The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and Andrew Bynum added 26 on his 22nd birthday for the Lakers, who began the evening with a ceremony unveiling the franchise’s 15th gold-and-purple championship banner, earned four months ago after defeating Orlando in the finals… Eric Gordon scored 21 points for the Clippers, who lost their ninth in a row to the Lakers. Chris Kaman added 18 points and 16 rebounds, Marcus Camby had 14 points, and reserve Craig Smith 12. Baron Davis was held to two points on 1 of 10 shooting while hampered by a bruised right foot that he soaked in ice afterward… Ron Artest scored 10 points in his debut in the starting lineup. Pau Gasol sat out with a strained right hamstring and was replaced by Odom, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The AP reports: Greg Oden scored just two points, a tip with 58 seconds left, but had 12 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Portland Trail Blazers in a 96-87 season-opening victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night… Reserve Travis Outlaw scored 23 points and Brandon Roy added 20 points and five assists for the Blazers. Portland hit 20 of 22 free throws and outrebounded Houston 51-33. Aaron Brooks had 19 points for the Rockets, who defeated Portland in six games this past spring in the first round of the playoffs… Houston also remains without former All-Star Tracy McGrady, who had microfracture surgery on his left knee and isn’t expected to return until midseason… Portland’s 26 turnovers were more than they had in any game last season.

The AP reports: Finally healthy after two seasons virtually lost to knee injuries, Gilbert Arenas had 29 points and nine assists as the Wizards took an early lead over the revamped Dallas Mavericks and never let go on their way to a 102-91 victory Tuesday night… Arenas shot 10 of 21 and made 8-of-9 free throws for more points than he had all of last season… The assists included several nifty passes that set up Brendan Haywood for dunks. He also helped set up reserves Andray Blatche for 20 points and Randy Foye for 19 in his first game with the Wizards. Caron Butler added 16 points, with injured forward Antawn Jamison watching from the bench. He’s likely to miss the first eight to 13 games because of a shoulder injury… But the Mavericks fell into the old habit of trying to ride a big night by Dirk Nowitzki. He scored 34 points, but was only 10 of 25. He was 12 of 13 from the foul line—all in the first half.

The AP reports: Boston’s Big Three—plus Rasheed—spoiled Cleveland’s overhyped season opener on Tuesday night with a 95-89 win over the new-look Cavaliers, who may have LeBron James and Shaq but appear to be a long way from true title contenders. Paul Pierce scored 23 points, Ray Allen 16 and Kevin Garnett 13 in his first regular-season game since last March as the Celtics, overlooked by some this preseason, ended an 11-game losing streak in Cleveland and snapped a 16-game skid by visiting teams in games between the Eastern powers who figure to meet again sometime in May or June… Pierce made two crucial jumpers and two free throws in the final 1:03 to pace the Celtics, whose drive to a second straight title was derailed when Garnett injured his knee late last season. Rasheed Wallace, added as a free agent during the offseason, had 12 points. James scored 38 and O’Neal added 10 points—just two after halftime—and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who won their first 23 home games last season but are already 0-1 on their floor.

The AP reports: Greg Oden had 18 points and nine rebounds in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 98-86 victory over the Sacramento Kings in the preseason opener for both teams on Tuesday night… LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points for Portland and Andre Miller, signed as a free agent in the offseason, came off the bench to score 16 and heat up the competition with Steve Blake for Portland’s starting point guard spot… Rookie Tyreke Evans started for the Kings after bruising his left knee at the start of training camp. The fourth overall pick from Memphis had 12 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes.

The AP reports: Trevor Ariza scored nine points in his Rockets debut, helping Houston beat the San Antonio Spurs 99-85 on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Carl Landry had 19 points to lead the Rockets, who are beginning the season without the cornerstones of their team. Yao Ming is out for the season after his broken left foot was slow healing, and Tracy McGrady is recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee, and is not expect back until midseason… Rookie Chase Budinger had 15 points, Luis Scola 13 and Aaron Brooks 12 as the Rockets looked to the young players to step up.

