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Heat and Lakers open new season in style
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LeBron James scored 17 points and Shane Battier made all four of his 3-point tries as the defending NBA champion Miami Heat spoiled Derrick Rose’s return to the league by beating the Chicago Bulls 107-95 on Tuesday in Miami as the NBA season tipped off for both teams.
In the other games on the first night of the new season, the Los Angeles Lakers spoiled coach Doc Rivers’ debut with the Clippers by surging ahead in the fourth quarter for a 116-103 win, and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic 97-87.
Chris Bosh scored 16 points, Battier finished with 14 and Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 13 for the Heat, who received their 2013 NBA championship rings and raised their title banner in a pregame ceremony.
Rose, the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player, finished with 12 points in 34 minutes in his first game since a knee injury sidelined him in April 2012.
“He played hard,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of Rose, who was four of 15 from the field. “I liked his playmaking in the first quarter.”
Carlos Boozer had 31 points and seven rebounds for Chicago, which fell behind by 21 points at halftime but got within eight points in the final minutes.
Battier’s 3-pointer snuffed out Chicago’s comeback bid.
The Lakers got a boost from their bench in the fourth quarter to defeat the Clippers, with Xavier Henry scoring 12 points and Jodie Meeks adding nine to lead a decisive 28-8 run.
Henry finished with a career-high 22 points and Jordan Farmar had 16 for the Lakers, who were without the injured Kobe Bryant and also had stars Pau Gasol and Steve Nash on the bench down the stretch.
Blake Griffin scored 19 points and Chris Paul had 15 points and 11 assists for the Clippers.
Bryant, who missed a season opener for the first time since 2006, hasn’t returned to practice after tearing his Achilles tendon last season.
“It’s tough to gauge,” Bryant said. “I’m pushing it pretty hard this week. Every day I wake up, see how it feels and try to push it some more. I’m trying to be smart about it, trying to be patient about it.”
Indiana, meanwhile, was led by 24 points from Paul George and 16 rebounds and seven blocks from Roy Hibbert.
The two-man tandem looked every bit as dominant as they did leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals in the playoffs last season.
George’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter gave Indiana a 69-64 lead and sparked the decisive 17-4 run to open the fourth.
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