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Bargnani scores 28 points to lead Raptors to 101-91 win over Cavs in opener
By THE CANADIAN PRESS
Wednesday, October 28, 2009

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Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh reacts after scoring against the Cleveland Cavaliers during second half NBA action in Toronto on Wednesday, October 10, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The revamped Toronto Raptors started the season with a win, but history has taught them not to celebrate too much to soon.

Andrea Bargnani scored 28 points as the Raptors opened the regular season with a 101-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Chris Bosh added 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Hedo Turkoglu finished with 12 points, Marco Belinelli added 10 and Jose Calderon finished with 11 assists to go with five points for Toronto (1-0), which is looking to rebound from last season’s disappointing 33-49 finish.

Raptors coach Jay Triano pulled Bosh to the side as the two walked off the court and told him not to revel in the victory.

"I told him, ’This is what’s expected, there is no time to celebrate, this is what’s expected now. Let’s build,"’ Triano said.

"I want to hear that from everybody," Bosh added. "Last year we started off 3-and-0 and you see how the end result was."

In other NBA games it was: Boston 92 Charlotte 59; Orlando 120 Philadelphia 106; Atlanta 120 Indiana 109; Miami 115 New York 93; Oklahoma City 102 Sacramento 89; San Antonio 113 New Orleans 96; Minnesota 95 New Jersey 93; Detroit 96 Memphis 74; Houston 108 Golden State 107; Phoenix 109 Los Angeles Clippers 107; and Denver 114 Utah 105.

At Toronto, LeBron James topped the Cavs (0-2) with 23 points, 12 assists and 11 boards, marking the 25th triple-double of his career. Mo Williams added 16 points, while former Raptor Anthony Parker and off-season acquisition Shaquille O’Neal finished with 12 points apiece.

In a season of new beginnings, Toronto couldn’t have asked for a better start. The Raptors’ 15th NBA season tipped off with team introductions to a stirring live performance from Toronto Philharmonia at centre court, and then the game and the players lived up to the hype.

The game marked the first real test of a team that has nine new faces on its roster this season. But it was the Cavs who looked discombobulated for much of the night in front of a capacity crowd at the Air Canada Centre.

On a night Raptors fans applauded their team with standing ovations at nearly every timeout, Toronto led by as much as 21 points in the first half against the Cavs, Eastern Conference finalists and winners of all three meetings against the Raptors last season.

"The crowd is a tremendous factor in games, if we’re bringing it and they’re loud, it’s going to be a very tough place to play," Bosh said.

The Cavs, who had opened their season a night earlier with a 95-89 home loss to the Boston Celtics, drained five three-pointers in the third to tie the game 69-69 with 2:22 left in the quarter. The Raptors responded with a 9-2 run to take a 78-71 lead into the fourth.

"It’s an adjustment period for all of us," James said. "We’re bringing in a whole new offensive system with Shaq coming into the lineup and other guys. We’ve got a couple of other players that we didn’t have last year so it’s still an adjustment period for us."

The Raptors put as much as 15 points on the Cavs in a thrilling fourth quarter, but James cut Toronto’s lead to six with four straight points in the span of a few heated seconds - Bosh was called for a blocking foul on James that had both the Raptors forward and Triano incensed.

James drained one free throw and promptly sank a three on the next possession with 1:37 left, but a basket and free throw by Calderon sealed the win for Toronto.

Bargnani, who signed a US$50 million, five-year extension with the Raptors in the off-season, played with the confidence he showed at the tail-end of last season, scoring from all over the floor, including a couple of big dunks and one crowd-pleasing drive to the basket after ducking under the outstretched hand of James.

"I was always saying if Andrea gets going, if he’s scoring the basketball a lot, then we’re going to be tough to beat," Bosh said.

Calderon echoed Bosh’s sentiments.

"I think there are not too many guys who are seven-footers who can do the things he can do, maybe (Dirk) Nowitzki is the only one," Calderon said. "I think Andrea can be even better on the defensive end. That’s the way he finished the season last year and hopefully he can continue like that. If he can play like that, he’ll be one of the best this season for sure."

On the defensive end of the floor, Bargnani had the unenviable job of guarding Shaq.

"We knew it was going to be a battle. . . (Bargnani) didn’t back down at all," said Triano, who appeared in his first regular-season game as full-time head coach after carrying the interim tag last year.

The Raptors shot 45 per cent on the night and held the Cavs to just 35 per cent shooting.

"That’s what we’ve been working on, that’s all we’ve been talking about, defence, defence, defence," Bosh said.

Celtics 92 Bobcats 59

At Boston, Kevin Garnett scored 10 points with seven rebounds over 26 easy minutes in his return to the Boston parquet and the Celtics held Charlotte to a franchise-low in scoring.

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Magic 120 76ers 106

At 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.

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Hawks 120 Pacers 109

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

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Heat 115 Knicks 93

At Miami, Dwyane Wade began defence of his NBA scoring title with 26 points, Jermaine O’Neal finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Heat opened their season with a win over New York.

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Thunder 102 Kings 89

At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Jeff Green added 24 points and the Thunder led from start to finish in a victory over Sacramento.

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Spurs 113 Hornets 96

At San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 17 points before leaving the game after a hard fall and the Spurs beat New Orleans.

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Timberwolves 95 Nets 93

At 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 New Jersey.

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Pistons 96 Grizzlies 74

At Memphis, Tenn., Richard Hamilton scored 25 points, Ben Gordon added 22, and Detroit ran away from the Grizzlies.

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Rockets 108 Warriors 107

At Oakland, Calif., Luis Scola scored 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter and grabbed 11 rebounds, Aaron Brooks had 18 points and 12 assists, and the Rockets held off Golden State.

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Suns 109 Clippers 107

At Los Angeles, Victoria’s Steve Nash scored 15 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and rallied Phoenix to a season-opening victory over the Clippers.

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Nuggets 114 Jazz 105

At Denver, Carmelo Anthony had a game-high 30 points and rookie Ty Lawson scored seven of his 17 points in a pivotal fourth-quarter run, lifting the Nuggets over Utah.

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