Boston’s Gordon Hayward broke his left ankle just five minutes into the season, a grisly injury that overshadowed Kyrie Irving’s return to Cleveland and the Cavaliers’ 102-99 win over the shocked Celtics on Tuesday night.

LeBron James scored 29 points 13 in the fourth quarter in his most extensive action in three weeks because of a sprained left ankle. He also fed Kevin Love for a critical three-pointer with 46.3 second left to put the Cavs up 102-98.

Irving, who asked to be traded this summer after six seasons in Cleveland, had a chance to tie it with a three-pointer at the horn but missed. Irving then shared a warm embrace with James, his team-mate for three seasons. Irving finished with 22 points for the Celtics, who overcame an 18-point deficit in the third and led with 2:04 left. Boston’s guard was also called for a technical.

Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) 🙏🏽🙏🏽 For @gordonhayward. Come back stronger!

Hayward, who signed a four-year, $128m free agent contract with the Celtics this summer, was bumped by James while trying to catch an alley-oop pass with 6:45 left in the first quarter. The forward’s leg became twisted underneath him as he came back to the floor and snapped his ankle grotesquely, leaving it hanging at an odd angle. The 27-year-old sat up, looked at his foot and yelled in horror while some players covered their mouths and others turned their heads.

Hayward’s injury changed the tenor of the highly anticipated season opener between two of the league’s best teams, and will likely alter the direction of Boston’s season. Hayward will require surgery and need months to recover.

The Celtics were understandably shaken at half-time, and went to the locker room down 16.

“I’ve seen a couple of injuries like that in my lifetime,” James said after the game. “I’ve seen Paul George when it happened to Paul [with Team USA in 2014]. I was watching the game with Shaun Livingston when it happened when he was with the Clippers. I was watching NCAA basketball when Kevin Ware was at Louisville. Those are the injuries that you never seen coming and you never want to happen, no matter who it is, no matter what the stature, no matter how much competitive nature that you have. It’s just very unfortunate.”

Irving’s free throw made it 102-99 as the game approached its end, and the Celtics had two late chances but both Jaylen Brown and Irving missed late threes. Love had 15 and Derrick Rose 14 in his debut for the Cavs, who are trying to blend new faces and big egos quickly.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest LeBron James and Kyrie Irving hug after the Cavs beat the Celtics. Photograph: Ken Blaze/USA Today Sports

After the final horn, James and Irving, who spent part of the summer making subtle jabs at each other following the blockbuster trade, completed their signature handshake and the All-Star point guard greeted several former team-mates.



He may still have a ways to go with Cleveland’s crowd, which booed him every time he touched the ball. Irving heard it from the moment he took the floor as Cleveland fans got their first chance to voice their displeasure toward him for demanding to be traded this summer despite three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and one title.

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But Hayward’s injury took some of the bite out of Cleveland’s crowd, which gave the forward a roaring ovation as he was taken off the floor on a stretcher. When Hayward went down, Boston’s players huddled in prayer near their bench as a distressed James took a seat on the scorer’s table in disbelief. The injury was a reminder that there are no givens and games, seasons and careers can change in a blink.

In the night’s other game the reigning NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, fell to the Houston Rockets 122-121. Kevin Durant appeared to have won the game at the buzzer but after a review the officials ruled that he had failed to get his shot off on time.

“I didn’t think it counted,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “When I saw it, it looked to me like it was a little late. Didn’t surprise me it was overturned.”