TORONTO – Loren Woods had 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and Vince Carter scored seven of 12 points in the final three minutes to help the Toronto Raptors improve to 2-0 with a 101-89 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Chris Bosh led a balanced Toronto attack with 18 points. Six Raptors players reached double figures.

Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups led Detroit with 24 points apiece.

The Pistons were without coach Larry Brown, who had surgery on his left hip Wednesday and is expected to be away from the team for seven to 10 days. Assistant coach Gar Heard is running the Pistons during Brown’s absence.

Toronto’s reserves outscored Detroit’s backups 30-8. The Pistons’ reserves scored only six points in their season-opening win on Tuesday.

After Rafer Alston’s 3-pointer from the corner gave Toronto a 10-point lead with 4:19 left, Carter blocked Hamilton’s shot and Woods followed with a fastbreak layup.

Carter’s fadeaway jumper gave Toronto 94-80 lead with 3:01 remaining.

After Ben Wallace’s dunk attempt rattled off the back of the rim, Carter knocked the ball down the court with his fist to Woods, who made a tip-in.

Carter followed with a 3-pointer and a jumper, giving Toronto a 101-85 lead with 1:34 left.

Suns 108, 76ers 98

PHILADELPHIA – Amare Stoudemire scored 29 points, Shawn Marion had 24, and Joe Johnson 22 to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 108-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

The young, athletic Suns have made an early impact, blowing out Atlanta in a 30-point win and running out to a 21-point, first-half lead against the Sixers. With arms flailing everywhere on a hustling defense and an up-tempo, fastbreaking offense, Phoenix seems ready to prove it can challenge for a playoff berth.

The Suns also got big games from their two major offseason acquisitions: Quentin Richardson scored 15 points, and Steve Nash had 10 assists. Phoenix made 11 of 28 3-pointers.

Allen Iverson led the Sixers with 25 points, Willie Green had 16, and Kenny Thomas had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The loss spoiled the home debut for 76ers coach Jim O’Brien, the Philly native who was a three-year starter at Saint Joseph’s and is the son-in-law of former 76ers coach Jack Ramsay.

The Suns’ early cushion proved critical when the Sixers started chipping away in the second half. But with every basket that brought the opening-night crowd alive, Phoenix came right back with one of its own.

Magic 90, Hornets 89

NEW ORLEANS – Steve Francis has his new franchise 2-0.

Francis hit his second game-winner, soaring into the lane to put back Pat Garrity’s missed 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left Friday night. That gave the Orlando Magic a 90-89 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

Baron Davis, whose 36 points kept the Hornets in the game, had the ball in his hands along the baseline as the last seconds ticked away.

He made a no-look pass into the paint, but Jamaal Magloire bobbled it and had to rush a shot that was blocked by former Hornet Stacy Augmon.

The ending stunned the crowd, charged up after watching the Hornets rally to take only their second lead of the game on David Wesley’s 3-pointer with 19 seconds left.

On the Magic’s next possession, Garrity missed a 3-pointer but Francis – acquired in an offseason deal for Tracy McGrady – won the scramble for a long rebound and was given a time-out as he slid to the floor. The call infuriated the Hornets, who wanted Francis called for traveling.

Francis finished with 19 points.

Rockets 89, Grizzlies 81

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tracy McGrady scored 30 points and had nine assists, leading the Houston Rockets past the Memphis Grizzlies 89-81 on Friday night.

Jim Jackson scored 14 points, and Juwan Howard had 11 points for the Rockets, who avoided becoming the sixth team in club history to start 0-3 despite being in foul trouble all night. Houston played its third straight on the road and is in the midst of a four game in five night stretch.

Memphis was led by Pau Gasol with 21 points. Bonzi Wells had 15 points and Jason Williams added 11.

Grizzlies starters shot 16-of-47 from the field.

Yao Ming, who finished with eight points and four rebounds in 22 minutes, picked up his fifth foul with the Rockets leading 67-60 with 11:37 remaining.

Tyronn Lue made a 3-pointer and a one-handed scoop layup for Houston to make it 82-71 with 4:47 left, and Memphis never came within seven after that despite 12 straight points from Gasol.