The AP reports: Louis Williams scored 17 points, Andre Iguodala added 15 points and eight assists, and the Philadelphia 76ers held on for a 107-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Montreal’s Samuel Dalembert added 10 points and six rebounds for the 76ers, whose 23-point lead was cut to five in the fourth quarter. Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points for the Raptors, who played without All-Star Chris Bosh and offseason addition Hedo Turkoglu. Sonny Weems had 10 points, while rookie DeMar DeRozan, Marco Belinelli and Marcus Banks had nine apiece.

The AP reports: NBA icons, All-Stars and A-plus-list celebrities LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal made their debut as Cleveland teammates on Tuesday night and had immediate chemistry in the Cavaliers’ 92-87 preseason-opening victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. James and O’Neal worked several pick-and-rolls, showing off a two-man game that with a little polish could be unstoppable… James, wearing a pink pair of his signature Nikes for breast cancer awareness month, scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 14 minutes. O’Neal, who said his goal is to “win a ring for the King” in Cleveland, scored six points and added three rebounds and a block in 15 minutes. Neither played in the second half.

The AP reports: Gilbert Arenas had 10 assists in 24 minutes, and the Washington Wizards beat the Memphis Grizzlies 101-92 on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams. The anticipated matchup of Arenas and Allen Iverson didn’t happen. Iverson, the Hampton, Va., native whose presence helped sell out Virginia Commonwealth University’s Verizon Wireless Arena, sat out with a strained left hamstring… After the game, Arenas declined comment. “I don’t talk anymore—next training camp,” Arenas said. Antawn Jamison led Washington with 20 points. Caron Butler added 15. Mike Conley scored 12 for Memphis.

The AP reports: Rookie James Johnson sank a fade-away jump shot from the baseline at the buzzer Tuesday to give the Chicago Bulls a 102-101 win over the Utah Jazz in an NBA preseason game. Johnson, who finished with 18 points, got the rebound after teammate Derrick Byars missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key… Luol Deng, who was raised in London after his family fled war-torn Sudan, impressed early and finished with 18 points at sold-out O2 Arena. He left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return. Jannero Pargo scored 16 points for the Bulls. Paul Milsap led the Jazz with 18 points, and Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews had 16 each.

The AP reports: Vince Carter scored 21 points in his Orlando debut and Brandon Bass added seven of his 13 points in the final two minutes to lift the Magic to a 110-105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the preseason opener for both teams on Monday night… Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points, including going 17-for-19 from the free-throw line. Drew Gooden, an offseason free-agent pickup by the Mavericks, added 18 points. Orlando’s Dwight Howard had 17 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 4:31 left in the third quarter. Rashard Lewis added 18 points for the Magic.

The AP reports: Austin Daye’s physique has always drawn comparisons to Tayshaun Prince. It only took the Detroit Pistons rookie two quarters to bring Prince’s most famous moment to mind. In the second quarter of Detroit’s 87-83 preseason victory over Miami, Daye ran down Dwyane Wade to block what appeared to be an uncontested layup—a play very similar to Prince’s game-winning block of Indiana’s Reggie Miller in the 2004 playoffs… Dwyane Wade led Miami with 18 points in 26 minutes, but wasn’t happy with Miami’s defense, which allowed the Pistons to shoot 47.6 percent from the floor.

The AP reports: Anthony Morrow scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers 108-101 on Sunday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Kelenna Azubuike added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Corey Maggette had 18 for the Warriors. Stephen Jackson scored 11 and Anthony Rudolph added 10. DeAndre Jordan recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers. He made all eight of his shots. Eric Gordon added 19 points and Chris Kaman had 13.

The AP reports: Kevin Love had 17 points and Minnesota made a whopping 50 of 56 free throws to beat Milwaukee 117-103 on Sunday night, making a winner out of coach Kurt Rambis in his preseason debut… The game was played with replacement officials, who called 73 fouls that resulted in 94 free throws total. The Bucks were 26 of 38… Love had six points and four rebounds in the first three minutes as the Timberwolves, who never trailed, jumped ahead 12-2. He finished with 13 rebounds in 21 minutes… Hakim Warrick led Milwaukee with 24 points, and rookie Brandon Jennings added 14 points.

