Dallas, TX

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 63 points and the Miami Heat cruised to a 105-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks Sunday at the American Airlines Center.

Miami's dynamic duo overcame the ghosts of last season's Finals meltdown as LeBron James erupted for 37 points and Wade dropped 26 to steer the Heat to a convincing win against their conquerors - the Mavs.

James, criticized for fizzling out in the fourth quarter during the six-game series, was on fire as he shot 11-for-19 from the field and 15-for-19 from the free-throw line. He added 10 boards, 6 assists, and 2 steals for an MVP-type performance.

Meanwhile, Wade went 11-for-21 on the floor and 4-for-6 from the charity stripe with 8 boards and 6 dimes.

As expected, the Heat opened up the game like a house on fire with James and Wade electrifying the crowd with their high-flying play.

The Heat raced to a double digit lead in a short span as the Mavs defense struggled to contain the two superstars.

With James and Wade knocking down baskets, the Heat raced to a 35-point bulge in the third quarter.

The Mavs, who raised their first championship banner to their rafters, just couldn't solve the Heat's menacing offense as newly-acquired forward Lamar Odom was tossed with his second technical foul.

Jason Terry scored 23 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 21 for the Mavs, who outscored the Heat 29-8 in the fourth quarter but couldn't get back into the contest.

Coming off a morale-boosting win, the Heat play the Boston Celtics on Dec. 27 on their home floor before facing the Charlotte Bobcats and the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road.

The Mavs look to get into the win column when they host the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 26 and visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 29

 

Clippers top Warriors in season opener, show they are work in progress

Oakland, CA

The acquisition of Chris Paul paid off right away for the Los Angeles Clippers, even if their season-opening win wasn't the continuous highlight reel many anticipated.

Paul keyed a late run and the Clippers pulled away from the Golden State Warriors for a 105-86 victory Sunday night.

Paul scored three straight baskets late in the fourth to help the Clippers put the Warriors away. He finished with 20 points and nine assists in his debut with the Clippers, who have been hyped as a Western Conference contender entering the season.

But Paul, who was acquired in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets, has not had all that much time to get acclimated to his new team, just a few practices and a pair of preseason wins over the Lakers. So at times it was apparent that the Clippers were still getting used to their new roles.

"While we try to figure each other out and learn guys' hot spots and stuff like that, we want to win at the same time," Paul said. "We just keep talking about how we've just got to find a way to win, regardless of how it looks, how ugly the game is."

Blake Griffin scored a team-high 22 points and Chauncey Billups added 21 for Los Angeles.

Griffin, who was last season's Rookie of the Year, has established himself as one of the game's top young players with among other things, a slew of highlight reel dunks. The addition of Paul, one of the game' s top playmakers, has added to the excitement and anticipation around the team but Sunday's win lacked some of the jaw-dropping lobs and dunks the Clippers showed in the preseason.

"Not every game is going to be just alley-oop left and right," Griffin said.

David Lee had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Golden State, which trailed by 10 in the third but got within one with just under seven minutes to play before Paul asserted himself.

 

Bulls' Derrick Rose, Thunder's Kevin Durant sparkle in openers

Chicago, IL

Derrick Rose shined for the Chicago Bulls, while Kevin Durant did likewise for the Oklahoma Thunder as the pair of superstars led their respective teams to wins on the opening day of play in the NBA.

Rose hit a floater with just under five seconds left as the Bulls edged the L.A. Lakers 88-87.

Rose finished with a team-high 22 points and five assists, while teammate Luol Deng chipped in with 21 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists but he also had eight of L.A.'s 17 turnovers.

The Lakers cost themselves the game by hitting just 4 of 16 treys and 11 of 20 free throws.

Durant, meanwhile, was ready to go for the Thunder in pouring in 30 points in OKC's 97-89 win over the Orlando Magic.

He also chipped in six assists, five rebounds and two steals as the Thunder opened their season with a win.

Russell Westbrook was the only other Thunder player to reach double-figures in scoring with 14 points and he added seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

 

Carmelo Anthony Drops 37 to Will Knicks Past Celtics

New York, NY

Carmelo Anthony scored 17 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to will the New York Knicks past the Boston Celtics, 106-104, in Saturday's pulsating season-opener at Madison Square Garden.

Anthony opened the new season on a scoring onslaught, going 10-for-17 from the field and 13-for-15 from the free-throw line to give the Knicks a sort of retribution after being swept by the Celtics in the first round of the 2011 playoffs.

The former Syracuse Orange standout went on a scoring spree in the final quarter after seeing the Knicks taking an 8-point cushion, 92-84, about three minutes into the period.

The Knicks, who blew a considerable lead in the second half, leaned on the scoring ability of Anthony and defensive prowess of newly acquired center Tyson Chandler to outlast the aging Celtics down the stretch.

Anthony chipped in 8 points in the last five minutes, including the game-sealing free-throws, to win the season-opener.

Rojon Rondo tallied 31 points and 13 dimes for the Celtics, who missed the service of Paul Pierce with a bruised right heel.

Amar'e Stoudemire finished with 21 points and 6 boards, while Toney Douglas tallied 19 points and 4 assists.

Rookie guard Iman Shumpert contributed 11 points and 4 boards but had to go into the locker room early after sustaining a sprained knee.

The Knicks, who aim to take over the Atlantic Division, will start their three-game Californian road trip against the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 28 before taking on the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 29 and the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 31.

The Celtics will try to bounce back from the loss as they battle the revitalized Miami Heat on Dec. 27 and New Orleans Hornets on Dec. 28.

 

 

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