Preseason roundup: Jamison leaves with strained knee, Mavs rout Wizards
CBSSports.com wire reports
DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Bass each scored 17 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 108-82 victory against the injury-depleted Washington Wizards on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams.
Wizards forward Antawn Jamison left in the first quarter with a right knee injury and did not return.
Jamison's leg appeared to buckle while playing defense midway through the first quarter, and he had to be helped to the locker room by teammates. A team spokesman at first said the knee was sprained, but later changed the diagnosis to a less serious-sounding strain.
Jamison will have an MRI and be evaluated on Wednesday. The two-time NBA All-Star averaged 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in 79 games for the Wizards last season.
Wizards center Brendan Haywood missed the game with a sprained right wrist, which he will have examined by a hand specialist in New York City on Wednesday. Haywood sustained the injury last week at training camp.
The Wizards are already without high-scoring guard Gilbert Arenas, who's expected to miss several months with a left knee injury. Full story
Rockets 96, Grizzlies 93
HOUSTON -- Ron Artest scored 12 of his 15 points in the first quarter of his Houston debut.
Tracy McGrady sat out to rest his sore left knee. The Rockets star had offseason surgery to remove loose tissue in the knee and said last week that it was healing slower than expected.
Yao Ming had 10 points and nine rebounds in less than two quarters of action. Houston coach Rick Adelman has said he'll be careful with Yao during the preseason to try to keep the six-time All-Star fresh and injury-free.
Carl Landry, Yao's backup, had 18 points and nine rebounds.
Houston led 71-70 after three quarters, and Artest and Yao were done for the night. Artest played 24 minutes and Yao played just over 22.
Rudy Gay scored 14 for the Grizzlies and had a pair of highlight-reel dunks in the fourth quarter. Hakim Warrick led Memphis with 15, including a dunk that tied it at 92.
Raptors 104, Cavaliers 84
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James spent a rare night relaxing on the bench and Mo Williams showed why Cleveland traded for him this summer.
James played only eight minutes in the first quarter before he raised his hand for a substitute and coach Mike Brown pulled his superstar for the remainder of Cleveland's preseason debut.
James, who won an Olympic gold medal this summer at the Beijing Games, missed his only three shots from the field, made one free throw and added two rebounds and two assists.
The wear and tear on James is a major concern for the Cavaliers. He has had little time away from the floor since last season ended because of his commitment to USA Basketball. Brown intends to reduce James' playing time -- the 23-year-old has been among the league leaders in minutes played throughout his career -- with the idea of keeping him as fresh as possible for the grinding, 82-game schedule and playoffs.
Toronto's Jermaine O'Neal, acquired from Indiana in a July trade, scored 11 points in his Raptors debut. O'Neal missed 40 games last season because of lingering knee problems and dropped weight over the summer to ease the pressure on his joints.
Will Solomon scored 17 points, Andrea Bargnani 15 and Kris Humphries 14 for the Raptors, who didn't attempt a 3-pointer in the first half but dropped six from long range after halftime.
