James Harden scored 32 points, while Dwight Howard added 13 points and 11 rebounds before getting into a shouting match with Kobe Bryant, as the Houston Rockets spoiled Bryant’s return to the Lakers with a 108-90 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Bryant’s comeback game got even worse when Lakers rookie forward Julius Randle seriously broke his right leg in the fourth quarter, leaving his NBA debut game on a wheeled stretcher.
With just less than seven minutes to play in the blowout, Randle fell hard after a drive to the lane, breaking his tibia, the Lakers announced.
Photo: EPA
The seventh overall pick out of Kentucky collided with two Rockets under the basket and landed awkwardly.
Bryant scored 19 points in his first game back at Staples Center after missing most of the Lakers’ worst season in half a century with two major injuries.
Trevor Ariza and Terrence Jones scored 16 points apiece for Houston.
Photo: AFP
Bryant’s comeback game was also Jeremy Lin’s debut with the Lakers, which happened to be against the side that traded him last season.
The Taiwanese-American started as point guard for his new team, but did not have his best night, notching seven points and six assists.
SPURS 101, MAVERICKS 100
Tony Parker had 23 points, including a big three-pointer late in the game, as San Antonio launched their title defense with a thrilling victory over the Mavericks.
Manu Ginobili added 20 points for San Antonio, who shot 53 percent from the field, while Tim Duncan had 14 points and 13 rebounds for his 14th double-double in a season opener — the most in NBA history, according to Elias Sports.
Monta Ellis scored 26 points for Dallas and Dirk Nowitzki had 18, while Devin Harris finished with 17 points.
Following a video recap of last season narrated by actor and Spurs fan Samuel L. Jackson, NBA commissioner Adam Silver presented San Antonio’s staff and players with their championship rings. The inscription inside the ring read: “Good to Great,” which was coach Gregg Popovich’s mantra last season.
After Nowitzki gave Dallas a 100-98 lead with a fadeaway jumper over Boris Diaw with 1 minute, 37 seconds left, Parker drained a three in front of the Mavericks’ bench off a feed from Diaw. Parker was 4-for-4 from long range, matching a career high for three-pointers in a game.
PELICANS 101, MAGIC 84
Anthony Davis had 26 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocks as he lead New Orleans to an opening win.
Ryan Anderson, coming back from surgery on a herniated disk that cost him more than half of last season, scored 22 points. The Pelicans’ new 2.1m-tall center, Omer Asik, had a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds.
The Davis-Asik tandem dominated the interior. They combined for 16 offensive rebounds and the Pelicans finished with 32 second-chance points. Davis tied a career-high for blocked shots and Asik’s five blocks equaled his career best.
Tobias Harris scored 25 points for Orlando, while Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and 23 rebounds.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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