Denver 108, New Orleans 93: So, uh … are the Nuggets that impressive or are the Hornets not nearly as good as they were last year? That’s two easy routs for the Nuggets, who had five players in double figures, led once again by Billups, who netted 31 and won his second straight matchup against CP3. The high-altitude crowd was rockin’ all night; we haven’t heard a Denver crowd like that since the days when Alex English and Fat Lever donned one of our three favorite jerseys in NBA history.

Orlando 96, Philadelphia 87: With Hedo and Rashard Lewis struggling (7-for-24), and Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard saddled with foul trouble (just 11 points, 10 rebounds, fouled out with over three minutes left), the Magic were led by rookie Courtney Lee’s 24 points.

Miami 108, Atlanta 93: Mighty impressive win for the Heat, who refused to let the Hawks run, and dominated in the halfcourt, led to D Wade’s 33 and Daequan Cook’s six three-pointers. Atlanta closed the gap to five in the final four minutes, but then Haslem hit a couple jumpers and Miami pulled away. The Heat shot 55 percent from the field and 57 percent (15-for-26) from deep. Our favorite was D Wade’s banked triple as the shot clock sounded with about two minutes left.