Howard, Hawks wallop Wiz
Dwight Howard dominated the boards in his Atlanta debut, Paul Millsap scored 28 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. ignited the new-look Hawks to a 114-99 victory over the Washington Wizards in their season opener last night in Atlanta.
Howard grabbed 19 rebounds to go along with 11 points, just what the Hawks expected from their new center, and it certainly wasn’t unusual for threetime All-Star Millsap to lead the way in scoring.
But Hardaway’s performance was totally unexpected given the way he struggled in his first season with the Hawks, when he was largely confined to the bench and even forced to spend time in the DLeague.
He scored 21 points, matching his high in an Atlanta uniform, and broke open a close game with back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth. The Hawks, who led only 81-80 heading to the final period, outscored the Wizards 33-19 over the final 12 minutes.
Markieff Morris led Washington with 22 points, but it was a tough night for the Wizards’ dynamic backcourt duo. John Wall finished with only 12 points on 3-of-15 shooting, while Bradley Beal was held to 13.
Hardaway, on the other hand, scored 12 points in the final period, breaking open a game that was close through the first three quarters. Spurs 102, Kings 94 — Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points and San Antonio spoiled the regular season opener at Sacramento’s new downtown arena.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points as the Spurs clamped down on defense in the second half led by Leonard’s strong play to win their second straight game to open the season. San Antonio spoiled Kevin Durant’s home debut for Golden State on Tuesday before sending Kings fans home unhappy on what began as a celebratory night in Sacramento.
The arena was raucous pregame for its first game that counts as there was plenty of emotion from fans who remembered how close the franchise was to moving to Seattle before Vivek Ranadive bought the team in 2013 and reached a deal to build the arena. Elsewhere in the NBA — The Detroit Pistons could be starting their final season at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The team is in advanced discussions about moving downtown to play at the Detroit Red Wings’ new arena, according to a person with knowledge of the talks. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the Pistons have not commented, said there is no deal yet but the intent would be for the NBA franchise to start playing downtown next season if possible.
Representatives from the Pistons and Olympia Entertainment have been involved in the talks. Olympia handles business operations for the Red Wings, who are owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch.
The Pistons play this season’s home opener in Auburn Hills tonight against Orlando. The Palace has been home to the Pistons since 1988. Prior to that, the team played at the Pontiac Silverdome for a decade. The last time the Pistons played downtown for an extended stretch was when they called Cobo Arena home from 1961-78.
The Red Wings are playing their final season at Joe Louis Arena before moving to Little Caesars Arena. The new venue is being built right across the highway from where the Tigers and Lions play at Comerica Park and Ford Field, and a group is hoping to put a stadium for a Major League Soccer franchise in that area as well.
The Pistons won championships in their first two seasons in Auburn Hills and again in 2004, but the atmosphere slipped in recent years as the team went through several dreadful seasons. Detroit returned to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2009.