Home » Sports » Basketball
Howard launches Rockets career in style
Print Edition
Dwight Howard lived up to the hype on Wednesday, tying his career high with 26 rebounds to help Houston post a 96-83 National Basketball Association season-opening victory over Charlotte.
Howard, the most coveted free agent of 2013, left a tumultuous 2012-13 season with the Los Angeles Lakers behind him when he signed a four-year, US$88 million contract with the Rockets in July.
In addition to dominating on the boards, he contributed 17 points in his first game with his new team. James Harden scored 21 points, Francisco Garcia added 19 and fellow reserve Jeremy Lin chipped in with 16.
Lin, the Asian-American star who joined the Rockets as a free agent prior to last season after sparking a global following with the New York Knicks, downplayed the fact that Patrick Beverly got the nod as starting point guard. “You have to look at the game as a whole, like how many minutes you play and what you do when you are on the floor,” he said. “I don’t think it is a big deal. Everybody wants to start but only five can.”
The Rockets — who start the season with high expectations after the acquisition of Howard — saw the Bobcats score the first six points of the game and trailed much of the first quarter. The score was close through most of the second period, before the Rockets began to pull away.
Elsewhere, it was: Warriors 125, Lakers 94; Mavericks 118, Hawks 109; Spurs 101, Grizzlies 94; Pistons 113, Wizards 102; Knicks 90, Bucks 83; Suns 104, Trail Blazers 91; Kings 90, Nuggets 88; Thunder 101, Jazz 98; Timberwolves 120, Magic 115 (in overtime); Hornets 90, Pacers 95; Cavaliers 98, Nets 94; 76ers 114, Heat 110; and Raptors 93, Celtics 87.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
