THE MIAMI HEAT suffered a shock defeat to the New York Knicks just days after Hurricane Sandy ravaged areas surrounding Madison Square Garden.
Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks gave the city something to cheer about with a game-high 30 points as they stunned the defending NBA champions 104-84 on Friday.
LeBron James finished with 23 points for the Heat while Dwyane Wade, who questioned whether the game should be played in the lead up, had 15 points.
New York were outstanding from outside the arc with a combined 57 points as Steve Novak (five), Anthony (four), Jason Kidd (three), Raymond Felton (three) and JR Smith (two) helped themselves to multiple threes.
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Elsewhere, the LA Lakers’ troubles continued with a third straight loss – this one against city rivals the LA Clippers 105-95 at the Staples Center.
It was a great team performance from the Clippers, who had 18 points and 15 assists from Chris Paul and 21 from Jamal Crawford.
Kobe Bryant had 40 points for the Lakers and Dwight Howard 13 but new signing Steve Nash sat out with a bruised leg as the Lakers fell to their first 0-3 start since 1978.
The Charlotte Bobcats snapped a 23-game losing streak with a 90-89 victory over the Indiana Pacers under new boss Mike Dunlap.
Kemba Walker hit 30 points for the Bobcats, who lost their final 23 games last season to finish with the worst ever NBA win percentage and a record of 7-59.
Boom recruit James Harden is fast repaying the Houston Rockets’ faith in him with a career-high 45 points in his second game as his side defeated the Atlanta Hawks 109-102.
The Orlando Magic sprinted out to an early lead and had 29 points from Glen Davis before holding off the Denver Nuggets 102-89.
Brandon Jennings had 21 points and 13 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks started their season with a win for the first time in six years, beating the Boston Celtics 99-88.
Breeze
The Chicago Bulls breezed past the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-86 for back-to-back wins to start the season while Greivis Vasquez scored a lay-up with a second to play to lead the New Orleans Hornets to an 88-86 win over the Utah Jazz.
Russell Westbrook had 32 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they won for the first time this season over the Portland Trail Blazers 106-92 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Sacramento Kings 92-80.
The Phoenix Suns got on the board with a 92-89 win over the Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies were too good for the Golden State Warriors in a 104-94 victory.
