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In the EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE, Scott Bordow writes, "Jerry Colangelo was riding up an escalator of a local hotel. Coming down were more than a dozen of the retired players. Some were in their late 30s. Others were in their 60s. They were a walking, talking encyclopedia of Colangelo’s 40 years in the NBA. 'My entire career went by me,' Colangelo said. That career will be celebrated tonight when Colangelo is inducted into the Suns’ Ring of Honor at halftime of the Suns-Cleveland Cavaliers game. Colangelo’s family will be in attendance. So will all 10 living members of the Ring of Honor. (Cotton Fitzsimmons will be represented by his wife, JoAnn). They will pay their respects to a man who built the Suns franchise from the ground up and then used that platform to become a civic leader and key player in the redevelopment of downtown Phoenix."

TORONTO (AP) — Celtics coach Doc Rivers left the team before Boston's game Sunday against the Raptors after his father died in Chicago.

The Celtics said Rivers left Toronto on Sunday morning. Grady Alexander Rivers Sr. was 76. There was no immediate word on the cause of death.

Assistants Tom Thibodeau and Armond Hill handled the coaching duties in Rivers' absence.

In the NEW YORK POST, Fred Kerber:writes, "Vince Carter reached 15,000 points ... Carter became the third-fastest active player to hit 15,000 when he recorded his sixth point of the night - in his 623d game - with a 16-footer at 1:57 of the first quarter. The two active guys ahead of him are Shaquille O'Neal (547 games) and Allen Iverson (557)."

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 3 (AP) -- 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 home against Toronto.

Bostjan Nachbar, though, delivered for the Nets off the bench in the fourth, hitting a pair of 3s that kept them from letting the game slip away. Nachbar, who sank his only 3s of the game in the quarter was on the floor to open the fourth when coach Lawrence Frank decided to mix up the rotation.

The Nets opened the fourth with Carter and four reserves while Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks, looking for a way to get the Sixers going, started the period will five reserves on the floor.

Korver sank his first 3 to pull the Sixers within five. Rodney Carney picked Carter clean and turned the steal into a fastbreak dunk.

Nachbar, though, answered each of those baskets with 3-pointers to put New Jersey up 75-67.

Korver and Lou Williams have been the only reliable offensive options for the Sixers off the bench. Williams converted a steal into a dunk and then scored on a driving layup that made it 77-73. Samuel Dalembert, who scored 13 points, sank two free throws and it was only a two-point deficit.

Iguodala's 3 sliced the lead to 83-79, but the Sixers never got closer than three points over the final 4 minutes.

Dalembert missed 4 of 8 free throws in the waning minutes that squelched all hope of a rally for the Sixers, who opened a four-game homestand after playing the first two on the road.

The Nets rebounded from a woeful first half to shoot 41 percent from the floor. Not bad, considering the Nets missed 15 of 21 shots in the first quarter.

Notes: Philadelphia's starters came down through the stands during pregame introductions. ... Iguodala thanked the fans for their support in a pregame speech and told them he hoped for an exciting season. ... The Sixers play 14 of their first 23 games at home after starting last season with 22 of their 33 on the road.

DALLAS, Nov. 3 (AP) -- 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.

The second-year guard was slowed by leg cramps early in the third quarter and received a standing ovation when he went to the bench early in the fourth quarter, following a nifty scooping layup. Another highlight came on a fast break in the second quarter, when he tipped a pass to himself, collected it and scored around Brad Miller, drawing a foul against the former All-Star. Miller landed on his back, then stood with hands on hips as he watched a replay on the overhead monitor.

Kevin Martin led Sacramento with 28 points. John Salmons had 27 and Francisco Garcia 23, but the Kings plopped to 0-3 with their most lopsided loss yet - and that's saying something considering how awful their first two games went.

With Mike Bibby injured and Ron Artest suspended, Sacramento has led once all season: 2-0 in the opener. New coach Reggie Theus' club hasn't even been tied since the opener was 4-4.

The only solace in this game was that the first half was less embarrassing than the franchise-worst outing the night before in San Antonio.

Sacramento scored 25 points in the first quarter, topping the 23 it had the first two quarters against the Spurs. The Kings started this game 11-of-16, a quantum leap from the 7-of-36 start down south.

Still, Sacramento was barely competitive. Dallas led by at least 13 the entire second half.

Before their first home game since an embarrassing first-round playoff exit last year, Jerry Stackhouse addressed the fans from midcourt. He said this was the third straight year he's made a season-opening speech, so he asked Nowitzki if he wanted to say anything.

"He said, 'Stack, go do your thing. I'll talk at the championship ceremony,''' Stackhouse said, drawing a loud ovation and a big smile from Nowitzki.