The AP reports: Al Harrington scored 23 points and Wilson Chandler had 21 to help the New York Knicks beat the New Jersey Nets 115-107 on Sunday in the preseason opener for both teams. David Lee added 20 points and nine rebounds, and New York made 13 of 31 3-pointers. Chris Douglas-Roberts led the Nets with 21 points, and Brook Lopez had 19, and Bobby Simmons added 16… Newcomer Darko Milicic was 1 of 4 from the field in limited action for the Knicks. Danilo Gallinari had nine points in 26 minutes after playing only 28 games last season in an injury-plagued rookie year.

The AP reports: Rookie Taj Gibson had 19 points and nine rebounds to help the Chicago Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 104-95 on Friday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Derrick Rose added 17 points, and Luol Deng and John Salmons had 15 each for the Bulls. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 27 points in 26 minutes. Luther Head scored 14 points, and Brandon Rush scored all 13 of his points in the second half for Indiana. Chicago’s Tyrus Thomas left the game in the third quarter because of a concussion.

The AP reports: C.J. Miles and Deron Williams scored 16 points apiece and the Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 103-87 on Thursday night in an uneventful debut for replacement referees in the NBA preseason… Williams also had six assists in 21 minutes, Miles was 5 for 7 from the field and Mehmet Okur had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Jazz. Anthony led the Nuggets with 13 points.

The AP reports: Derek Fisher hit two key 3-pointers—one with 4.6 seconds left in regulation, the other with 31.3 seconds to go in overtime—as the Los Angeles Lakers moved within one win of their 15th championship by beating the Orlando Magic 99-91 on Thursday night to open a 3-1 series lead. The 34-year-old Fisher, in his second stint with the Lakers after stops in Golden State and Utah, was best known for his turnaround fling with 0.4 seconds left in the 2004 playoffs against San Antonio. He’s got two more shots that rank right with it… Dwight Howard was magnificent everywhere but at the free-throw line. He scored 16 points with 21 rebounds and a finals-record nine blocks. But he made just 6 of 14 foul shots, and it was his two crucial misses with 11.1 seconds to go in regulation that doomed the Magic… Trevor Ariza and Pau Gasol each had 16 for Los Angeles. Ariza, traded by Orlando to L.A. in 2007, had 13 of the Lakers’ 30 points in the third quarter.

The AP reports: Making easy shots and tough ones from everywhere, the Magic won their first game in two visits to the NBA finals as Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis scored 21 points apiece in a 108-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 on Tuesday night to pull within 2-1. Orlando shot a finals record 63 percent—including another record 75 percent in the first half—to snap a six-game finals losing streak and avoid falling into an 0-3 hole that 88 previous teams in postseason history have been unable to escape… Kobe Bryant, seeking a fourth title and his first since 2002, scored 31 points for the Lakers but the superstar had just 10 points in the second half and went only 4 of 15 from the field after the first quarter. He also missed five free throws, points that could have given the Lakers that 3-0 lead… Rafer Alston, who was just 3 of 17 from the field in the first two games, had 20 and Hedo Turkoglu and Mickael Pietrus 18 each… Pau Gasol scored 23 points but had just three rebounds and the Lakers were only 16 of 26 from the line.

The AP reports: Orlando rookie Courtney Lee missed a potential winning layup as regulation ended, giving Los Angeles another shot it didn’t waste. Pau Gasol scored seven points in overtime as the Lakers, so dominant in the series opener, survived with a 101-96 win over the Magic in Game 2 on Sunday night… Kobe Bryant scored 29 points, Gasol added 24 and 10 rebounds and Lamar Odom 19 points for the Lakers, who won Game 1 by 25 but needed 53 minutes to put away the Magic. Rashard Lewis scored 34—18 in the second quarter alone—and Dwight Howard had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Orlando… Bryant, who scored 40 in the opener, finished with eight assists and seven turnovers. Lewis transformed into Orlando’s version of Bryant in the second quarter, scoring 18 of the Magic’s 20 points to keep them close. The 6-foot-10 forward’s size and exceptional range make him an impossible cover, and the Lakers had no answer to stop him. With Howard unable to get open and Orlando’s other shooters still searching for their touch, Lewis carried the scoring load. He made four consecutive 3-pointers to end the half and the Magic, despite shooting just 32 percent, were within 38-35 at the break.