LeBron James scored 36 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 102-93 NBA victory over Orlando on Wednesday in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals.
Shaqille O’Neal, added by the Cavs since that playoff disappointment, shrugged off jeers from fans of his former team to score 10 points.
O’Neal helped Orlando to the 1995 NBA finals, returned them to the conference finals in 1996, then departed for the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won three titles. He earned another title with Miami, while Orlando languished.
Despite the animosity of Magic fans, O’Neal delivered, keeping Orlando’s Dwight Howard in foul trouble for most of the night and giving James and the Cavs the inside presence they lacked last season.
Mo Williams added 28 points to help the Cavs take a 15-point halftime lead.
They were up by 20 after three quarters en route to a comfortable victory.
Vince Carter had 29 points, while Howard had just 11 for the Magic.
CELTICS 105, JAZZ 86
At Boston, the Celtics beat Utah to match their 8-1 start from their NBA title-winning season two years ago.
Rajon Rondo had 14 points and 11 assists, Kevin Garnett scored 18 points, Paul Pierce had 13 and Ray Allen 15 for the Celtics.
Deron Williams, who was a game-time decision because of a bruised left calf, had 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes for Utah.
SUNS 124, HORNETS 104
At Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash combined to hit all eight of their first-quarter shots as Phoenix routed New Orleans to improve to 8-1, matching Boston for the best record in the NBA
Stoudemire finished with 21 points, Grant Hill had 18, and Nash had 12 points and 10 assists. The victory was the Suns’ 12th straight at home, including nine last season. Chris Paul led New Orleans with 25 points.
HAWKS 114, KNICKS 101
At New York, Al Horford scored a season-high 25 points and had nine rebounds, and Atlanta overcame a 14-point deficit to send New York to their fifth straight loss.
Josh Smith added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks. Toney Douglas scored a season-high 23 points in his first start for the Knicks (1-8), off to their worst start since also dropping eight of nine in 2002.
SPURS 92, MAVERICKS 83
At San Antonio, Richard Jefferson scored 29 points as San Antonio survived another game without the injured Tony Parker and Tim Duncan.
Manu Ginobili had 13 points in the first meeting between the Texas rivals since the Mavericks cruised past the ailing Spurs in the first round of the playoffs last season. Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas.
76ERS 82, NETS 79
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Marreese Speights had a go-ahead three-point play with 1:10 to play as Philadelphia extended New Jersey’s worst start to 0-8.
Thaddeus Young had 20 points to lead the 76ers, and Speights finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Brook Lopez had 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets.
TRAIL BLAZERS 107, T-WOLVES 84
At Minneapolis, Greg Oden had 18 points and 11 rebounds in three quarters, and Rudy Fernandez added 15 points for Portland.
The Blazers have won four in a row and are off to their best start since 1999 at 6-3. Jonny Flynn had 15 points and six rebounds for Minnesota. The Timberwolves have lost eight in a row since a season-opening win over New Jersey.
RAPTORS 99, BULLS 89
At Toronto, Chris Bosh had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Jose Calderon scored 18 points to help Toronto even its record at 4-4.
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