The NBA regular season opened last night with a reduced slate, including a marquis Eastern Conference matchup and banner raising at Staples Center.
Celtics 95, Cavaliers 89
Boston overcame a 13-2 start by Cleveland, and 38 points from LeBron James to win the league opener between these Eastern Conference favorites. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace had 12 points off the bench in his first game as a Celtic.
Lakers 99, Clippers 92
The defending NBA Champion Lakers (boy, that hurts to even type) raised banner #15 to the rafters of Staples Center in Los Angeles before the game and came out hot. The Clippers, playing without #1 draft pick Blake Griffin (fractured kneecap), battled back and pulled within one at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Lakers closed it out in the 4th, though. Kobe Bryant had 33 points. Andrew Bynum tossed in 26 for the Lakers. Ben Gordon led the Clippers with 21.
Wizards 102, Mavericks 91
Gilbert Arenas returned from two years of battling injuries to lead the Washington Wizards with 29 points and 9 rebounds. The Mavericks couldn't take advantage of a big night by Dirk Nowitski (34 points). It was the 318th straight sellout in Dallas - the longest such streak in the NBA.
Trailblazers 96, Rockets 87
In the NBA opening night game nobody cares about, the Blazers held Houston to just 37% shooting to take the game at home. Portland had 12 blocked shots, including 5 by oft-injuried 2007 #1 pick Greg Oden, who also grabbed 12 rebounds.
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