Dallas and Atlanta are still unbeaten after three games, while Denver, Golden State and Sacramento remained winless.
Michael Finley scored 29 points and Dennis Scott 28 as Dallas beat Vancouver 92-87 Tuesday night to improve to 3-0, the second-best start in franchise history.Atlanta also is 3-0 after defeating Detroit 82-71 behind Steve Smith's 27 points. The Hawks are off to their best start since 1990.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets, Warriors and Kings dropped to 0-3.
Hawks 82, Pistons 71
Alan Henderson scored 19 points for the Hawks, while the Pistons tied a franchise low in points. A crowd of 13,961 attended the first of Atlanta's 28 games in the Georgia Dome, the Hawks' part-time home for the next two seasons while a new downtown arena is being built.
Knicks 102, Celtics 70
Patrick Ewing scored 26 points as the Knicks routed Boston for their 20th straight regular-season victory over the Celtics. Boston's point total was its lowest against New York since the 24-second shot clock was introduced in 1954. Boston's Rick Pitino, who coached the Knicks from 1987-89, made his first appearance at Madison Square Garden as an NBA coach since leaving the Knicks.
Raptors 104, Warriors 86
John Wallace scored 17 points for Toronto, which forced 25 turnovers while committing only nine in its home opener. Doug Christie had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Raptors and also played excellent defense against high-scoring Latrell Sprewell, who was held to 12 points.
Cavaliers 80, Pacers 77
Shawn Kemp scored 18 points and rookie Brevin Knight hit a jumper with 4.9 seconds left as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Indiana for their first victory in a home opener since 1991.
SuperSonics 118, Rockets 94
Gary Payton had 27 points and 12 assists, and Seattle held Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in check to beat the visiting Rockets. Detlef Schrempf added 22 points and Vin Baker 20 for Seattle. Charles Barkley led the Rockets with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Olajuwon was held to eight points and four rebounds, while Drexler finished with nine points.
Bucks 110, Magic 76
Ray Allen scored 20 points and Terrell Brandon added 15 to lead Milwaukee over visiting Orlando. Penny Hardaway led the Magic with 16 points, even though he only played 26 minutes and sat out the fourth quarter.
Wizards 120, Nuggets 96
Rod Strickland had 10 assists to reach the 5,000 career mark as Washington beat Denver. Tracy Murray added 20 points for the Wizards, who snapped a five-game losing streak in Denver. Eric Williams scored 26 points and Danny Fortson 22 for the Nuggets.
Mavericks 92, Grizzlies 87
Dallas trailed by 14 points in the first half, but rallied to win behind Finley and Scott. If the Mavs win their next game, they'll match the best start in team history - 4-0 in 1995. Shareef Abdur-Rahim led Vancouver with 28 points, but failed to score in the fourth quarter.
Blazers 122, Timberwolves 105
Kenny Anderson scored 24 points, including 6-of-7 from 3-point range, and Arvydas Sabonis added 23 points as Portland beat visiting Minnesota. Isaiah Rider, in his season debut after being suspended the first two games by the NBA for his off-court troubles, scored 20 for the Blazers. Tom Gugliotta and Stephon Marbury scored 27 apiece for Minnesota.
Lakers 101, Kings 98
Elden Campbell made five straight free throws in the closing minutes as Los Angeles rallied to win at Sacramento. Mitch Richmond scored 24 points for the Kings.