Posted:?12/26/2011 09:44:30 PM PST
Marcus Thornton scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the Sacramento Kings opened the season in grand fashion, beating the Los Angeles Lakers at home for the first time in more than three years, 100-91 on Monday night.
Kobe Bryant scored 29 points for the Lakers, who opened the season with consecutive losses for the first time since 2002-03, putting a damper on the start of coach Mike Brown's tenure.
"It's not a rivalry," Bryant said. "We beat them every year. Oh my God. I don't care if they beat us tonight. I like (Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof). I hope they enjoy this."
Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette entered to a loud ovation midway through the first quarter and then committed a double dribble the first time he touched the ball. He finished with six points.
Otherwise, it was nothing but a positive start to the season for the Kings. They went on an 11-0 run around halftime and then put together a strong finish to the third quarter led by DeMarcus Cousins. Playing with four fouls, Cousins scored eight points in the final 3:20 of the third to give Sacramento a 78-64 lead heading into the fourth.
"It was wild in there, and our players really liked the feeling of that game," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "The fans were just fantastic."
Nuggets 115, Mavericks 93: Ty Lawson scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half and Denver faced little resistance in beating Dallas.
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class="bodytext">The reigning champion Mavericks were drubbed at home for a second straight game, routinely giving up easy baskets in both. They allowed Denver to score 20 consecutive points in the second quarter -- prompting boos during a particularly lousy part of that drought -- and were down by 33 late in the third quarter.
One night after the Miami Heat pounded the Mavericks, the Nuggets scored on 19 of their 25 possessions in the second quarter.
Thunder 104, Timberwolves 100: Kevin Durant scored 33 points to lead Oklahoma City past host Minnesota.
Ricky Rubio of Spain had an impressive NBA debut for the Timberwolves with six assists, six points and five rebounds in 26 minutes.
The Timberwolves led 96-95 with three minutes to play when Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook drove the length of the floor, hit a layup and the free throw for a three-point play to put the Thunder ahead.
Blazers 107, 76ers 103: LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and seven rebounds to lead host Portland past Philadelphia.
Hornets 85, Suns 84: Eric Gordon made a 20-footer from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds to play in his New Orleans debut to push the Hornets past host Phoenix.
Gordon was part of the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Spurs 95, Grizzlies 82: Manu Ginobili scored 24 points as host San Antonio got some payback after its stunning playoff collapse last season, beating Memphis to start what could be Tim Duncan's final season.
The Grizzlies upset the 61-win Spurs in the first round last season.
Raptors 104, Cavaliers 96: No. 1 draft pick Kyrie Irving out of Duke had a rough NBA debut for host Cleveland, scoring six points on 2-for-12 shooting.
TV ratings: The five Christmas games on opening day averaged 6.2 million viewers based on fast national ratings, up from 6 million last year. The Bulls-Lakers matchup was the third most-watched regular-season game ever on ABC.
Paul's Clippers debut in the nightcap against the Warriors earned a 2.2 rating, up 69 percent over last year's Portland-Golden State telecast in the same slot.
Source: http://www.contracostatimes.com/other-sports/ci_19623503?source=rss
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