The Cleveland Cavaliers, one of the teams expected to dominate this season in the NBA, suffered their second consecutive loss on Wednesday, going down 101-91 to the Toronto Raptors. Even a triple-double by the league's MVP, LeBron James (23 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds), was not enough for the visiting Cavaliers to get their first win of the season.
The Italian centre Andrea Bargnani led the Raptors with 28 points, while Chris Bosh contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds. "It's a long season, we know what we have to do," said the Cleveland centre Shaquille O'Neal, one of several off-season arrivals. "We're still learning the system, it's a work in progress." Elsewhere in the NBA, Kevin Garnett, playing his first home game after missing the last 25 matches of last season, scored 10 points with seven rebounds during 26 minutes of play as the Boston Celtics, who beat Cleveland on Tuesday, overcame the Charlotte Bobcats 92-59.
"It's great we could rest our bodies," said the Celtics' Paul Pierce, who scored 15 points and was also rested for the final quarter. Last season's runners-up, the Orlando Magic, put on a superb offensive display as they beat the Philadelphia 76ers 120-106.Dwight Howard had 21 points and 15 rebounds while Vince Carter chipped in with 15 points more for the Magic. "This is a heck of a team we played tonight," said the Sixers' new coach, Eddie Jordan.
The Atlanta Hawks also produced some excellent shooting as they beat the Indiana Pacers 120-109. Dwyane Wade began the defence of his NBA scoring title with 26 points as the Miami Heat eased past the New York Knicks 115-93. "When the ball is moving, everyone is getting their opportunities and it makes everyone play hard on the other end of the floor. That's what we want to do," said Wade.
Kevin Durant and Jeff Green combined for 49 points as Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Sacramento Kings 102-89. Tony Parker scored 17 points before leaving the game after a hard fall as the San Antonio Spurs had a 113-96 home win over the New Orleans Hornets. The rookie Jonny Flynn scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Minnesota Timberwolves erase a 19-point deficit and beat the New Jersey Nets 95-93.
The Memphis Grizzlies thrashed the Detroit Pistons 96-74, the Denver Nuggets had an easy 114-105 win over the Utah Jazz, the Houston Rocket edged the Golden State Warriors 108-107 and the Phoenix Suns overcame the Los Angeles Clippers 109-107. * With agencies
