Chicago Bulls beat Cleveland Cavaliers as LeBron James has late shot blocked on NBA opening night

Bulls, Warriors and Pistons all win on opening night

(Getty Images)

Chicago's Nikola Mirotic scored 19 points and Derrick Rose added 18 to lead the Bulls past LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers 97-95 as the new NBA season began overnight.

Pau Gasol blocked a potential tying layup by James in the closing seconds, and Jimmy Butler then blocked an inbounds pass intended for James as time expired.

The four-time MVP scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds last season's defeated finalists, but the Cavaliers came up short against the team they knocked out in the conference semi-finals last year.

US President Barack Obama was at the United Center to watch the game.

Barack Obama arrives to watch the Bulls take on the Cavaliers (Getty Images)

Reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry showed he hasn't lost a step or his swagger in the off-season, scoring 40 points to lead the defending champion Golden State Warriors to a 111-95 victory over the injury-hit New Orleans Pelicans.

Curry put on a familiar shooting clinic from all over the court, knocking down seven of his first nine shots, with four 3-pointers, for 24 first-quarter points. He finished 14 for 26 with seven assists and six rebounds in a rematch of last season's first-round play-off series that Golden State swept 4-0.

Curry and the Warriors raised the championship banner and received their rings in a pre-game ceremony. Coach Steve Kerr attended, then left for the locker room to rest his surgically repaired back as interim Luke Walton coached the team.

New Orleans' Anthony Davis, who averaged 29.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in two games against Golden State last season, shot just 4 for 20 and scored 10 of his 18 points on free throws.

Reigning MVP Stephen Curry scored 40 points as the Warriors started their title defence with a win (Getty Images)

In the other game on opening night, all five Detroit starters reached double figures in points as the Detroit Pistons won 106-94 at the Atlanta Hawks.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 21 points for the Pistons, who finished 28 games behind the Hawks last season, but began to pull away just before half-time. They led by double figures through most of the final two quarters and held on despite missing 20 of their last 22 shots from the field.

Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 20 points. New starter Kent Bazemore, promoted at small forward after DeMarre Carroll left for the Toronto Raptors in free agency, was held scoreless.

AP