Notes: Howard's suspension was for smacking Miller in the head in a preseason game. They got along just fine this time. ... Sacramento had more turnovers (10) than rebounds (8) at halftime. ... Dallas scored 73 first-half points, topping last season's best of 66. The franchise record is 85. ... Harris said he hopes to return for Dallas on Monday night at home against Houston. ... Howard is wearing a brace on his left wrist. He can't wait to get it off - so he can go back to wearing two white wristbands. ... With 5:22 left in the first quarter, Barea had outscored Sacramento 10-8.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 3 (AP) -- An unbeaten start so far is helping the Indiana Pacers forget about a disappointing last season.

With a 35-47 record, the Pacers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and they are not forgetting about it.

"For a lot of us it's about pride,'' Indiana guard Mike Dunleavy said. "We all felt terrible about the way the season ended. ... This team has a sour taste in its mouth from last year, and I feel like we will keep it with us throughout the season.''

Dunleavy had 27 points and eight rebounds Saturday night to help the Indiana Pacers remain 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 Jamaal 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.

"Offensively, we felt like: 'Man, they're just pounding us.' We never felt like we had them on their heels. It was always the other way around,'' said Memphis' Casey Jacobsen, who had 12 points.

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.

"We didn't get back in transition,'' O'Neal said of the Grizzlies run. "Those guys are a pretty fast team. We knew they were going to make a run. When teams make runs, we have to withstand them and play good defense.''

Memphis continually made mistakes to keep from overtaking the Pacers. The Grizzlies' 27 turnovers led to 36 points. Lowry had six of the miscues.

"They deserve some credit for the turnovers,'' Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said, "but not 27 of them.''

Memphis looked lethargic during the early stages, and the lack of defense allowed Indiana to shoot 64 percent in the half. Dunleavy had 15 points as Indiana built a 72-61 lead at the break.

"That was a little too much,'' Gasol said of the shooting percentage. "We put ourselves in a hole. We fight back, and fight back, and we might cut it to a very close game, but we shouldn't have to do that.''

Notes: The game was the second of a pair of season-opening home games for the Grizzlies. Memphis heads out on the road for 10 days with stops in Seattle, Portland and Utah. ... Pacers F Shawne Williams, who played collegiately at Memphis, didn't get to play in his hometown. Williams was serving the last game of a team-imposed three-game suspension for violating team standards stemming from driving without a license. ... O'Neal was whistled for a technical while sitting on the bench in the third period. ... O'Neal, who missed the opening game of the season recovering from a hyperextended left knee after offseason arthroscopic surgery, said he is improving. "I'm still not where I need to be,'' the Pacers center said. "Hopefully, next game I'm not limited to 25 minutes like the doctor put me at for the first two games. ...I don't see this 25-minute-a-game-thing going too much longer.'' ... Dunleavy got a split upper lip in Friday night's game against Miami that required 12 stitches. Saturday, the lip took another shot, sending him to the locker room shortly before halftime. "I've got a fat lip, a real fat lip, and that's how it's going to be for awhile,'' he said.

HOUSTON, Nov. 3 (AP) -- The Houston Rockets have a new-look, fast-paced offense under Coach Rick Adelman.

For a half on Saturday night, the defense looked as stingy as it did under Jeff Van Gundy.

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

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).

Portland started making baskets when the outcome was decided. The Blazers trailed by 15 at the break after shooting 29.7 percent (11 of 37) and committing 13 turnovers in the first half.

"We made 'em take tough shots, we contested a lot of jumpers, we kept them out of the paint,'' said McGrady, who had one of Houston's eight steals.

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.

Following a 47-point effort at Utah on Thursday, McGrady started 4-for-8, then went 4-for-15 the rest of the way. Yao went 2-for-7 in the second half and even missed a dunk.

The Rockets never needed big games from either All-Star because the Blazers were off-target from the start.

Houston opened with an 18-4 run as Portland missed 14 of its first 17 shots. Yao and McGrady scored 20 points together in the first quarter as Houston built a 25-12 lead.

In their first two games, the Rockets fell behind early in Los Angeles and Utah and rallied to win both times.

"We came out better,'' McGrady said. "The last two games, we've been kind of flat. For the most part, we came out ready to roll in that first quarter.''

Yao flipped in a turnaround jumper to start a 9-0 burst that pushed the lead over 20 early in the second quarter. Yao hit six of his first eight shots.

The Blazers cut Houston's lead to 15 before McGrady returned after a long rest. He hit two long jumpers, then drove through traffic for another basket to stretch the lead to 42-23.

"We need to get off to a better start,'' Roy said. "We can't dig such a big hole against a team that is as good as Houston.''

