Jeremy Lin's debut with the Charlotte Hornets did not go the way he wanted it to be as they absorbed a 104-94 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena.
Lin, who signed a two-year deal with the Hornets during the offseason, finished with 17 points in 27 minutes off the bench, but it was not enough to help his team win in their season debut.
Heat superstar Chris Bosh proved that he is still a force to reckon with despite missing majority of last season. The All-Star power forward finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow superstar Dwyane Wade racked up 20 points on top of five assists and three rebounds.
Veteran forward Luol Deng added 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while Gerald Green provided a huge lift off the bench with 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting with five three-pointers.
The Heat went firing on all cylinders as they shot 49.3 percent from the field, including a 12-for-20 clip from beyond the arc, while limiting the Hornets to just 39.3 percent from the field.
Charlotte had a strong start and took a 27-23 in the opening period, but the Heat unleashed a huge rally in the second period, outscoring the Hornets, 31-17, to take a 10-point lead at the half. The two Eastern Conference squads went toe-to-toe in the final period, but the Heat managed to protect their lead en route to winning debut.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 19 points on top of four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Al Jefferson posted 17 points and five rebounds, while Marvin Williams had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from their season-opening loss to the Chicago Bulls, as they cruised to a 106-76 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at FedEx Forum in Tennessee.
Kevin Love spearheaded the Cavaliers, as he posted 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and three assists, while LeBron James tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol had 12 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who were limited to 35.4 percent shooting from the field, including a measly 2-for-16 clip from the three-point region.
