Amare Stoudemire had 19 points and 10 rebounds in his Knicks debut. He got some help from Wilson Chander (22 points) as the Knicks beat the Raptors in Toronto, 98-93, to start their season. Six Knicks scored in double figures. Stoudemire shot 7-of-16 but committed nine turnovers. Still, after the disaster of last year, the Knicks will take it.
In Newark, Anthony Morrow hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the Nets' 101-98 win over the Pistons. Last season, the Nets needed 18 games before they won their first game. This time, Avery Johnson got a victory in their first game as a head coach.
They took a lead just 38 seconds into the game, but the Rangers found themselves making a furious comeback late in a 6-4 loss to Atlanta at home. Ryan Callahan struck first and was joined by Sean Avery, Todd White and Brian Boyle as the Rangers scorers. The defeat snapped a three-game winning streak.
James Wisniewski had three points and Jon Tavares had a goal in the Islanders' 5-3 loss to the Canadiens. Twice the Isles rallied to within a one-goal deficit, but they couldn't close the gap.
