Magic make ‘W’ appear vs. 76ers

ORLANDO, Fla. — Dwight Howard had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Vince Carter scored 15 points and the new-look Magic rolled to a victory over the 76ers in the season opener for both teams.

Ryan Anderson added 16 points, and Jason Williams had 15 points to highlight a deep Magic bench. Orlando went ahead by 23 points at the half, scored 100 through three quarters and showed no signs of a finals hangover after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on the same floor in June.

Celtics 92, Bobcats 59

BOSTON — Kevin Garnett scored 10 points with seven rebounds over 26 easy minutes in his return to the Boston parquet on Wednesday night and the Celtics held Charlotte to a franchise-low in scoring and coasted to a victory in their home opener.

Ray Allen scored 18 points and was the only Boston starter to play in the fourth quarter as the Celtics followed their opening-night victory over Cleveland with a blowout of the Bobcats. Paul Pierce scored 15, Rajon Rondo scored 10 with 11 assists and Rasheed Wallace came off the bench with three 3-pointers.

Raptors 101, Cavaliers 91

TORONTO — Andrea Bargnani scored 28 points, Chris Bosh had 21 points and 16 rebounds, and the Raptors overcame LeBron James’ 25th career triple-double to beat the Cavaliers.

James had 23 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, but Cleveland opened its season with consecutive losses for the first time since an 0-3 start in 2004-05. James scored 38 points in Tuesday’s 95-89 home loss to Boston.

Heat 115, Knicks 93

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade began defense of his NBA scoring title with 26 points, Jermaine O’Neal finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat opened their season with a win over the Knicks.

Timberwolves 95, Nets 93

MINNEAPOLIS — Jonny Flynn scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help Minnesota erase a 19-point deficit and Damien Wilkins’ putback at the buzzer lifted the Timberwolves to a victory over the New Jersey Nets.

Hawks 120, Pacers 109

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Al Horford had 24 and the Hawks finally played some defense in an offensive shootout, pulling away in the fourth quarter for a season-opening victory over the Pacers.

Thunder 102, Kings 89

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Jeff Green added 24 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder led from start to finish in a victory over the Sacramento Kings in the season opener for both teams.

Spurs 113, Hornets 96

SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker scored 17 points before leaving the game after a hard fall and the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets.

Pistons 96, Grizzlies 74

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Richard Hamilton scored 25 points, Ben Gordon added 22, and the Detroit Pistons ran away from the Memphis Grizzlies in the season opener for both teams.