Oct. 30,2013 NBA Game: Brooklyn Nets @ Cleveland Cavaliers

THE FACT: Andrew Bynum played in his first NBA game since May 21, 2012, as the Cavaliers spoiled the Nets debuts of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

THE LEAD: All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving collected 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 98-94 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Quicken Loans Arena in the season opener for both teams. Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson added 18 points and nine boards, while Bynum had three points and three rebounds in eight minutes off the bench. All-Star center Brook Lopez scored a game-high 21 points for the Nets, who also received 17 points from Pierce and 10 rebounds from Garnett.

QUOTABLE: "It was kind of like riding a bike because I've been in the league for so long. I felt really good and ran as fast as I ever have on the court. My timing is off and that's to be expected, but I feel like it's going to come back pretty quickly."

-- Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum

THE STAT: The Cavaliers outscored the Nets 19-11 with Bynum on the court. The 7-footer, who underwent bilateral arthroscopic surgery on both knees in March, shot 1-for-5 from the field and made his lone free-throw attempt. Bynum also had two assists and two emphatic blocked shots during his eight-minute stint bridging the first and second quarters.

TURNING POINT: Center Anderson Varejao buried a 17-footer off an Irving pass with 29 seconds left, giving Cleveland a 93-91 lead. Irving subsequently made four straight free throws -- following Brooklyn misses by Pierce and shooting guard Jason Terry -- to put the Cavaliers up 97-91 with just six seconds remaining.

QUOTABLE II: "It's not like we were playing some [expletive] team or some [expletive] team. This team pushed us to the limit. This team has gotten better. It was good to see Andrew back. And obviously, Kyrie makes this team go."

-- Nets power forward Kevin Garnett

HOT: Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was a winner in his return to the franchise. Brown was fired by Cleveland following its loss to Boston in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals, but was brought back after coach Byron Scott got the axe this April. ... Cavaliers point guard Jarrett Jack scored 12 points in 23 minutes while backing up Irving. ... Cleveland is 4-1 in season openers against the Nets. ... Brooklyn shooting guard Terry had 14 points, including four 3-pointers, off the bench. ... Garnett (25,282) scored eight points to move past Pacers legend Reggie Miller (25,279) for 14th place in NBA history.

NOT: Nets point guard Deron Williams, who is recovering from a right knee injury, did not play in the fourth quarter because the team's medical staff limited him to 22 minutes. ... Brooklyn center Andray Blatche missed all five of his field goal attempts and made three turnovers. ... Nets point guard Shaun Livingston was whistled for three fouls in just over two minutes in the first quarter. ... Cavaliers rookie power forward Anthony Bennett -- the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft -- flung a layup attempt off the left edge of the backboard as part of a 0-for-5 shooting performance. ... Irving missed nine of his 12 shots over the first three quarters.

QUOTABLE III: "This was a gritty, grimy, ugly game -- just how I like it -- and it was fun. I think our guys enjoyed it and they stayed after it. But after tonight, we've got to put our hard hats back on and get back to work tomorrow."

-- Cavaliers coach Mike Brown

GOOD MOVE: Cavaliers minority owner (and R&B superstar) Usher sat courtside, next to majority owner Dan Gilbert, and minority owners Nate Forbes and Jeff Cohen. Usher attended very few games over the last three losing seasons, so his presence sent a strong message that the franchise is serious about winning now. "The atmosphere was tremendous and the fans were an incredible sixth man for us," Jack said. "I also thought the guys really gave them something to cheer about."

BAD MOVE: Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd served the first half of his two-game NBA suspension, but placed career assistant Joe Prunty in charge -- instead of former New Jersey and Detroit coach Lawrence Frank. The former Pistons coach (defense) and John Welch (offense) served as Prunty's coordinators. "We knew Jason was not going to be here, so that's why we talked about this and worked things out," Prunty said. "This is about the Brooklyn Nets. We're not really changing what we do."

NOTABLE: Nets small forward Andrei Kirilenko (back spasms) and power forward Tornike Shengelia were inactive, but Kirilenko said he hopes to play Friday against the Heat. ... The Cavaliers' inactives were rookie small forward Sergey Karasev (left ankle sprain) and rookie shooting guard Carrick Felix (sports hernia). ... In a scheduling quirk, Brooklyn and Cleveland square off in their season opener and season finale -- both at Quicken Loans Arena.