Pistons catch fire in their home warming
Tobias Harris scored 17 of his 27 points in the first quarter, helping the Detroit Pistons celebrate their return downtown with a 10290 victory over the Charlotte Hornets last night.
The Pistons and Hornets opened the season in Little Caesars Arena, a new facility that brought them back to the city for the first time in nearly four decades. Rapper Eminem made a surprise appearance, grabbing the microphone to fire up the crowd just before tipoff. Kid Rock, another Motor City musical artist, sat in a baseline seat near Detroit’s bench.
Dwight Howard had 10 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks in his debut with the Hornets. Charlotte’s Kemba Walker scored 24 points, and Jeremy Lamb had 15.
Reserve Langston Galloway scored 16 points, Avery Bradley had 15 and Henry Ellenson added 13 points for Detroit. Reggie Jackson had 13 points and eight assists. The point guard spent the final seconds of the game hugging teammate Andre Drummond at midcourt, soaking up the feelgood moment after a disappointing last season.
Pacers 140, Nets 131 — Victor Oladipo scored 22 points in his Indiana debut, Darren Collison added 21 points and 11 assists in his return to Indianapolis, and the Pacers held off Brooklyn in their season opener.
Eight players scored in double figures as the Pacers, in their first game since trading All-Star Paul George, produced their highest point total since a 144-point game against Denver on Nov. 9, 2010. Myles Turner had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Magic 116, Heat 109 — Evan Fournier scored 23 points, Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds and host Orlando held off Miami in its season opener.
Wizards 120, 76ers 115 — John Wall scored 28 points, Bradley Beal rebounded from a rough start to add 25 and Washington spoiled the NBA debuts of top picks Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz by beating visiting Philadelphia.
Grizzlies 103, Pelicans 91 — Mike Conley scored 27 points, rookie Dillon Brooks added 19 and host Memphis beat New Orleans.
Hawks 117, Mavericks 111 — Dennis Schroder scored 28 points in his first game as the front man for rebuilding Atlanta, which spoiled rookie Dennis Smith Jr.’s solid debut for host Dallas. Smith had 16 points and 10 assists.
Jazz 106, Nuggets 96 — In Salt Lake City, Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Utah beat Denver.
Spurs 107, Timberwolves 99 — LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and host San Antonio held on to beat Minnesota while opening the season without leading scorer Kawhi Leonard (right quadriceps tendinopathy) and Tony Parker (left quadriceps tendon surgery).
Rockets 105, Kings 100 — James Harden had 27 points and nine assists, and Houston made it a perfect two-game road trip to start the season despite playing this one without Chris Paul (bruised left knee), beating Sacramento.
Trail Blazers 124, Suns 76 — Damian Lillard scored 27 points, Arlington’s Pat Connaughton added a career -high 24 and visiting Portland opened the season by handing Phoenix the most one-sided loss in the franchise’s 49-year history.
Elsewhere in the NBA — The Chicago Bulls yesterday suspended forward Bobby Portis for the first eight games of the season for injuring teammate Nikola Mirotic during a fight at practice. Mirotic suffered broken bones in his face as well as a concussion on Tuesday, will likely need surgery, and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks . . . .
Warriors forward Dray- mond Green underwent an MRI exam on his strained left knee and his status is unclear. Green got hurt in the closing seconds of the third quarter of Tuesday’s season-opening 122-121 home loss to Houston.