The Daily Fives for October 27th, 2010 from the Sports Mac

Top Five Stories from Yesterday

1. The Celtics get out to a big halftime lead and hang on to defeat the Heat in Boston to open the 2010-2011 NBA season.

2. No. 2 Boise State got two TD passes from Kellen Moore, and he also caught a TD pass as the Broncos won their 21st straight game, defeating Louisiana Tech.

3. The defending champion Lakers raised their latest banner and got their season under way, coming from behind to beat the Rockets in Los Angeles.

4. Cowboys QB Tony Romo will not need surgery on his collarbone but will be out of the lineup for the next six to eight weeks.

5. There are reports that the Mets are set to hire Sandy Alderson as their new general manager, replacing Omar Minaya, who was fired after last season.

Top Five Games from Yesterday

1. Lakers 112, Rockets 110: Steve Blake hit the game-winning three-pointer with under 20 seconds remaining to give Los Angeles a winning start to the new season.

2. Flames 5, Oilers 4, shootout: Alex Tanguay had the only goal in the shootout to give Calgary the extra point in the latest chapter of the Battle of Alberta.

3. Canucks 4, Avalanche 3, overtime: Mason Raymond scored the game winner 30 seconds into the extra session to get the win for Vancouver.

4. Celtics 88, Heat 80: Boston jumped out to a big halftime lead, but Miami made it close after three quarters. However, the Celtics would prevail in the season opener for both teams.

5. Flyers 6, Sabres 3: Six different Philadelphia players scored as they jumped out to a 4-1 lead and cruised to the home victory over Buffalo.

Top Five Performances from Yesterday

1. Alexei Kovalev, Canadiens RW: Had two goals and an assist in Ottawa’s 5-2 win over Phoenix.

2. Pau Gasol, Lakers PF: 29 points and 11 rebounds in Los Angeles’s 112-110 win over Houston.

3. Jonas Hiller, Ducks G: 35 saves on 37 shots in Anaheim’s 5-2 win over Dallas.

4. Kobe Bryant, Lakers SG: 27 points and seven assists in Los Angeles’ 112-110 win over Houston.

5. Jeff Carter, Flyers C: A goal and two assists in Philadelphia’s 6-3 win over Buffalo.

Five Performances That Weren’t So Good from Yesterday

1. Stephane Robidas, Stars D: Had a minus-one and 15 penalty minutes in Dallas’s 5-2 loss to Anaheim.

2. Louisiana Tech defense: Gave up 49 points and 468 yards of total offense in the Bulldogs' 49-20 loss to No. 2 Boise State.

3. Hedo Turkoglu, Suns SF: Just 2-of-7 shooting and only six points in Phoenix’s 106-92 loss to Portland.

4. Cody McCormick, Sabres C: Had a minus-two and five penalty minutes in Buffalo’s 6-3 loss to Philadelphia.

5. Chris Bosh, Heat PF: Just 3-of-11 shooting and only eight points in Miami’s 88-80 loss to Boston.

Top Five Events to Follow Today

1. NHL: Penguins (5-3-1) at Lightning (5-2-1), 7:30 PM: Two of the hot teams in the league right now meet in Florida with a showdown of stars in Steven Stamkos vs. Sidney Crosby.

2. NBA: Bulls at Thunder, 8:00 PM, ESPN: Two of the young superstars in the league, Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant, get their seasons under way by facing each other.

3. World Series Game 1: Rangers at Giants, 8:00 PM, FOX: Two unlikely teams face off for baseball’s ultimate prize (CAN’T MISS MATCHUP: Lee (TEX) vs. Lincecum (SF)).

4. NHL: Kings (6-2-0) at Blackhawks (5-4-1), 8:30 PM: Los Angeles continues its Midwest road trip with a stop in the Second City to take on defending champion Chicago.

5. NBA: Jazz at Nuggets, 9:00 PM: Two of the contenders in the Northwest Division square off to start the new season in Denver.