PHILADELPHIA – Jason Kidd had a triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Richard Jefferson scored 22 points to lead the New Jersey Nets to a 93-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

Vince Carter added 18 points for the Nets.

Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 16 points, and Kyle Korver had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Kidd thwarted a late Sixers rally with a 3-pointer from the left side to give the Nets an 86-80 lead. Kidd was dependable as he’s always been for New Jersey, posting his 88th career triple-double and 50th with the Nets.

The Nets needed that kind of effort after they lost 106-69 on Friday night at Toronto.

Magic 94, Wizards 82

WASHINGTON – “Patience!!!” was written in all capital letters and underlined three times on a grease board in the Washington Wizards’ locker room before their home opener against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.

It was meant to be an instruction for how to play at the offensive end. It might as well have been a warning for basketball fans in the nation’s capital.

Gilbert Arenas was limited to 10 points as Washington’s woes continued, and Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Magic to a 94-82 victory over the Wizards, who are 0-3 for the first time since 1992.

Rockets 89, Blazers 80

HOUSTON – Yao Ming had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Tracy McGrady added 20 points and six assists as the Houston Rockets improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season with an 89-80 win over Portland on Saturday night.

Yao scored only eight points and McGrady only five the second half, but the Rockets stayed in control with their defense, forcing 18 turnovers and holding the Blazers to 41 percent shooting (31 of 76) for the game. Brandon Roy scored 23 and former Texas star LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 for Portland, off to its first 0-3 start since the 1986-87 season.

Bucks 78, Bulls 72

MILWAUKEE – Michael Redd scored 27 points and rookie Yi Jianlian added 16 to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 78-72 on Saturday night for their first victory of the season.

With the win, Milwaukee snapped a 15-game losing streak to Central Division opponents dating back to last season, and kept the Bulls winless through the first week of the season.

Hounded by defensive lapses in their first two games, the Bucks held the Bulls in check. It was a miserable night for the Chicago’s starters. Ben Gordon scored 15, but the rest of the starting five – Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Ben Wallace, Kirk Hinrich – were held to single digits.

Mavericks 123, Kings 102

DALLAS – Point guard J.J. Barea made the most of his first NBA start, hitting 9 of 11 shots for a career-high 25 points, and leading the Dallas Mavericks past the Sacramento Kings 123-102 in their home opener Saturday night.

The Mavericks had 101 points by the end of the third quarter and threatened the franchise’s record for shooting accuracy. They finished 45-of-69 for 65.2 percent, just shy of their best-ever mark of 67.7 set in 1983.

Josh Howard, who missed the first two games because of a suspension, led Dallas with 27 points. Dirk Nowitzki matched Barea’s 9-for-11 performance and had 24 points.

Barea, who is listed as 6 feet but admits to being a few inches less, started because Devin Harris bruised his left thigh the previous night. He made his first four shots and had already topped his career high in points with 17 at the half.

Pacers 121, Grizzlies 111

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Mike Dunleavy scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds Saturday night to help the Indiana Pacers remained unbeaten with a 121-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dunleavy connected on 11-of-17 from the field as six Pacers finished in double figures. Danny Granger added 23, while Jamal Tinsley finished with 14 points and seven assists. Jermaine O’Neal scored 13, and Kareem Rush and Ike Diogu chipped in 12 each.

Kyle Lowry led Memphis with a career-high 19 points and Pau Gasol finished with 18. Mike Miller scored 14 and Rudy Gay finished with 13 in 19 minutes after struggling through foul trouble.

Gasol and Miller had 10 rebounds each.

Memphis, which never led in the game, had finally cut into the Pacers’ double-digit lead during the latter part of the third period. Indiana scored the first nine points of the fourth to rebuild the advantage to 16.

The Grizzlies had one run left midway through the period when they went on an 11-0 run to get to 105-101. A basket by Dunleavy and a pair of field goals by Diogu put an end to the streak, and Indiana was in front to stay.

AP-ES-11-03-07 2255EDT

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