Hamilton, Boozer lead Bulls past Cavaliers

CLEVELAND, Ohio: Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott got right to the point after watching the Chicago Bulls dismantle his team Friday night.
“That’s what you call a good, old-fashioned butt-whipping,” he said following the Bulls’ 115-86 win in Cleveland.
No one would argue with Scott’s assessment. Chicago dominated from start to finish and is 2-0 for the first time since the 2002-03 season despite playing without star point guard Derrick Rose.
Richard Hamilton and Carlos Boozer each scored 19 points to pace a balanced attack. Nate Robinson added 16 points and 12 assists for the Bulls, who led the entire game after Boozer hit a jumper 23 seconds in. Chicago made 14 of 19 shots from the field in the first quarter and led, 36-16, with 10:34 remaining in the second.
Hamilton scored 14 points in the third quarter, and Robinson had 12 in the second. The Bulls shot 63.8 percent from the field for the game, hitting 44 of 69 shots.
“It was awesome,” Hamilton said. “It felt good. Everyone was catching the ball in their sweet spots.” Hamilton, who is entering his 14th season, scored 19 points in Chicago’s season-opening win over Sacramento. After being plagued by injuries last season, the 34-year-old guard could give the Bulls another scoring option, which would be especially helpful with Rose unavailable. Rose isn’t expected to return until the second half of the season because of a knee injury.
“In the third quarter, I decided to get a little more aggressive,” Hamilton said. “Some dude behind me called me Old Man River, so I had to show him how it’s done.” Hamilton’s scoring spree gave his teammates a boost.
“All you heard was his name: ‘Rip Hamilton, Rip Hamilton.’ He got us all going,” Robinson said.
The Bulls have won nine straight games over the Cavaliers, who haven’t recorded a win in the series since LeBron James left town after the 2010 season. Chicago has won the last four games by an average margin of 30.2 points. The Cavaliers haven’t defeated the Bulls since March 19, 2010.

Bucks 99, Celtics 88: At Boston: Brandon Jennings had 21 points, 13 assists and six steals and Milwaukee won its first season opener in six years with a victory over Boston.
The Bucks never trailed after the first 6 minutes and led by at least 11 points throughout the second half as the Celtics, who allowed the second-fewest points in the NBA last season, struggled defensively for the second consecutive game.

Hornets 88, Jazz 86: At New Orleans: Greivis Vasquez hit a driving layup with 1.3 seconds left, leading New Orleans to a victory over Utah even though the Hornets played without rookie center Anthony Davis for the second half. Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, left with 4:51 to play in the first half after taking an inadvertent elbow to the temple from fellow rookie and teammate Austin Rivers. Davis had eight points — all on dunks — six rebounds and two blocked shots.


Timberwolves 92, Kings 80: At Minneapolis: J.J. Barea had 21 points and five assists in 28 minutes for Minnesota, helping the Timberwolves overcome a weak shooting performance in their season opener and beat Sacramento.

Magic 102, Nuggets 89: At Orlando, Florida: Glen Davis scored 29 points, J.J. Redick added 21 and Orlando sprinted out to an early lead before holding off Denver.


Bobcats 90, Pacers 89: At Charlotte, North Carolina: Kemba Walker scored a career-high 30 points in Mike Dunlap’s coaching debut and Charlotte snapped a 23-game losing streak with a victory over Indiana.


Rockets 109, Hawks 102: At Atlanta: James Harden continued to shine at the start of his Houston career, scoring a career-high 45 points to lead the Rockets to a victory over Atlanta.


Thunder 106, Trail Blazers 92: At Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook scored 32 points, Kevin Durant had 23 points and 17 rebounds and Oklahoma City beat Portland to win its fourth straight home opener.


Knicks 104, Heat 84: At New York: Carmelo Anthony had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and the Knicks gave suffering New Yorkers something to cheer with a victory over Miami in a storm-delayed season opener.


Suns 92, Pistons 89: At Phoenix: Marcin Gortat had 16 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots and Phoenix held off a late Detroit rally to beat the Pistons.