Emotional Smith Just What Pistons Needed

Months of frustration ended in one moment: Joe Smith hanging from the rim, tongue wagging after a dunk.

Smith finally made his much-anticipated season debut Friday night, scoring 20 points in 20 minutes and helping the Detroit Pistons to a 118-96 win over Vancouver at Auburn Hills, Mich.

His highlight came in the third quarter when he caught a miss by Chucky Atkins in mid-air. He slammed the ball through, energizing the crowd and his teammates. Smith came down with fists swinging, drawing a technical foul for hanging on the rim too long. But at that point it didn’t matter as the game was too far out of reach for the Grizzlies.

“That (dunk) was a lot of emotion and a lot of frustration,” Smith said. “It was everything just coming out. It’s just a big relief to get back out onto the floor.

“I was very nervous. I had just one day of practice. I really haven’t had much time to blend with this team.”

Smith provided Detroit with the emotional and physical presence it had been lacking inside--the one it was seeking when signing Smith to a one-year, $2.25 million deal last week.

It was a big relief for Smith to finally take the floor.

NBA Commissioner David Stern nullified Smith’s contract with the Timberwolves after Minnesota was caught signing a series of secret contracts with Smith.

Denver 102, San Antonio 92--Nick Van Exel had 27 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds and Antonio McDyess added 20 points at Denver to lead the Nuggets to their fifth consecutive home victory.

Van Exel was 11 for 17 from the field, including five for six on three-point attempts. McDyess had 12 of his points in the third quarter when the Nuggets began taking control of the game.

Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Phoenix 80, Golden State 74--Jason Kidd scored the last six of his 18 points on free throws in the final 27.8 seconds and had 13 assists to lead the Suns over the Warriors at Phoenix.

Shawn Marion had 19 points and 16 rebounds, and Cliff Robinson had seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter when the Suns completed their comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit.

Philadelphia 76, Atlanta 67--Allen Iverson bounced back from a miserable first half, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter at Atlanta as the 76ers resumed their winning ways by defeating the Hawks.

Philadelphia (11-1) shot 37 percent from the field, committed 16 turnovers and hit only 18 of 32 free throws, allowing Atlanta (2-11) to keep the game fairly close.

Cleveland 85, Miami 80--Clarence Weatherspoon had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Chris Gatling added 15 points and three hustle plays in the final minutes at Cleveland as the Cavaliers defeated the Heat for the second time in three days.

Eddie Jones led Miami with 19 points and Tim Hardaway added 17.

Boston 103, Orlando 98--Paul Pierce scored a career-high 41 points and Antoine Walker added 24 at Boston as the Celtics sent the Magic to its fifth consecutive loss.

Pierce and Walker scored nine of Boston’s 14 points in overtime as Boston won for the fourth time in six games.

Utah 97, New Jersey 85--John Stockton tied John Havlicek’s NBA record for most games played with one team, scoring 10 points with 12 assists in his 1,270th game for Utah as the Jazz defeated the Nets at Salt Lake City.

Danny Manning scored 12 points off the bench, including six consecutive in the fourth quarter to help Utah extend its winning streak over the Nets to 11 games.

Indiana 99, Washington 87--Jalen Rose scored 23 points at Indianapolis and the Pacers made two changes to their starting lineup to end a four-game losing streak--their longest in almost seven years.

Derrick McKey and Jonathan Bender moved into the starting lineup for the Pacers, who hadn’t lost four in a row since January 1994.

Charlotte 106, Milwaukee 90--David Wesley scored 24 points and the Hornets used a 28-2 first-half run to defeat the Bucks at Milwaukee for their fourth consecutive victory.

Jamal Mashburn added 20 points and Baron Davis had 11 assists for the Hornets.

Around the League

Free-agent forward Jerome Kersey, a veteran of 16 years in the NBA, signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Kersey played 72 games last season with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. . . . Bucks’ forward Glenn Robinson sat out Friday night’s game with the Charlotte Hornets because of severe cold symptoms. . . . Jim Jackson, the Atlanta Hawks’ leading scorer, was put on the injured list with a sprained ligament in his right knee. Jackson was hurt Wednesday with about five minutes left in a 78-74 victory over the New York Knicks.