Los Angeles - The NBA held its first outdoor game in more than three decades, and both the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns felt the affect of the cold and windy desert conditions.

J.R. Smith and Mateen Cleaves scored 12 points apiece as the Nuggets shaded the Suns 77-72 on Saturday night in a pre-season game.

Both teams struggling offensively, with temperatures in the 60's and winds gusting at approximately 10 miles-per-hour.

"The players said they couldn't sweat, the ball was slippery and the wind, I think, was a factor in the poor shooting," said Nuggets coach George Karl, whose club shot 38 per cent from the field. "But I'm glad we did it. It's an experience. We might want to start the game at 5 o'clock maybe instead of 7."

The contest was the first outdoor exhibition since 1972, when the Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The milestone event attracted a sellout crowd of 16,236, on a floor that was constructed above the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Palm Springs, Calif., which hosts a top level men's and women's tournament in March.

Steve Nash had a game-high 16 points for the Suns (1-2), who shot an icy 33 per cent from the field.

"It felt like Edmonton, Alberta, not Palm Springs," said Nash, a native of Canada. "You shoot the ball, and it starts slicing right. The point was to come out here and see what it's like to go up and down outside and put NBA players in this situation."

Though the stars were twinkling in the clear skies, both teams were without their all-stars. The Nuggets were missing their top two scorers, Carmelo Anthony (bruised ring finger) and Allen Iverson (knee), while the Suns were minus Amare Stoudemire (eye injury).

Elsewhere:

Boston Celtics 90, Houston Rockets 89

Backup guard Gabe Pruitt banked in a jumper from just inside the free throw line with 6.6 seconds, left, lifting the defending NBA champion Celtics over the Houston Rockets. The Rockets appeared to have won the game on Luis Scola's jumper from the right side at the final buzzer. However, referees reviewed the TV replay at court-side before ruling the Argentine's shot came after time expired.

Paul Pierce led Boston (2-1) with 15 points. Glen Davis had 12 points, while Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe added 10 apiece.

China's Yao Ming topped Houston (2-1) with 16 points, while Scola finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Ron Artest chipped in with 13 points and Tracy McGrady made his pre-season debut with 10.

Detroit Pistons 111, Milwaukee Bucks 99

Arron Afflalo scored 19 of his 28 points in the final quarter, and the Pistons remained unbeaten in pre-season play, while keeping the Bucks winless. Rodney Stuckey collected 15 points and 10 assists for Detroit, which improved to 4-0 under new head coach Michael Curry.

Charlie Villanueva had 26 points and sharpshooter Michael Redd collected 17 points for the Bucks, who dropped to 0-4 under new head coach Scott Skiles.

Golden State Warriors 122, Oklahoma City Thunder 102

Italy's Marco Belinelli scored 22 points and rookie DeMarcus Nelson added 18 off the bench as the hosts Warriors silenced the winless Thunder in pre-season play.

Al Harrington finished with 16 points along with nine rebounds for Golden State (2-1) while rookie Richard Hendrix chipped in with 12 and 13 boards.

Prior to the game, the Warriors suspended starting guard Monta Ellis 30 games without pay, for violating his recent six-year, 66 million dollar contract, by getting into a moped accident which required left ankle surgery in August.

Ellis will be eligible to rejoin the Warriors following the December 17th contest against Indiana.

Damien Wilkins scored 23 points and reigning league rookie of the year Kevin Durant added 16 points with 14 rebounds for the Thunder, (0-3), formerly the Seattle SuperSonics.