Los Angeles - Hours after losing Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess in a blockbuster trade, the Detroit Pistons went about their business as usualRichard 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
"It's a tough day when one of your captains gets traded (Billups) and McDyess, one of the emotional leaders of this team; it's a tough day for these guys," rookie coach Michael Curry said.
"So for them to come out and play the way they did we are proud of them. That's what we expect, they have got to come out and play. Regardless of the situation we have got to get the job done."
Curry is looking forward to adding Iverson - a nine-time all-star guard, whose 27.7 career scoring average is third all-time behind Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain - to the mix.
"We are just excited to bring a great player into the fold," Curry explained.
"We got a chance to bring in a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
"What he brings is speed and quickness with the ball. He helps us in the areas of getting into the paint and getting to the free-throw line. He helps with our aggressiveness on defense - he's always among the league leaders in steals."
Iverson is scheduled to take a physical on Tuesday and is expected to play against the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday night.
Will Bynum and Amir Johnson had 12 points apiece for Detroit, which led virtually all the way to beat former head coach and current Bobcats boss Larry Brown.
Shannon Brown topped Charlotte (1-2) with 16 points while Gerald Wallace finished with 15 and 12 boards.
Elsewhere
Cleveland Cavaliers 100, Dallas Mavericks 81
LeBron James had 29 points, and the visiting Cavaliers opened the final quarter on a 13-0 flurry to pull away from the Mavericks.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 17 points with 11 rebounds for Cleveland (2-2), which outscored its hosts 28-15 in the final frame
Josh Howard paced Dallas (1-2) with 18 points. However, German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki finished with just eight points, on three- of-11 shooting.
Memphis Grizzlies 90, Golden State Warriors 79
Spanish rookie Marc Gasol, the younger brother of the LA Lakers star Pau, erupted for 27 points and 16 rebounds, as the Grizzlies ended a seven-game slide against the visiting Warriors.
Rudy Gay added 14 points for the Grizzlies (2-2), who held the Warriors to only 12 fourth-quarter points.
Latvian centre Andris Beidrins had 16 points and 22 rebounds for the Warriors (1-3), who shot an icy 34 per cent (33-of-96) from the field.
Orlando Magic 96, Chicago Bulls 93
Dwight Howard had 22 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks as the Magic held off the visiting Bulls.
The Bulls trailed by 10, but a 9-0 run capped by Ben Gordon's jumper pulled them within 93-92.
However, Rashard Lewis (21 points and 11 boards) hit three-of-four free throws and Argentine Andres Nocioni missed a potential game tying three-pointer at the final buzzer to level the Magic's record at 2-2.
Drew Gooden topped the Bulls (2-2) with 21 points and Nocioni added 20.
Philadelphia 76ers 125, Sacramento Kings 91
Thaddeus Young scored 18 points and Louis Williams added 17 off the bench to lead eight players in double figures as the host 76ers kept the Kings winless through four games.
Willie Green had 16 and Elton Brand finished with 15 for the Sixers (2-2), who shot a sizzling 59 per cent (45-of-76) from the floor.
Jason Thompson had 17 points for the Kings, who fell behind by as many as 40 in the blowout.
Utah Jazz 89, LA Clippers 73
Paul Millsap exploded for 15 of his 24 points during a decisive 17-3 fourth quarter, and the visiting Jazz kept the Clippers in search of their first win of the season.
Turkey's Mehmet Okur scored 16 points while Russia's Andrei Kirilenko added 15 with 11 rebounds for the Jazz (3-0), which hasn't missed a beat without all-star point guard Deron Williams (ankle sprain).
Chris Kaman had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers (0-4), who got back starters Baron Davis and Marcus Camby.
Davis had 14 points and nine assists after missing two games with a sore left hip.
Camby, sidelined by a sore heel, chipped in with five points and nine rebounds in his Clippers' debut, after being acquired from Denver in the off-season.
