AROUND THE NBA

AROUND THE NBA
Wednesday'sother games
Wizards 99, Raptors 96
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
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- 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. Both Williams and Ford were involved in an altercation in the fourth quarter that led to the ejection of Nets forward Richard Jefferson. With the Bucks leading 92-79 with 4:45 left, Ford and Jefferson got tangled up and fell to the floor. Then Jefferson and Williams began shoving and had to be separated, and both players were given technicals -- though Williams was not ejected. Ford was called for a foul on the play. Vince Carter led New Jersey with 25 points.
Timberwolves 90, Trail Blazers 86
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
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The only difference was the coaches.
Richard Hamilton scored 37 points to lead the Detroit Pistons past the Philadelphia 76ers in a game that looked a lot like their first-round series six months ago. With Flip Saunders taking Larry Brown's place in Detroit and Maurice Cheeks replacing Jim O'Brien, the Pistons were still too tough on defense and balanced on offense for the Sixers. 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. Chris Webber had 16 points, but he was scoreless in the third quarter, and the other three starters failed to score more than eight.
Heat 97, Grizzlies 78
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Antoine Walker scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade added 23 points as Miami defeated the Grizzlies. Walker shot 10-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range in Miami's season opener. Shaquille O'Neal scored 12 points, and Jason Williams, playing his first game as the Heat point guard after four seasons in Memphis, finished with 10. Despite holding O'Neal to four points in the first half, Memphis lost its fifth consecutive season opener, all at home. Pau Gasol led the Grizzlies with 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Eddie Jones scored 15 points. Damon Stoudamire had 10 points and five assists.
Celtics 114, Knicks 100
BOSTON -- Ricky Davis scored nine of his 27 points in overtime, when the Boston Celtics went on a 9-0 run to beat New York to spoil Larry Brown's debut as Knicks coach. Paul Pierce had 30 points and 12 rebounds, and Delonte West had 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the defending Atlantic Division champions. Stephon Marbury scored 22 and Eddy Curry had 19 points and eight rebounds in his first game since learning of a heart problem that led to his trade to New York. Pierce had just four points in the second half, and just one in the fourth quarter. He missed one of two free throws with 16 seconds left in regulation and a chance to put the Boston up by three.
Associated Press