Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Former Bobcat D.J. Augustin missed a buzzer-
beating 3-pointer for Indiana as time expired, and Charlotte held on to a
90-89 victory over the Pacers in its first game of the season. Charlotte's top
draft choice in 2011, Kemba Walker, led all scorers with a career-high 30
points, while Gerald Henderson poured in 18 points to get the Mike Dunlap era
headed in the right direction. Dunlap became the fifth coach in Bobcats'
history when he was hired in the offseason. He notched his first career NBA
coaching win on Friday. Offseason acquisitions Ben Gordon and Ramon Sessions
each gave solid contributions off the bench for Charlotte. Gordon finished
with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, while Sessions added 11 points and four
assists in the victory. Tyler Hansbrough and Lance Stephenson scored 15 points
apiece off the bench to lead the Pacers, who defeated the Toronto Raptors in
their season opener.
Final Score: Orlando 102, Denver 89
Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - With the "Dwightmare" in their rear view
mirror, the Orlando Magic took their first step in the post Dwight Howard era
on Friday. It was a step in the right direction. Glen Davis tallied 29 points
and 10 rebounds, while J.J. Redick added 21 points in the Magic's 102-89
thumping of the Denver Nuggets. Davis and Redick are two of just four
holdovers -- Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu -- from last year's squad, who
fell to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs. Howard was
traded from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Aug. 11 as part of
a four-team, 12-player deal that also included the Nuggets and Philadelphia
76ers. The blockbuster deal ended Howard's eight-year tenure with the Magic.
Danilo Gallinari had 23 points to lead Denver, which lost its opener to
Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Final Score: Houston 109, Atlanta 102
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - James Harden is certainly cementing himself as
the Houston Rockets' go-to guy. After going for 37 points in his Rockets debut
on Wednesday, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year poured in a career-high 45
points to lead Houston past the Atlanta Hawks, 109-102, on Friday. Harden
finished 14-for-19 from the field and also converted on 15-of-17 free throws,
and had seven rebounds. He scored 18 in the final quarter when he went 12-
of-13 from the charity stripe. Jeremy Lin added 21 points, 10 rebounds and
seven assists, and Marcus Morris chipped in 17 points off the bench for
Houston, which is 2-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Lou
Williams, who was signed by Atlanta in the offseason, led the Hawks with 22
points off the bench. Josh Smith posted a double-double with 18 points and 10
rebounds while Al Horford and Jeff Teague each donated 14 points in the Hawks'
regular season opener.
Final Score: Milwaukee 99, Boston 88
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Brandon Jennings tallied 21 points and 13
assists as the Milwaukee Bucks spoiled the Boston Celtics' home season opener
with an authoritative 99-88 victory at TD Garden. Tobias Harris added 18
points and Monta Ellis scored 14 to help the Bucks halt a five-game losing
streak in season lid-lifters as well as end a string a six consecutive defeats
to the slow-starting Celtics, who also struggled in a 120-107 setback at
defending NBA champion Miami on Tuesday. Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh and Beno
Udrih each contributed 10 points off the bench for Milwaukee, which shot 46.5
percent from the field and led by as many as 22 points in an impressive all-
around effort. Kevin Garnett paced five Celtics in double figures with 15
points, while Rajon Rondo recorded 14 points and 11 assists in Boston's first
loss in a home opener since the 2006-07 season.
Final Score: Chicago 115, Cleveland 86
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Carlos Boozer had 19 points, seven rebounds
and six assists as Chicago thumped Cleveland, 115-86, at Quicken Loans Arena.
Richard Hamilton posted 19 points, Nate Robinson gave 16 points and 12 assists
off the bench while Luol Deng added 14 points and five boards for the Bulls,
who were coming off a season-opening win at home against Sacramento. They have
beaten the Cavaliers nine straight times. Kyrie Irving scored 15 points while
Alonzo Gee and Anderson Varejao each added 12 for the Cavaliers, who opened
their season on Tuesday with a win over Washington.
The Sports Network