Smith, suspended for breaking the NBA's anti-drug policy, came off the bench and produced five points in 21 minutes. The Spurs defeated the Knicks, 120-89, in Smith's return.

Smith, who ended the postseason in a miserable shooting slump, opened this season the same way. He missed all five shots in the first half, unable to shake the rust after appearing in just one preseason game following summer knee surgery.

By the time he made a 3-pointer with 8:43 left in the third quarter for his first basket, the Knicks trailed by 26 points. The Spurs went up by 30 a few minutes later on another 3 by Danny Green, and fans loudly booed when Amare Stoudemire missed both free throws with a little less than 3 minutes left in the period.

The Knicks won both meetings last season, sweeping the Spurs for the first time in 10 years. But with center Tyson Chandler sidelined with a broken leg, New York looked defenseless against the Western Conference champions.

Smith signed a three-year, $18 million contract this offseason. After signing the deal, he had surgery a week later rather than doing so before securing a deal.

"I can't wait (to return)," Smith said before the game. "I'm anxious more than anything. I just want to do so well for my teammates."

With this latest loss, the Knicks now move to 2-4 on the season.


MCGEE INJURY


Expected to take a step forward with a roster of young talent, the Denver Nuggets have not faired well to start the NBA season.

Off to a 1-4 start, with losses to the Kings and Suns, the Nuggets have had trouble finding scoring from anyone other than Ty Lawson and struggled to defend.

The latest negative for the Nuggets is bigger than anything they have faced thus far, though. Center JaVale McGee is out indefinitely with a fractured to his left shin, the team announced.

McGee took over starting center responsibilities this season, but hadn't lived up to what was expected of him. He was averaging only 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks through five games. And the points and blocks were on par with McGee's ability at this stage, but the rebounding was a problem.

With McGee out, rookie coach Brian Shaw will turn to J.J. Hickson or Timofey Mozgov at center when the Nuggets face the Utah Jazz on Monday.


BOSTON DISBANDED


The Boston Celtics have nearly gutted their roster of all reminders from their 2008 title team, with Ray Allen in Miami, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in Brooklyn and Doc Rivers in Los Angeles.

And though the pillars of that team have all moved on to other cities, Allen still doesn't feel as if his departure has received proper treatment.

One thing fueling that belief for Allen is the fact he hasn't spoken to Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce since deciding to join the Miami Heat in the summer of 2012.

“They haven’t spoken to me,” Allen told the Boston Herald Saturday, before the Heat faced the rebuilding Celtics.

“For them to be so upset with me is disappointing because of how everything happened,” Allen said. “That banner in 2008 is still going to be there, and we’re still going to be tied to it.

There were signs that the Celtics' title window was closing, as the Heat ended their season in back-to-back years. Allen, sensing that the team would soon be disbanded, took less money to join the Heat. Pierce, Garnett and Rivers all expressed displeasure with his decision at the time, but this past summer each of them made moves of their own to end ties to the Celtics organization.

“Look, I have a feeling they were in the same predicament I was in this summer," Allen said. "Even with Doc (Rivers), he had to make a decision that was best for himself. I was in the same situation. I’m happy they were put into the same situation as I was. Anytime you get traded there’s no telling where you could end up. They’re in a situation now where they can contend. Kevin had to make that decision, and that was the predicament I was in.”


NBA MEMO


In light of the NFL's bullying problem, which came to light through the Miami Dolphins, the NBA has sent out a memo on the subject to all 30 teams.

The NBA took this time to remind teams that hazing will in no way be tolerated by the league, ESPN.com Marc Stein reported, citing league sources.

In the memo, the Miami Dolphins were referenced explicitly, with the remainder of the letter urging players to report any instance of bullying, which a violation of NBA policy.

There was a long list of violations that included physical abuse or threats of violence; verbal abuse focused on an individual's race, nationality, color, gender, age, religion, sexuality, etc; destruction, defacement or theft of a fellow player's personal property; and the list continued on to mention many others.

Another prohibited action, according to ESPN.com, was the requirement of a player unreasonably pay for meals, travel, entertainment or goods or services, which is a common practice of rookie hazing across sports.

In the NBA, it is common practice for rookies to wear children-style backpacks to practices and games and carry veteran players' luggage during travel, two actions that are met will little resistance and are considered a rite of passage, as Stein points out.

According to ESPN.com sources, the NBA hazing culture does not match the NFL's. A Western Conference official told Stein that hazing has lightened in recent years, while another said he never heard any "crazy stories."

Contributor: DeAntae Prince, The Associated Press