Humphries leds Nets past Wizards
Kris Humphries was booed even before the start of Monday's game between his New Jersey Nets and the Washington Wizards, presumably because of his much-hyped - and short-lived - marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
Kris Humphries was booed even before the start of Monday's game between his New Jersey Nets and the Washington Wizards, presumably because of his much-hyped - and short-lived - marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
Then Humphries really gave the host Wizards and their fans reason to be angry, finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds to help New Jersey erase a 21-point deficit and come all the way back to beat Washington, 90-84, in the season opener for both teams.
In a duel of top point guards, New Jersey's Deron Williams had 23 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, getting the better of Washington's John Wall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Wall had 13 points but shot 3 for 13.
Mavericks open 0-2
Ty Lawson scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half, and the Denver Nuggets faced little resistance on their way to a 115-93 victory over the host Dallas Mavericks
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The reigning champions were drubbed for a second straight game.
Elsewhere: Rookie Kyrie Irving scored six points and hardly played like the No. 1 overall draft pick as the Toronto Raptors spoiled the Cleveland Cavaliers guard's NBA debut with a 104-96 season-opening win on the road. Irving, who played just 11 games at Duke before turning pro, finished 2 of 11 from the field, with seven assists and one turnover in 26 minutes. . . . D.J. Augustin scored 19 points, rookie Kemba Walker added 13, including two free throws with 9.9 seconds remaining, and the Charlotte Bobcats erased a 14-point deficit to beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 96-95, in North Carolina. . . . Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 14 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Detroit Pistons, 91-79, in Indianapolis.
Encouraging ratings
The five NBA games Sunday averaged 6.2 million viewers based on fast national ratings, up from 6 million last year.
The Chicago Bulls-Los Angeles Lakers matchup was the third-most-watched regular-season game ever on ABC, behind only last year's highly anticipated Heat-Lakers showdown and another meeting between Miami and L.A. in 2004.
Chris Paul's Los Angeles Clippers debut in the nightcap against the Golden State Warriors earned a 2.2 rating, up 69 percent over last year's Portland-Golden State telecast in the same slot.
It was ESPN's highest-rated Christmas prime-time game. The day's opener, Boston Celtics-New York Knicks on TNT, was the most-viewed Christmas game ever on cable. The 4.0 rating was up 48 percent from last year's Bulls-Knicks game on ESPN.
Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned to a program.
The first night game on ESPN - Orlando Magic-Oklahoma City Thunder - drew a 1.8, up 29 percent from last year's Denver-Oklahoma City matchup. The afternoon's finals rematch on ABC, the Heat's rout of the Dallas Mavericks, earned a 4.9, up 7 percent from Boston-Orlando last year.
Dalembert signs
The Houston Rockets signed free-agent center Samuel Dalembert, who averaged 8.1 points and 8.2 rebounds for Sacramento last season after spending his first eight seasons with the 76ers, who drafted him 26th overall in 2001.
The 6-foot-11 Dalembert agreed to a multi-year contract last week. The team officially announced his signing Monday. He then scored 10 points in a 104-95 loss to the host Orlando Magic.
Adelman to miss game
Minnesota coach Rick Adelman will miss the Timberwolves' game at Milwaukee on Tuesday night to attend funeral services for his mother-in-law.
- Associated Press