AROUND THE NBA | Tuesday's games

Pistons 87, Rockets 79
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Rasheed Wallace, one of five Pistons to score in double figures, had 24 points to help Detroit defeat the Houston Rockets 87-79 Tuesday night in the first game of the NBA season. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, playing their first regular-season game together, found out what Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal did during their last five games together with the Los Angeles Lakers: The Pistons, relentless on defense and well-balanced on offense, are tough to beat. McGrady missed 12 of 18 shots and finished with 18 points after scoring just three during the first half. Yao had just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. Detroit's entire starting lineup from last season is back, and all five players scored at least 10.
Mavericks 107, Kings 98
DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 29 of his 33 points over the first three quarters, helping Dallas to a steady lead, then came through by making two free throws with 15.5 seconds left. Rookie point guard Devin Harris had eight points, six assists and five rebounds. He showed his poise by making a nice pass to Michael Finley for a dunk that made it 103-93, but was replaced by veteran Jason Terry with 58 seconds left after making a potentially costly rookie mistake. New center Erick Dampier scored nine points in the first quarter, but just two more. He also had three of his first five rebounds in the first period.
Lakers 89, Nuggets 78
LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant had 25 points, seven assists and three blocked shots, and Chris Mihm added a career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Lakers never trailed against Denver. The game was the Lakers' first in eight years without Shaquille O'Neal on their roster and Rudy Tomjanovich's first as their coach. He succeeded Phil Jackson, who coached the Lakers to three championships and another berth in the NBA Finals in five years. Caron Butler added 11 points, Brian Cook scored 10 and Lamar Odom had 13 rebounds for the Lakers. Bryant shot just 5-of-14 but made 14 of 15 foul shots. He scored 17 points after halftime. Voshon Lenard scored 13 points for the Nuggets before tearing his left Achilles' tendon with 4:42 left in the third quarter. He will undergo surgery and probably be sidelined for the season, a team spokeswoman said. Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 20 points.
Associated Press
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