The Miami Heat's title defense got off on the right foot as Chris Bosh scored 21 points to lead the Heat to a 92-87 win over the Hawks in their first preseason game. LeBron James added nine points, five rebounds and five assists for the Heat, who never trailed during the game. The Heat were without Dwayne Wade, Udonis Haslem, Chris Anderson, Michael Beasley and Greg Oden, who all sat on the bench.
Paul Millsap scored 12 points for the Hawks in his first game with Atlanta. Al Horford chipped in 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks as the Hawks battled back from a 21-point halftime deficit. The Hawks pulled within two on a driving layup by rookie Dennis Schroder with 18 seconds left, but the Heat hit their free throws in the waning seconds to pull out the win.
Raptors 97, Celtics 89
Brad Stevens first NBA game didn't go as planned as Celtics slowly faded away as the game progressed and the Raptors won their first preseason game. The Celtics are without their most famous faces after trading away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets in the offseason. Rajon Rondo also missed the game as he rehabs from knee surgery.
Gerald Wallace led the Celtics with 16 points and Jared Sullinger added 14 points. The Raptors beat the Celtics in most statistical categories, but especially walloped the Celtics on the boards, outrebounding Boston 46-26. Kelly Olynyk, the Celtics' 2013 first-round draft pick, was limited by foul trouble and finished the game with just four points and three turnovers.
Rudy Gay and Tyler Hansbrough led the Raptors with 17 points a piece and were two of five players to score in double figures. The Raptors shot 52.1 percent from the floor, but sloppy play allowed the Celtics to stay in the game for three quarters. The Raptors finished with 25 turnovers, which translated to 26 points for the Celtics.
Bulls 106, Grizzlies 87
Derrick Rose's return from his torn ACL continues on the right track as he scored 13 in the Chicago Bulls win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. It was similar box score again for Rose, who played 23 minutes on Monday. It is an encouraging sign to see Rose shaking the rust off after missing 17 months of basketball.
Carlos Boozer scored 12 of his team high 16 points in the third quarter, as he helped spur a 37 point outburst to give the Bulls a comfortable lead. Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson each added 15 points for the Bulls, who were without Joakim Noah because a groin injury.
Jerryd Bayliss led the Grizzlies with 15 points and the team got off to a hot start, outscoring the Bulls 28-20 in the first quarter. Most everything went flat in the second quarter as the Bulls used a 15-4 run to take the lead. Zach Randolph was held to four points, going two for five in the game.
CSKA Moscow 108, Timberwolves 106
The CSKA Moscow U.S. tour got off to a surprising start at the Minnesota Timberwolves' expense with an 108-106 overtime win on Monday. The Timberwolves trailed by eight points going into the fourth quarter and went on a 13-3 run to take a two-point lead with six minutes remaining. Former CSKA player, and current Timberwolves, Alexey Shved fouled Milos Teodosic with seven seconds left, and Teodosic hit both free throws to force overtime.
The two teams traded baskets in overtime, but the Timberwolves couldn't get points from anyone except Derrick Williams and A.J. Price. Ex-Philadelphia 76ers guard Jeremy Pargo scored the go-ahead points on a driving layup with :36 seconds left in overtime for Moscow.
Williams led the Timberwolves with 21 points. Kevin Martin added 16 and Ricky Rubio added 10. Shabazz Muhammad, the Timberwolves first round pick in the 2013 draft, had zero points and three fouls in just six minutes of time on the court.
Pelicans 94, Mavericks 92
Anthony Davis had a big night offensively and Brian Roberts scored seven consecutive points in the final minute as the New Orlean Pelicans gutted out a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Davis was stellar on the floor, scoring 25 points off of 11-of-19 shooting in 26 minutes. He added seven rebounds and a block to lead the Pelicans.
The Pelicans were without Tyreke Evans, who sprained his ankle in the Pelicans' preseason opening victory over the Houston Rockets. Evans was wearing a walking boot and is still awaiting an MRI, according to The Times-Picaynne.
Monta Ellis scored 13 points off of 5-of-11 shooting in his first game with the Dallas Mavericks. Brandan Wright led Dallas with 14 points as the team had to find other scoring options in the game. Both Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion struggled, combining for just eight points in a shade over 20 minutes for each player.
Suns 130, Maccabi Haifa 89
Eric Bledsoe made his Suns debut against the Israeli club and showed why GM Ryan McDonough has placed so much faith in him. Maccabi Haifa simply couldn't matchup with Bledsoe's overpowering athletic fury, and he made them pay to the tune of 22 points and five steals on 10-of-15 shooting in just 21 minutes of action. Rookie guard Archie Goodwin, just 19 years old, was also mighty impressive. The Kentucky product scored 13 points off the bench in just 18 minutes by connecting on five of his eight field goal attempts.
Six Phoenix starters reached double-digits on the night, and the team held clear advantages statistically across the board. Phoenix shot 62.5 percent from the field while holding Maccabi Haifa to 39.2 percent shooting. The Suns finished with twice as many assists (30 to 15) and 16 more rebounds. The Phoenix defense also forced 23 turnovers on the night.
Clippers 89, Trail Blazers 81
The Doc Rivers era got off to a fast start in Los Angeles, as four of five Clippers starters reached double-figures to help make their new coach a winner in his preseason debut. DeAndre Jordan scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and added eight rebounds and four blocks to help key the win. Chris Paul was his typically stellar self as well, hitting 9-of-10 free throws to contribute 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Blake Griffin and Willie Green each scored 14.
If you like your preseason basketball with lots of missed shots and fouls, this was the game for you. Neither team shot above 37 percent from the floor or 21 percent from the three-point line. The two squads combined for 52 fouls.
The play of centers Meyers Leonard (10 points, six rebounds) and Robin Lopez (eight points, 10 rebounds) was one for the few bright spots for Portland.
Warriors 94, Kings 81
How did Andre Iguodala's first home game in Golden State go? Not bad.
While Iguodala's home debut (seven points, five steals) was the main storyline for the Warriors, it was the play of Stephen Curry that again stole the night. Curry hit four three-pointers and finished with 23 points and six assists on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor. David Lee added a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) on 5-of-10 shooting. Klay Thompson also came off the bench to score 17 points for Golden State.
Sacramento turned the ball over 26 times in the loss and shot 41.1 percent from the field. Rookie Ben McLemore, the No. 7 pick in the 2013 draft, scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting in his pro debut. Isaiah Thomas led the way for the Kings with 15 points and six assists.
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