Los Angeles  - A third time with the Denver Nuggets wasn't the charm for Antonio McDyess, after the club agreed to a contract buyout and waived the veteran power forward on Monday.

The move comes a week after the Detroit Pistons shipped McDyess, along with Chauncey Billups and Cheikh Samb, to the Nuggets for Allen Iverson in the first blockbuster trade of the young season.

A fan favourite in Detroit, the 34-year-old McDyess is most likely to re-sign with the Pistons after clearing the required 30-day waiting period.

Los Angeles  - The Detroit Pistons' second game with newly-acquired Allen Iverson was worse than the first.

Reserve Tony Allen scored 23 points, Ray Allen had 17 and the Celtics rolled to their fourth straight victory by punishing the Pistons 88-76 in Iverson's home-debut at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

"It was our best defence of the year by far, and it was all game," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "We had active hands, were physical, got up in their bodies, and it was neat to see."

Los Angeles - In a matter of less than two seconds, Brandon Roy rode an emotional coaster before finishing on a high.

Roy nailed a 30-foot 3-pointer jumper to beat the overtime buzzer, and give the Portland Trail Blazers a dramatic 101-99 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

"In this building we're never out of it," said Roy, who finished with 17 points on just six-of-18 shooting from the field.

Los Angeles - Hours after losing Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess in a blockbuster trade, the Detroit Pistons went about their business as usual

Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Rasheed Wallace had 15 to lead six teammates in double figures as the undefeated Pistons rolled to their third straight victory to start the season, by bashing the Charlotte Bobcats 101-83 on Monday night.

The victory wrapped up an emotional day for the Pistons, who sent their floor leader and three-time All-Star guard Billups, fan favourite forward Antonio McDyess and backup centre Cheikh Samb to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for the high-scoring guard Allen Iverson

Los Angeles - Chris Bosh took care of the offense and made sure his Toronto Raptors teammates handled the defense down the stretch.

Bosh had 31 points with nine rebounds, and the Raptors won their season home-opener by dominating the Golden State Warriors in overtime for a 112-108 victory on Friday night.

"We just got to play tough down the stretch, that's really what it's all about," said Bosh, who scored 14 points in the final quarter and overtime.

"We knew we had to jump on them. That's what overtime is all about, especially when you're at home," he added. "We jumped on them early. I told them, 'Look, we don't worry about offense. If we stop them we're going to win the game.'"

Los Angeles - Portland Trail Blazers prize rookie Greg Oden can't seem to stay healthy.

Oden made his long-awaited NBA debut on Tuesday night but will now be sidelined for the next two to four weeks after suffering a right-foot injury.

The top pick in the 2007 draft, Oden missed the entire season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee. The latest setback is expected to keep him out for between six and 14 games.