Channing Frye and Aldridge scored inside in the first minute of the third quarter as Portland closed the deficit to 11. The Rockets missed their first five shots before Chuck Hayes made a layup off an assist from McGrady.

The Blazers hit 7 of their first 9 shots after the break and Roy's pull-up jumper with 6:03 left in the third quarter pulled Portland to within eight, at 54-46. Out of a time out, McGrady found Luis Scola for an easy layup to restore the double-digit lead.

Portland missed its last eight shots of the third quarter and Houston led 62-46 heading to the fourth.

Though the Blazers couldn't cut into their deficit, Coach Nate McMillan liked what he saw from his team out of halftime.

"They came out with fire and fight and were much more aggressive in the second half,'' he said.

Roy scored to end the Blazers' drought, but Mike James answered with a long jumper from the wing. James was 3-for-7 from 3-point range and scored 17 for Houston.

The teams virtually traded baskets until Aldridge scored twice to cut the deficit to eight in the final two minutes. McGrady finished off Portland with a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:25 left that put the Rockets up 83-72.

The Blazers failed to reach 20 points in any of the first three quarters, then outscored Houston 34-27 in the fourth.

"I'm not satisfied with the way we executed down the stretch,'' McGrady said.

Notes: The only real suspense in the fourth quarter came when the fans started chanting, "We want Steve!'' hoping Steve Francis would check in. Adelman never appeased them. The Rockets signed Francis over the summer, but he has yet to enter the game. Adelman bristled when asked about it after the game. "I can't control that,'' Adelman said. "If people want to do that, that's part of the game, I guess.'' ... Martell Webster had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers. ... Portland plays its home opener on Wednesday against New Orleans. The Blazers started the season with three straight road games for just the second time in franchise history.

MILWAUKEE, Nov. 3 (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks haven't exactly fixed their defense, but they didn't have to against a Chicago Bulls team that's looking lost on offense.

Michael Redd scored 27 points and rookie Yi Jianlian added 16 in his strongest performance yet to help the Bucks beat the Bulls 78-72 Saturday night for their first victory of the season.

Milwaukee snapped a 15-game losing streak to Central Division opponents dating back nearly a year, and kept Chicago winless through the first week of the season.

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

"It's important for us to take a little bit of this and bottle it up,'' Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "Because if we play with that kind of focus and energy on the defensive (end) consistently, then we'll have an opportunity to make some strides.''

But Bulls coach Scott Skiles saw plenty of open shots available to his players. They just didn't knock many of them down.

"We just don't look like we're real confident right now, and it shouldn't be that way at this level,'' Skiles said.

Shot after open shot clanked off the rim for the Bulls. Deng was 4-for-11 from the floor, Hinrich 3-for-12. Hinrich described the offense as "helter-skelter'' and said the Bulls simply don't have any composure.

And, so far, they don't have a win through their first three games.

"It is tough,'' Deng said. "It's something we didn't expect. Now that we're here, we've got to find a way to get out of it.''

Redd led the Bucks in scoring, but Yi's good first impression on his new hometown fans stood out the most.

"He took the challenge and made some huge shots and became a playmaker,'' said Redd, who bowed with his hands together in a salute to Yi just before the opening tip. "I'm proud of his development. He's growing.''

Yi played a key role in keeping Milwaukee in the game in the second half.

His jumper tied the game at 37 with 7:39 left in the third quarter. Milwaukee's Dan Gadzuric blocked the Bulls' Thomas on the other end, and Bucks guard Mo Williams found Yi with a pass for another long rainbow jumper that put the Bucks ahead 39-37.

With Milwaukee trailing by two later in the quarter, Yi blocked a shot by Thomas and Redd hit a jumper to tie the game at 43.

"There's been an awful lot of focus on this young man, and the whole process is a marathon,'' Krystkowiak said. "This is big for his confidence. ... It's only one game, but I'm really proud of him.''

Speaking with only occasional help from an interpreter, the Chinese star said he recognized the importance of the Bucks' home opener.

"This game for our team was very important,'' Yi said. "First home game, opening game and we lost two in a row, so we've got to win.''

The Bucks began the season by losing their first two games on the road, at Orlando on Wednesday and at Charlotte on Friday. They allowed too many open shots to the Magic, and couldn't stop the Bobcats from driving to the rim.

Chicago also opened the season with a pair of losses, at New Jersey on Wednesday and at home to Philadelphia on Friday.

The Bulls might have been distracted by a swarm of trade rumors involving a potential deal with the Los Angeles Lakers that would have brought Kobe Bryant to Chicago. But Bulls general manager John Paxson declared on Thursday that no deal was imminent, scuttling trade talk at least for the time being.

