NBA scores: Wizards lose, Heat win in early Southeast Division play

Though the Atlanta Hawks don't play until Friday, NBA scores from around the league have already made an impact in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The Washington Wizards fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on opening night, 94-84, while the Miami Heat posted a dominant win over the Boston Celtics, 120-107. From the look of things, the Hawks are going to need to get off to a fast start in the 2012 season.

Anderson Varejao and Kyrie Irving proved to be too much for the Wizards to handle, with Varejao grabbing 23 rebounds and Irving shooting 11-for-20 for 29 points. Washington came back from a 16-point deficit midway through the third quarter, rallying to a 76-74 lead after being down 61-45, but they were unable to hold on and Cleveland came back to take the win. Jordan Crawford led the Wizards in scoring with 11 points.

The Heat looked dominant against the Celtics despite not running at full speed. LeBron James missed much of the second half with leg cramps but finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade had 29 points. Chris Bosh and Ray Allen both had 19. Obviously the first week of the season is a bit premature to say much of anything, but there's no doubt Hawks fans are concerned about Miami this year.

Elsewhere around the league, James Harden looked great for the Houston Rockets as they defeated the Detroit Pistons, 105-96, and the Los Angeles Lakers fell to 0-2 after losing to the Portland Trailblazers, 116-106.