NBA scores: Heat knock off Clippers in China, Knicks win preseason opener

The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers kicked off a five-game NBA preseason slate on Thursday early in the morning with a duel overseas in Beijing, China.

The defending champion Heat knocked off the Clippers 94-80, as reigning MVP LeBron James lead the way with 20 points and five rebounds. Ray Allen made his presence felt on his new team with 15 points, knocking down 4-of-8 from three-point land. Blake Griffin scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds in a losing effort for the Clippers.

Back in the States, the New York Knicks opened their preseason with a 108-101 victory over the Washington Wizards. The Knicks got a huge boost from their bench, with J.R. Smith and Steve Novak providing plenty of fireworks. Smith scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Novak made all seven of his three-pointers en route to 21 points. Jordan Crawford had 17 points in the loss for the Wizards.

Elsewhere around the Association, a matchup between the top two picks in the 2012 NBA Draft turned out pretty one-sided. Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets easily out-dueled Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Charlotte Bobcats in a 90-87 Hornets victory. Davis scored 12 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the victory, helping push the Hornets' preseason record to 3-0. Meanwhile, Kidd-Gilchrist struggled, scoring just one point in 16 minutes of action.

Down in Orlando, the Philadelphia 76ers got strong performances from Jrue Holiday and Nick Young in a 102-95 win over the Magic. Holiday lit up the scoreboard for 27 points on torrid 12-of-14 shooting in a shade under 20 minutes. Young came off the bench to pour in 22 points of his own. The Magic got a solid effort from rookie big man Andrew Nicholson, who scored 14 points in nearly 21 minutes.

Lastly, the Golden State Warriors defeated Israeli squad Maccabi Haifa 108-100. Carl Landry's 24 points paced the Warriors, but the play of rookie Harrison Barnes was the most promising aspect of the night for Golden State. Barnes scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 36 strong minutes.