NBA roundup: Friday's action on the boards

Jermaine O'Neal(notes) showed the Pacers he's not the same player who hobbled through his final years in Indianapolis.

O'Neal had 22 points and 12 rebounds against his former team, and the Miami Heat beat the Pacers 96-83 on Friday night. O'Neal was the Pacers' best player before the franchise fell apart following the brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans in 2004. The Pacers traded O'Neal to Toronto before the 2008-09 season as they focused on rebuilding with younger players.

O'Neal says he has moved on.

"I don't have any animosity with this organization anymore," O'Neal said. "I told myself that I would let that go, I would close that door, close that chapter."

Still, he was animated throughout the game, drawing a technical foul for hanging on the rim after a dunk in the second quarter. He said that was more about finally having healthy knees than showing up the Pacers.

"It was a good call," O'Neal said. "It was a little bit overboard, but it's been a while since I've been able to just catch and take off. I'm just showing you guys some of the work I've put together this summer."

O'Neal later smiled when Pacers fans booed him. Dwyane Wade(notes), who led Miami with 32 points, thought the Pacers fans were wrong to treat O'Neal that way.

"Unfortunately, when some players leave a city they get booed, but when you think Indiana Pacers, you think Reggie Miller and Jermaine O'Neal," Wade said. "He's one of the guys who helped build this organization, this franchise. He came back today and was very professional about his approach."

Elsewhere in the NBA it was: Memphis 115 Toronto 107; Boston 118 Chicago 90; Cleveland 104 Minnesota 87; Oklahoma City 91 Detroit 83; Orlando 95 New Jersey 85; Atlanta 100 Washington 89; Charlotte 102 New York 100 (2 OT); New Orleans 97 Sacramento 92; Philadelphia 99 Milwaukee 86; Utah 111 Los Angeles Clippers 98; Phoenix 123 Golden State 101; and Dallas 94 Los Angeles Lakers 80.

At Indianapolis, Danny Granger(notes) led the Pacers with 22 points, but shot 6-of-20 from the field. Troy Murphy(notes), Solomon Jones(notes) and Luther Head(notes) each scored 12 points.

The Heat have won their first two games by a combined 35 points. It was Wade's first win ever at Indiana, and only the sixth win at Indiana for the Heat in their 22-year history. The Pacers had won 14 straight at home dating to 2001.

"It's kind of a monkey off our back to finally get a win here," Wade said. "This Indiana Pacers team is tough with the offence they run, with the movement they have. I'm glad we were able to jump out the way we did and withstand their run. I really saw a lot from my young team today."

Indiana shot 37 per cent and made just four of 23 three-pointers.

"That's a rough shooting night," Granger said. "You have some of those nights, and usually you have to rely on your defence, but we just couldn't put the game together."

Granger's emergence was one reason O'Neal was OK with the Pacers trading him. O'Neal always had said Granger had all-star potential, and Granger lived up to it by playing in the all-star game last season.

"Some people here think I quit on them, but I didn't quit on them," O'Neal said. "You got a young budding star in Danny Granger, you've got to be mature enough to say, 'OK, my time is over here.' Reggie Miller did the same thing for me, so why wouldn't I do the same thing for Danny?"

O'Neal looked like the player who finished third in the league MVP balloting in 2004, and nothing like the one who hobbled through his final years with the Pacers. Friday's effort followed a 22-point, 12-rebound performance in the season-opening rout of New York. He posted his first consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound efforts since he was a Pacer in December 2007.

Miami led 49-47 at halftime, then O'Neal scored eight points and Michael Beasley(notes) added six in a 16-4 run to start the second half that put the Heat up 65-51. Miami led 79-63 at the end of the third quarter.

The Pacers have opened the season with two double-digit losses while trying to work in some new players.

"We're still trying to figure each other out," Granger said. "Honestly, our defence wasn't that bad. It's just, offence, I really don't think we understand each other yet, how everybody plays, what everybody likes to do."

O'Neal spent extra time chatting with fans after the game. He believes his place in Pacers history is secure.

"I still love the city and I still have my memories here. You can't take that away," O'Neal said. "If they want to say who was one of the best players to ever play in this organization, then they have to do it by the numbers. Numbers don't lie."

Grizzlies 115 Raptors 107

At Memphis, Tenn., Zach Randolph(notes) scored 30 points to lead the Grizzlies over Toronto for their first victory of the season.

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Celtics 118 Bulls 90

At Boston, Paul Pierce(notes) scored 20 of his 22 points in the third quarter, and the Celtics rolled to a victory over the Chicago Bulls in the teams' first matchup since last spring's thrilling seven-game playoff series.

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Cavaliers 104 Timberwolves 87

At Minneapolis, LeBron James(notes) scored 24 points and had nine rebounds and six assists to avoid his first 0-3 start in five years.

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Thunder 91 Pistons 83

At Auburn Hills, Mich., Kevin Durant(notes) scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as Okalhoma City improved to 2-0.

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Magic 95 Nets 85

At East Rutherford, N.J., Vince Carter(notes) returned to New Jersey and scored 16 points before leaving the game against his former teammates in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle.

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Hawks 100 Wizards 89

At Atlanta, Josh Smith(notes) scored 20 points and reached a blocked shots milestone, and the Falcons held off Gilbert Arenas(notes) and Washington.

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Bobcats 102 Knicks 100 (2OT)

At Charlotte, N.C., D.J. Augustin(notes) made two free throws with 2.5 seconds left in the second overtime and the Bobcats recovered from blowing an 18-point, fourth-quarter lead.

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Hornets 97 Kings 92

At New Orleans, Chris Paul(notes) scored 31 points and Emeka Okafor(notes) capped another strong performance by blocking Kevin Martin's(notes) tying three-point attempt in the final seconds.

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76ers 99 Bucks 86

At Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala(notes) scored 19 points, Elton Brand(notes) had 17 and the 76ers bounced back from a dismal opener.

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Jazz 111 Clippers 98

At Salt Lake City, Paul Millsap(notes) scored 17 of his 23 of his points in the second half, and Utah used a 15-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to beat Los Angeles.

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Suns 123 Warriors 101

At Phoenix, Victoria's Steve Nash(notes) scored 18 points and had the sixth 20-assist game of his career in the Suns' rout of Golden State in their home opener.

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Mavericks 94 Lakers 80

At Los Angeles, Dirk Nowitzki(notes) scored 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks were 25-of-32 from the free throw line in routing the Lakers for their first win of the season.