Tuesday's National Basketball Association Capsules

Oct 8, 2008 - 5:09 AM By PA SportsTicker

PORTLAND 110, SACRAMENTO 81 ---------------------------

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Playing for the first time with a healthy roster, the Portland Trail Blazers put their potential on display Tuesday.

Greg Oden had 13 points and five rebounds in his first NBA action, helping the Blazers cruise to a 110-81 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

The 2007 top overall pick, Oden shot 5-of-8 from the field with four dunks and had two blocks in 20 minutes. It was the 20-year-old's first game after missing his entire rookie season while recovering from microfracture knee surgery.

Martell Webster led six Blazers in double figures with 15 points and Brandon Roy had 14 and seven assists. Portland, which exceeded expectations with a 41-41 record last season, had 32 assists on 39 baskets.

Oden did most of his damage in the first half with eight points and four rebounds as the Blazers held a 53-50 lead at the break. The 7-footer dunked on Kings center Spencer Hawes while absorbing the foul two minutes into the contest.

Portland would expand that lead tremendously after the intermission as Rudy Fernandez promptly stole Oden's thunder in the second half.

Fernandez caught an alley-oop from fellow Spaniard Sergio Rodriguez in the third quarter that brought the crowd to its feet.

The very next play, Fernandez snuck a ball through the legs of Sacramento rookie forward Jason Thompson to LaMarcus Aldridge and, moments later, Fernandez completed a circus layup that prompted the third "Rudy! Rudy!" chant of the night. The basket gave the Blazers an 81-59 bulge with 1:38 left in the quarter.

Rookie Donte Greene was the lone highlight for the Kings, scoring 18 points.

Kevin Martin, Sacramento's leading scorer last season, and center Brad Miller were scratched from the starting lineup prior to the game each with right quad injuries.

TORONTO 104, CLEVELAND 84 -------------------------

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- In an effort to conserve their franchise player, the Cleveland Cavaliers played LeBron James just over eight minutes in a 104-84 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the first exhibition game for both teams.

James, entering his sixth NBA season, has played at least 3,000 minutes in each campaign and recently helped lead the "Redeem Team" to a gold medal in the Summer Olympics in Beijing. "The King" said during training camp that he "gave up rest" to represent his country.

The two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line and added two assists while Zydrunas Ilgauskas paced Cleveland with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Mo Williams scored 12 points in his debut with the Cavaliers, who also got 12 points from third-year point guard Daniel Gibson.

Cleveland led 51-43 at half, but Toronto's second and third units outscored the Cavaliers, 61-33, in the second half.

Jermaine O'Neal, who came to Toronto in the offseason after eight seasons with the Indiana Pacers, had 11 points and four rebounds. James' Olympic teammate, Chris Bosh, played nearly 20 minutes and collected 11 points and seven rebounds.

Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft, came off the bench and tallied 15 points and eight rebounds for Toronto.

DALLAS 108, WASHINGTON 82 -------------------------

DALLAS (Ticker) -- The Washington Wizards' preseason opener was one to forget.

Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Bass scored 17 points apiece as the Dallas Mavericks rolled to a 108-82 exhibition victory over the Wizards.

Washington's biggest loss, however, was its star forward Antawn Jamison, who left in the first quarter with a strained right knee and did not return. While Mavericks All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki was driving to the basket, Jamison's knee buckled while guarding him before falling to the ground in obvious pain.

The 32-year-old averaged 21.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in 79 games last season for the Wizards, who are already without center Brendan Haywood and three-time All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas, who is recovering from a third operation on his left knee.

Andray Blatche poured in 18 points for the Wizards.

Josh Howard had 15 points, while Jason Kidd added six , five rebounds and seven assists for the Mavericks, who outscored their opposition, 28-12, in the second.

Prior the game, Dallas announced that Paul Westphal, who spent last season as an assistant coach with team, was named executive vice president of basketball operations.

Rick Carlisle, who took over as head coach after Avery Johnson was fired following a first-round exit in the playoffs last season, made his debut on the sideline with the Mavericks.

HOUSTON 96, MEMPHIS 93 ----------------------

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman said that newcomer Ron Artest had been a positive addition in practice. The forward proved to be an outstanding contributor in games as well.

Artest had 15 points and six rebounds in his debut with the Rockets, a 96-93 exhibition victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at the Toyota Center on Tuesday.

Acquired from the Sacramento Kings in an offseason trade, Artest began strong, collecting 12 points and four rebounds in the first quarter alone.

Aaron Brooks added 13 points, including the go-ahead on a drive with 16 seconds to play, and Brent Barry added a pair of free throws with two seconds left en route to finishing with 10 points.

Reserve forward Carl Landry also had a big start, collecting 10 points and six boards in 11 minutes in the first half as Houston took a 46-43 lead.

Signed to an offer sheet by the Charlotte Bobcats in the offseason that the Rockets chose to match, Landry finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.

O.J. Mayo, the third overall pick from Southern California, proved to worthy of the hype surrounding him, starting his professional career for Memphis with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting while playing 30 minutes.

Houston did play without both Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier, who both underwent offseason surgeries and did not dress. Battier is expected to be out for a month rehabbing his foot.

Yao Ming, who missed the last third of the 2007-08 season with a foot injury, had 10 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes for the Rockets.

UTAH 99, LA LAKERS 90 ---------------------

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Utah Jazz held off the Los Angeles Lakers, 99-90, in Tuesday's preseason opener for both teams at the Honda Center.

Andrew Bynum had 15 points and eight rebounds in his first game action in nearly nine months for the Lakers, who were coached by Kurt Rambis as Phil Jackson took the night off due to swelling and soreness in his legs.

Bynum returned to the court for the first time since injuring his left knee on January 13 in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The injury forced the up-and-coming center to miss the remainder of the regular season and the team's trip to the NBA Finals.

Wearing a light brace on the knee, Bynum played 24 minutes off the bench. He replaced Pau Gasol midway through the opening quarter and showed no signs of discomfort.

The Jazz took a 76-69 lead into the fourth and held off the Lakers' attempts at a comeback. Bynum got Los Angeles within 89-84 with 5:34 remaining, but the Jazz responded with six straight points.

Paul Millsap and Ronnie Brewer each scored 13 points and Deron Williams added 11 and eight assists for the Jazz, who were defeated by the Lakers, 4-2, in last season's Western Conference semifinals.

The league's reigning Most Valuable Player, Kobe Bryant had eight points and five rebounds in 24 minutes.

All-Star forward Carlos Boozer was held out of the Jazz's lineup as a precautionary measure after experiencing soreness in his left hamstring.