Red-hot Wade fires Heat

Dwyane Wade topped the scoring as the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics to make a winning start to their NBA title defence.

Wade scored 29 points in a 120-107 success at Miami's American Airlines Arena, while Paul Pierce led the Celtics' scoring with 23.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were too strong for the Washington Wizards at the Quicken Loans Arena, winning 94-84.

The hosts had the better of the first three quarters, with Kyrie Irving (29) and Anderson Varejao (23) leading their effort.

Jordan Crawford scored 11 points to lead the Wizards, who were without star point guard John Wall, power forward Nene and forward Kevin Seraphin.

The Dallas Mavericks lost the first quarter but turned things around to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-91 at Staples Center - the hosts' Pau Gasol (23) and Kobe Bryant (22) led the scoring.