Hill Scores 41 but Heat Gets the Last Word

The Miami Heat lost three starters because of fouls, couldn’t stop Grant Hill and still won in double overtime.

Reserves Mark Strickland and Clarence Weatherspoon sparked the Heat in the second overtime, and they outlasted Hill and the Detroit Pistons, 128-122, Tuesday night in a wild season opener at Miami.

Hill scored Detroit’s first 13 points in overtime and finished with 41 points in 52 minutes. Teammate Jerry Stackhouse had 26 points, including a three-point shot with a half-second left in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

The NBA crackdown on physical play resulted in 81 fouls, six disqualifications, 91 free throws and a game that lasted nearly 3 1/2 hours.

“I felt like we’ve already played three weeks of the season,” Piston Coach Alvin Gentry said.

“David Stern will like that one when he reads about it in the morning,” Heat Coach Pat Riley said jokingly, referring to the league commissioner. “It got a little wild. You can see the effects of the rule changes.”

Miami’s Alonzo Mourning and Jamal Mashburn fouled out in the fourth quarter, and Dan Majerle fouled out in the first overtime. Stackhouse, Lindsey Hunter and Michael Curry fouled out for Detroit.

“I didn’t think it was a physical game at all,” Riley said. “I don’t know if the league wants that very incidental contact called. I hope there’s some clarification.”

Tim Hardaway had 32 points for the Heat, which won despite shooting 26% in the third and fourth quarters. Miami shot 39%, Detroit 43%.

San Antonio 89, Philadelphia 76--Tim Duncan had 20 points and 16 rebounds as the Spurs began defense of their NBA title at San Antonio.

Stern presented Spur players and coaches with their championship rings beforehand. The championship banner also was unfurled, the first title in the 26-year history of the San Antonio franchise.

San Antonio led, 60-58, two minutes into the fourth quarter, before a jump shot by David Robinson and Terry Porter’s three-point basket ignited a 17-0 run that put the Spurs comfortably ahead.

Allen Iverson, last season’s scoring champion, provided most of the 76er offense, finishing with 28 points.

Charlotte 100, Orlando 86--David Wesley and Eddie Jones powered a 15-3 third-quarter run that helped the Hornets to an easy victory at Charlotte, N.C.

Jones had seven points and a steal as Charlotte took control by opening the second half with its pivotal run. Wesley added five points and two steals in the surge.

Jones finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four steals, while Wesley had 16 points, nine assists and five steals.

Hornet forward Derrick Coleman, charged with drunken driving last week, was jeered repeatedly by the home crowd.

Orlando, which fell behind by as many as 29 points after the decisive run, had 11 second-half turnovers that the Hornets converted into 16 points.

Chris Gatling led Orlando with 15 points.

New York 92, Cleveland 84--Larry Johnson had 24 points, his highest scoring game in two seasons, and cemented a late 14-0 run with one of his three three-point baskets to lead the Knicks at New York.

The Knicks never trailed and barely had a scare against the Cavaliers, who were held scoreless for more than 5 1/2 minutes midway through the fourth quarter after pulling within two.

Marcus Camby added 14 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Knicks.

Shawn Kemp had 17 points to lead Cleveland in Randy Wittman’s coaching debut.

Denver 107, Phoenix 102--Nick Van Exel scored 34 points and George McCloud made a three-point basket with 49 seconds left in overtime as the Nuggets opened the Pepsi Center with a victory over the Suns.

The Nuggets ended a nine-game losing streak to the Suns, dating to Dec. 23, 1996 at Phoenix.

Tom Gugliotta had 22 points and 19 rebounds, Rodney Rogers scored 21 points and Cliff Robinson added 20 for Phoenix, which played without Rex Chapman and Penny Hardaway, both suspended for one game for their involvement in an altercation during a preseason game.

Portland 106, Vancouver 86--Steve Smith overshadowed fellow newcomer Scottie Pippen, scoring 22 points as the Trail Blazers won easily at Vancouver.

Pippen, who missed two preseason games because of a dislocated finger on his non-shooting hand, went six for 11 from the field and finished with 14 points.

Any concerns about the Trail Blazers’ retooled lineup were answered in the early going. At one point, Portland’s three marquee off-season acquisitions--Pippen (from Houston), Smith (from Atlanta) and Detlef Schrempf (free agent)--were a combined 11 for 13 from the field for 26 points.

Schrempf was six for seven from the field and scored 13 points for the Trail Blazers, coming off an 8-0 preseason.

Joe Kleine, who played the final two minutes, was the only Trail Blazer not to score.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 19 points and Bryant Reeves added 15 for the Grizzlies, who have lost four straight openers.

Milwaukee 98, Houston 93--Sam Cassell scored 35 points against his former team, one short of his career high, as the Bucks beat the Rockets at Houston.

Cassell, the Rockets’ first-round draft pick in 1993, scored the Bucks’ first seven points and had 22 in the first half.

The Bucks took the lead for good at 75-74 on a basket by Ray Allen with five seconds left in the third quarter.

All five Houston starters scored in double figures, led by rookie Steve Francis with 14 points.

Indiana 119, New Jersey 112--Reggie Miller scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the Pacers survived a 39-point performance by Stephon Marbury to defeat the Nets at East Rutherford, N.J.

The Pacers built a 19-point lead in the third quarter, but the Nets rallied and pulled within two points twice in the final minutes on twisting layups by Marbury.

But Miller answered for the Pacers both times. He made a jump shot from the right wing with 41 seconds left and he added two free throws with 18 seconds to play.

The foul shots came after Miller was called for a technical foul for hitting Jamie Feick with a flailing arm that broke the nose of the Nets’ center.

Washington 94, Atlanta 87--Juwan Howard scored 21 points and a combined 52 fouls were called as both teams had trouble adjusting to the new rules as Gar Heard won in his coaching debut in the Wizards’ victory at Washington.

The slightest of touches were called at times, and Atlanta’s Alan Henderson drew a technical during one protest. All three point guards on the Hawks’ roster had three fouls at halftime.

Roshown McLeod had a career-high 22 points for the Hawks, playing without off-season acquisition Isaiah Rider, who traveled to Texas on Monday after the death of his grandfather. Rider will rejoin the team today.

Boston 103, Toronto 90--Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Walter McCarty tied a career high with 20, including six for six on three-point shots, as the Celtics won at Boston.

Doug Christie led the Raptors with 20 points. Vince Carter, last season’s rookie of the year, was held to 12 points.

Dallas 108, Golden State 96--Michael Finley, ignoring pain in his right heel to play in his 298th consecutive game, scored 26 points as the Mavericks won at Dallas.

Cedric Ceballos, playing his first game since breaking both wrists early last season, led the Mavericks with 27 points off the bench. John Starks led the Warriors with 20 points.