 16 points, and Grant Hill and Hakim Warrick added 14 each for the Suns, who are off to an 0-2 start for the first time since 1996-97.
Philadelphia needed less than 90 seconds of the third quarter to stretch a 48-34 lead at halftime to 11 at 55-34 on Spencer Hawes’ steal and dunk with 10:34 to go in the period.
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HAWKS 101, WIZARDS 83
At Atlanta, Joe Johnson led another balanced attack with 18 points as Atlanta beat Washington.
The Hawks have had six players score in double figures in each of their first two wins to open the season. Tracy McGrady had 11 points off the bench to join Atlanta’s five starters in double figures.
Marvin Williams scored 17 points, Josh Smith had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Al Horford added another double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
Nick Young had 21 points and John Wall added 20 for Washington, which has lost its first two games. JaVale McGee had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who never led.
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NUGGETS 117, JAZZ 100
At Denver, Nene scored 25 points, reserve Al Harrington had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Denver rolled over the Utah.
Ty Lawson had 15 points and Danilo Gallinari had 11 points and five rebounds for the Nuggets, who have won their first two games of the season by double digits.
Al Jefferson had 19 points and rookie Alec Burks had 15 points for Utah, which was blown away for the second consecutive game.
Paul Millsap and C.J. Miles scored 13 each for the Jazz.
Nene played an efficient 24 minutes. He hit 10 of 13 shots, made all five of his foul shots and pulled down seven rebounds. He also sparked a decisive run in the first half that gave Denver control of the game.
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Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, center, sails to the basket past Charlotte Bobcats' Bismack Biyombo, right, as Bobcats' Byron Mullens, left, and Heat's Udonis Haslem, second from left, look on during the second half of the Heat's 96-95 win Wednesday. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
HEAT 96, BOBCATS 95
At Charlotte, North Carolina, Dwyane Wade hit a bank shot over Gerald Henderson with 2.9 seconds left to lift unbeaten Miami over Charlotte.
After Henderson hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to put the Bobcats up by one with 12 seconds left, the Heat called time and had Wade bring the ball up. He drove to the left side and banked the shot over Henderson.
D.J. Augustin’s 3-point attempt off a side inbounds play didn’t fall and D.J. White’s follow up at the buzzer rolled off the rim as time expired.
LeBron James scored 35 points and Chris Bosh chipped in with 25 as the Heat overcame a sluggish first half in front of 19,614, the largest crowd ever to see a Bobcats game at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Henderson led the Bobcats with 21 points, while Augustin had 20. Boris Diaw had a terrific game as well with 16 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists.
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THUNDER 98, GRIZZLIES 95
At Memphis, Tennessee, Kevin Durant scored 32 points, James Harden added 20, and Oklahoma remained undefeated by winning the rematch of its seven-game victory in last season’s second-round playoff series.
Kendrick Perkins added 10 for Oklahoma City, but point guard Russell Westbrook had only four points, all on free throws while misfiring on 13 shots from the field.
Zach Randolph finished with 24 points, while Rudy Gay scored 19 and Marc Gasol added 16 points. Each had 12 rebounds, as Memphis held a 49-41 advantage on the boards.
Jeremy Pargo, filling in for point guard Mike Conley, who aggravated a left ankle injury in the game’s early stages, had 15 points and seven assists, while committing only one turnover.
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WARRIORS 92, KNICKS 78
At Oakland, California, Monta Ellis shook off a terrible first half to finish with 22 points and eight assists, Brandon Rush added 19 points off the bench and Golden State beat New York.
Playing without injured guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors led by as much as 19 before cruising to their second straight impressive win over an Eastern Conference team. Two nights earlier Golden State (2-1) beat the Chicago Bulls 99-91.
Ish Smith had 11 points, four assists and six rebounds while starting in place of Curry, who sat out the game after injuring his ankle against Chicago.
Amare Stoudemire finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for New York while Carmelo Anthony had 13 points.
