NBA Roundup: Celtics' 'Big 3' too much for Cavaliers

By: JournalNow Staff | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 28, 2009

Celtics 95, Cavaliers 89: Paul Pierce scored 23 points, Ray Allen 16 and Kevin Garnett 13 in his first regular-season game since last March as visiting Boston beat Cleveland last night in the NBA season opener, spoiling the hyped debut of the Cavaliers with LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal.
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 and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who won their first 23 home games last season but are already 0-1 on their floor.
Garnett looked fully recovered from surgery to repair his right knee. Allen stroked a couple 3s, and Pierce was his cold-blooded best down the stretch. After James missed a 3-point attempt that would have brought Cleveland to one, Pierce stuck a 15-footer to make the score 89-83.

BOSTON — Pierce 6-13 9-10 23, Garnett 5-10 3-4 13, Perkins 4-7 1-1 9, Rondo 4-8 0-0 8, R.Allen 5-16 4-5 16, Wallace 4-9 1-2 12, Daniels 3-5 0-0 7, S.Williams 0-1 4-4 4, House 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 32-72 22-26 95.

CLEVELAND — James 12-22 10-13 38, Varejao 3-9 3-4 9, O'Neal 5-11 0-2 10, M.Williams 3-8 6-6 12, Parker 3-9 2-2 10, Ilgauskas 1-4 4-4 6, Gibson 1-3 0-1 2, Hickson 0-1 0-0 0, Moon 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 29-70 25-32 89.

Boston 21 30 21 23 — 95
Cleveland 28 17 20 24 — 89

3-Point Goals—Boston 9-19 (Wallace 3-6, R.Allen 2-4, Pierce 2-5, Daniels 1-1, House 1-3), Cleveland 6-17 (James 4-9, Parker 2-3, Moon 0-1, Gibson 0-1, M.Williams 0-3). Rebounds—Boston 50 (Pierce 11), Cleveland 42 (O'Neal 10). Assists—Boston 20 (Rondo 10), Cleveland 17 (James 8). A—20,562 (20,562).

Wizards 102, Mavericks 91: Gilbert Arenas had 29 points and nine assists, helping stake visiting Washington to an early lead over Dallas and keeping them ahead throughout the final three quarters on their way to a victory last night.

WASHINGTON — Butler 6-17 4-4 16, Oberto 2-2 1-1 5, Haywood 3-10 1-2 7, Arenas 10-21 8-9 29, Miller 2-4 0-0 6, Blatche 8-14 4-4 20, Stevenson 0-2 0-2 0, McGuire 0-0 0-0 0, Foye 8-14 2-2 19, McGee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 39-84 20-24 102.

DALLAS — Marion 6-12 4-5 16, Nowitzki 10-25 12-13 34, Dampier 2-2 4-6 8, Kidd 2-6 0-0 4, Ross 1-2 0-0 2, Terry 4-15 3-5 12, Gooden 1-6 0-0 2, Barea 4-8 4-5 13, Humphries 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-76 27-34 91.

Washington 21 35 21 25 — 102
Dallas 21 29 24 17 — 91

3-Point Goals—Washington 4-13 (Miller 2-3, Foye 1-3, Arenas 1-4, Stevenson 0-1, Butler 0-2), Dallas 4-18 (Nowitzki 2-5, Barea 1-2, Terry 1-6, Ross 0-1, Marion 0-1, Kidd 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Washington 54 (Haywood 10), Dallas 48 (Nowitzki 9). Assists—Washington 19 (Arenas 9), Dallas 16 (Kidd 6). Total Fouls—Washington 29, Dallas 20. Technicals—Washington defensive three second. A—19,871 (19,200).