Wallace said he wasn't surprised by the 0-3 start, because the Bulls had chances to win each game and didn't take advantage of their opportunities.

"We've just got to play through it, that's all,'' he said.

Notes: The Bucks have won their last five home openers. ... Joe Smith scored 14 for Chicago. ... Bucks center Andrew Bogut was limited by foul trouble, but delivered three key scores in the final six minutes of the game to help keep Milwaukee in the lead.

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 3 (AP) -- The Utah Jazz took a page from the Golden State Warriors playbook, going with an uptempo offense.

Deron Williams scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz beat the Golden State Warriors 133-110 on Saturday night.

With the Jazz holding a six-point lead, Williams made seven of his final eight shots to turn the game into a rout. Utah's 133 points were the most for the team since a 133-124 overtime victory over Minnesota on Nov. 24, 1997.

"I have been disappointed in my shooting effort, but I got a couple of easy ones and I got my confidence going,'' said Williams, who also had 11 assists. "I felt good out there.''

Al Harrington led Golden State with 38 points on 15-for-20 shooting. Kelenna Azubuike added 17 points.

Mehmet Okur scored 28 points and Ronnie Brewer added 19 for the Jazz, who had seven players score in double figures. Williams hit four of the Jazz's 12 3-pointers. Utah was 12-for-16 from behind the arc.

"D-Will had a fantastic fourth quarter,'' Carlos Boozer said. "He got hot, Memo (Okur) got hot and I got hot too and we ended up shooting the ball really well.''

The Jazz built a 23-point lead in the third quarter before the Warriors rallied to 99-93 with 9:09 left in the fourth.

"Unbelievable. I looked up and I thought we had a shot to win it,'' said Warriors coach Don Nelson. "We got within eight points with five minutes or so, and the next time I looked up, it was 18 points.''

Williams ended any hope of a comeback with his late-game shooting.

"D-Will flourishes in this kind of a game,'' Brewer said. "He got us into a flow and we have an ability to score a lot of points when that happens.''

The Warriors started fast and led 20-9 on Harrington's dunk midway through the first quarter, but Utah closed the period on a 19-8 run to take a one-point advantage. The Jazz outscored the Warriors 36-18 in the second quarter to take a 19-point halftime advantage.

It was the second victory for Utah over Golden State this season. The Jazz beat the Warriors 117-96 to spoil Golden State's home opener Tuesday night.

"We're coming. We're coming,'' said Baron Davis, who had 11 points for Golden State. "We just have to continue gelling. The Jazz really move the ball well as a team. They have a system and the system has worked for them for years.''

MIAMI, Nov. 3 (AP) -- Doctors say Dwyane Wade is ready to play. Wade isn't completely convinced quite yet.

So that's why the star Miami Heat guard said Saturday that he doesn't have a specific game in mind for his return to the lineup, following nearly six months of rehabilitating his surgically repaired left shoulder and left knee.

The reason: He wants to make absolutely certain that his shoulder is ready for the rigors of NBA play.

"That's why I'm not coming back tomorrow,'' Wade said Saturday at an event promoting his newest Converse shoe. "I'm cleared, but I know that will be on my mind. It's not like I'm not going to think about it at all, but when I'm on the court I just want to be thinking about the game.''

Wade had surgery May 15 to repair both a dislocated left shoulder -- an injury suffered in February and which kept him sidelined for about two months -- and relieve pain from a condition commonly called "jumper's knee.'' His knee hurt so much at the end of last season, Wade would wince while trying to dunk.

He was cleared to return Thursday by Dr. Harlan Selesnick of the Heat medical staff, and will participate in his first full-contact practice of the season Monday morning.

Wade has been doing non-contact work in team practices, plus has done other drills individually to try to speed up the process.

"I wish I knew how many practices it would take to get ready,'' Wade said. "I would tell everybody if I knew.''

Wade will likely give the team no more than one day notice before deciding to play. Barring no setbacks, there's a sense the 2006 finals MVP could be ready in time for Miami's game at New York on Nov. 11 or at Charlotte on Nov. 13.

Either way, he won't be sidelined much longer.

"I'm excited. I'm excited to get back in the mix, getting back to playing the game I love to play,'' Wade said. "Getting back to my teammates, that's the most important thing.''

Wade appeared at the Overtown Youth Center in downtown Miami, giving away about 150 pairs of the shoes that bear his name to children. He also unveiled a program called "Open Gym,'' where time on basketball courts will be provided to kids in an effort to get more of them involved in the game.

"It's like how I started playing basketball in an open gym, unorganized basketball, unstructured, just really playing in the love of the game,'' Wade said.