INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers couldn't have scripted it better.

Pacers president Larry Bird brought in seven new players in the offseason to improve the team's talent level and overhaul its image after numerous off-the-court incidents the past several years.

The payoff was immediate. Danny Granger scored 20 points, new point guard T.J. Ford added 19, and a sellout crowd watched the Pacers beat the defending champion Boston Celtics 95-79 last night in their home opener.

"I certainly think the fans saw a full-out effort for 48 minutes," Indiana coach Jim O'Brien said. "Nobody would say that the Indiana Pacers left anything on the court."

Well, except teeth. Granger lost his two front teeth in the fourth quarter when Paul Pierce fell on him while they were diving on the floor after a loose ball.

"It was a hell of a hustle play," O'Brien said. "He pressured up on Pierce, got a deflection, dove face first. I went out to say, 'great job,' he smiled at me and he didn't have any teeth."

The Pacers noticed that Granger's effort came a day after he signed a lucrative contract extension.

"It's a play made by a guy that just signed a long-term deal here," O'Brien said. "He made a statement that he wants to help this franchise get back into the playoffs and to the next level."

Pacers veteran Jeff Foster was impressed.

"Losing his teeth when we're up by 16 just shows the commitment he has, and the commitment everybody else has to have, to make this climb back up the mountain."

Ford, the key acquisition in the trade that sent Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto, also had four assists. Backup point guard Jarrett Jack, picked up in a trade with Portland, added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Kevin Garnett led Boston with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Pierce scored 15 points, but shot 3 for 15 from the field. Ray Allen finished with 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting.

The Celtics (2-1) started last season 12-0, but won't duplicate that early success because of poor fundamentals. The Celtics had 24 turnovers and shot 21 for 35 from the free-throw line on Saturday.

The Pacers led by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter against a team that had just three double-digit losses last season on its way to a 66-16 record.

"I don't even know what to call it," Garnett said.

It was Indiana's second consecutive strong showing against an upper-echelon Eastern Conference team. The Pacers pushed Detroit before losing 100-94 on Wednesday.

Indiana (1-1) led the Celtics 69-58 at the end of the third quarter, then took complete control in the fourth. Back-to-back layups by Ford made it 85-65 with six minutes to play and brought the crowd to its feet. Marquis Daniels' 3-pointer minutes later gave the Pacers their largest lead, 92-67.

JAZZ 101, CLIPPERS 79

SALT LAKE CITY — Carlos Boozer had 25 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, and Utah pulled away with a 30-4 run in the second half. Brevin Knight had six assists in his second game for the Jazz, who set a team record with just five turnovers and improved to 2-0.

BOBCATS 100, HEAT 87

CHARLOTTE, N.C — Gerald Wallace scored 34 points and Larry Brown earned his first victory in his ninth NBA head coaching job. After a winless preseason and an ugly loss at Cleveland to open the regular season, Brown earned his 1,011th career win.

HAWKS 95, 76ERS 88

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson scored 35 points, including a long 3-pointer that clinched it with 11 seconds remaining, and Atlanta battled back from a 23-point deficit to get the win. The Hawks improved to 2-0 in their home opener, the team's best start in a decade.

MAGIC 121, KINGS 103

ORLANDO, Fla. — Dwight Howard had 29 points and 14 rebounds, as Orlando earned its first victory of the season. Rashard Lewis had 26 points, Hedo Turkoglu scored 21 and Mickael Pietrus added 20 for the Magic.

MAVERICKS 95, TIMBERWOLVES 85

MINNEAPOLIS — Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points, Jason Terry added 19, and Dallas picked up its first victory of the season. Josh Howard had 14 points for the Mavericks, who have won nine straight over the Timberwolves.

PISTONS 117, WIZARDS 109

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and Rasheed Wallace added 17 points and 11 rebounds to send Detroit past Washington.

HORNETS 104, CAVALIERS 92

NEW ORLEANS — Chris Paul had 24 points and 15 assists, and New Orleans remained perfect on the young season with a victory over Cleveland. David West added 25 points and James Posey scored 15.

WARRIORS 105, NETS 97

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Andris Biedrins had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Stephen Jackson scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half to lead Golden State over New Jersey.

RAPTORS 91, BUCKS 87

MILWAUKEE — Jose Calderon scored a career-high 25 points as Toronto won its third straight game. Chris Bosh had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Jamario Moon added 15 points for Toronto.

ROCKETS 89, THUNDER 77

HOUSTON — Tracy McGrady had 22 points, Yao Ming added 16 and Houston beat Oklahoma City for its third straight win. Carl Landry had 14 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds for Houston. Ron Artest, Luis Scola and Rafer Alston added 10 points apiece.

LAKERS 104, NUGGETS 97

DENVER — Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and Los Angeles nearly became the first team in three years to hold Carmelo Anthony to single digits in a win over Denver. Coming off a two-game suspension, Anthony scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. He made two 3-pointers with under a minute left.

BULLS 96, GRIZZLIES 86

CHICAGO — Rookie Derrick Rose scored 26 points, and Kirk Hinrich added 18 to lead Chicago over Memphis. Rose, the Chicago native and No. 1 draft pick, scored 10 of his points in the second quarter.

SUNS 107, BLAZERS 96

PHOENIX — Amare Stoudemire scored 16 of his 23 points in the decisive third quarter and Phoenix beat Portland to give Terry Porter his first home victory as Suns coach.

OVER AND BACK

Nuggets: Denver is counting on keeping Linas Kleiza around for many more years, but the Nuggets may have opened the door for him to play in Europe instead. The Nuggets decided at the last minute not to sign Kleiza to a four-year, $25 million extension because of economic uncertainties, meaning he'll become a restricted free agent after the season. Denver will then have the right to match any offer he gets — unless that offer comes from Europe and not the NBA.

Bobcats: Forward Sean May was on the inactive list for yesterday's game against Miami, two days after coach Larry Brown criticized his fitness following a sluggish performance in the season opener. May started in Charlotte's 96-79 loss to Cleveland on Thursday night, but was 0 for 6 from the field and played only 3 minutes in the second half. Brown said May needs to get in much better condition and lose weight after missing all of last season following microfracture surgery on his right knee.