Heat beat 76ers 97-87 in 1st win for Big 3
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Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh enjoyed their first win with Miami, after the Heat secured a 97-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday.
Playing with purpose a night after an 88-80 season opening loss in a hyped showdown with Boston, the Heat's star recruits still did not look comfortable playing with each other, with only Wade- 30 points -- looking particularly sharp against the Sixers. James scored 16 points and Bosh had 15.
The Heat hit three straight 3-pointers in the third quarter to extend their eight-point halftime lead, however the Sixers, went on a 15-3 run late in the fourth to make it surprisingly competitive.
Cavaliers 95, Celtics 87
In Cleveland, J. J. Hickson scored 21 points and Daniel Gibson added 16 - all in the second half - to overhaul an 11-point deficit in the third quarter and hand Cleveland an unlikely victory over Boston.
Playing its first game in seven years without LeBron James, the Cavaliers stunned the Celtics in their season opener, a win that at least for one night gave local fans reason to believe that there is hope after the departure of the two-time most valuable player.
For the Celtics, Rajon Rondo top-scored with 18 points, while Kevin Garnett recorded 15 rebounds for Boston.
Nets 101, Pistons 98
At Newark, New Jersey, Anthony Morrow scored a 3-pointer with just 26 seconds to play to give Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov a win in his first game as their owner with a victory over Detroit.
The Nets outscored the Pistons 13-3 in the final 1:40 to give Avery Johnson a win in his first game as coach - coming much quicker than last season, when they set an NBA record losing their first 18 games.
Brook Lopez led the Nets with 25 points and nine rebounds, and Devin Harris added 22 points and nine assists. Morrow, who was signed a free agent in the offseason, added 13 points and Jordan Farmar and Terrence Williams each had 10.
Knicks 98, Raptors 93
At Toronto, Wilson Chandler scored 22 points, and Amare Stoudemire had 19 points and 10 rebounds as New York beat Toronto.
Chandler scored eight points in the final quarter and Stoudemire added seven for New York, which led 74-72 through the first three quarters.
Andrea Bargnani scored 18 points in the first half but added just four more in the second for Toronto, which had won eight of its previous nine home openers. The Raptors were playing their first game without star Chris Bosh, who signed with Miami in the offseason. He spent seven years in Toronto.
Jarrett Jack scored 16 points while Linas Kleiza and Leandro Barbosa each had 13 for the Raptors.
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