Ron Artest had 16 points, three rebounds and five assists in his return to the NBA, and the Indiana Pacers began life without Reggie Miller with a 90-78 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Artest was suspended for most of last season after brawling with Detroit fans. He started 1-of-7 from the field against Orlando, but he shook off the rust in the second half and led the Pacers to victory with several big plays and strong defense. He finished 4-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-9 from the free throw line.
He converted a three-point play and made two 3-pointers -- all in a 2-minute span late in the third quarter -- that helped Indiana build an 11-point lead.
Jermaine O'Neal scored 19 points, Austin Croshere added 16 and the Pacers were 7-of-19 from behind the 3-point line.
Steve Francis led the Magic with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists -- maybe playing as unselfishly as ever.
Cavaliers 109, Hornets 87
At Cleveland, All-Star forward LeBron James, playing his first regular-season game with new teammates brought in to help get him to the playoffs, made six 3-pointers and scored 31 points as the Cavaliers beat New Orleans to help rookie coach Mike Brown win his debut.
James made five straight 3-pointers -- four in a row during a 1:44 span over Hornets forward Bostjan Nachbar -- and scored 24 points in the first half as the Cavs built a 21-point lead and buzzed the Hornets, who won their opener on Tuesday over Sacramento.
Speedy Claxton led the Hornets with 16 points, J.R. Smith added 15 and rookie Chris Paul had 13.
Wizards 99, Raptors 96
At Toronto, Antawn Jamison had 29 points and Washington held off the Raptors.
Gilbert Arenas added 21 points for the Wizards, who escaped with the victory.
Jalen Rose had 20 points for the Raptors, but just two in the fourth quarter as he missed a number of shots down the stretch.
Down by three with 12.7 seconds left, Toronto rookie Charlie Villanueva threw up an airball on a 3-point attempt and Rose's 3-pointer clanked off the front of the rim.
Bucks 110, Nets 96
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Michael Redd scored 41 points and Maurice Williams added 23 off the bench to lead Milwaukee past New Jersey. Redd, who topped 30 points for the second straight game, scored 33 of his points in the second half. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Bucks.
T.J. Ford added 21 for the Milwaukee. Vince Carter led New Jersey with 25 points.
Timberwolves 90, Trail Blazers 86
At Minneapolis, Dwane Casey's first head coaching victory came at the expense of an old friend.
Kevin Garnett had 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Richie Frahm hit his first five 3-pointers to lead the Timberwolves over Portland and new coach Nate McMillan, who either coached with or played for Casey in Seattle for the past 11 years.
Darius Miles had 32 points and 11 rebounds and Zach Randolph added 18 and 13 boards, but the Blazers couldn't finish off a fourth-quarter comeback in McMillan's first game after coming over from Seattle in the offseason.
Pistons 108, 76ers 88
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard Hamilton scored 37 points to lead Detroit past Philadelphia in a game that looked a lot like their first-round playoff series six months ago.
Philadelphia's Allen Iverson scored 31 points, but he didn't have much help -- much like in Detroit's 4-1 series victory en route to its second straight trip to the NBA Finals.
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