76ers 84, Nuggets 75
Spencer Hawes came off the bench to score 16 points and grab 12 rebounds as host Philadelphia held off a late rally by Denver in the season opener for both teams.
Point guard Jrue Holiday also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists and converted a key three-point play after the Nuggets had cut a 14-point deficit to one with just over 4 1/2 minutes to play.
Point guard Ty Lawson scored a team-high 16 points for the Nuggets, including eight during the 16-3 run that pulled his team within 71-70. Andre Iguodala, who was traded from Philadelphia to Denver in the Andrew Bynum trade, had 11 points.
Hawes, who also had five blocked shots, hit a pair of free throws and a baseline jumper to restore the lead to 78-71 with 3 1/2 minutes to help the Sixers pull away.
Dorell Wright added 14 points off the bench and was joined in double figures by Thaddeus Young and Jason Richardson with 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Philadelphia, which scored the final six points of the third quarter to take a 65-52 lead.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Iguodala, who played eight seasons with the Sixers, received a standing ovation during a video tribute, then was booed every time he touched the ball. ... There is no timetable for Bynum to rejoin the team. He has been sidelined with a bruised right knee. ... Denver, which led the league in scoring last season, had its lowest first-half point total (38) since scoring 31 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 2, 2004.