Los Angeles  - Barack Obama is hoping to become the first African American president of the United States in Tuesday's election, but plenty of black actors have blazed a path for him - at least in the alternative reality of Hollywood.

Fans of the hit thriller 24 can no doubt recall the ever-cool and assuring presence of President David Palmer, who was played by Dennis Haysbert.

But probably far fewer remember that Sammy Davis Jr also played a child who becomes president in the 1933 satire Rufus Jones for President.

Los Angeles - Chris Bosh took care of the offense and made sure his Toronto Raptors teammates handled the defense down the stretch.

Bosh had 31 points with nine rebounds, and the Raptors won their season home-opener by dominating the Golden State Warriors in overtime for a 112-108 victory on Friday night.

"We just got to play tough down the stretch, that's really what it's all about," said Bosh, who scored 14 points in the final quarter and overtime.

"We knew we had to jump on them. That's what overtime is all about, especially when you're at home," he added. "We jumped on them early. I told them, 'Look, we don't worry about offense. If we stop them we're going to win the game.'"

The Neil Young concert that was to be held at The Forum, Los Angeles on Thursday night has been cancelled, as the 62-year old rocker-activist would rather cancel the show than cross the picket line, the striking local faction of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union of which both Young and his wife are honorary lifetime members, plans to form there during the show against The Forum’s owner, Faithful Central Bible Church, due to disputes over contracts.

Los Angeles - Portland Trail Blazers prize rookie Greg Oden can't seem to stay healthy.

Oden made his long-awaited NBA debut on Tuesday night but will now be sidelined for the next two to four weeks after suffering a right-foot injury.

The top pick in the 2007 draft, Oden missed the entire season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee. The latest setback is expected to keep him out for between six and 14 games.

Los Angeles - It wasn't a thing of beauty, in fact it was plain ugly, but the Houston Rockets will take it.

Yao Ming had 21 points with 10 rebounds and the Rockets struggled to beat the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 82-71 on Wednesday night, in the season opener for both teams.

"You're going to have games where you play great and be on Sports Centre," said Ron Artest, who added 16 points in his Rockets' debut. "You're going to have games when you play bad and get the win. If it was ugly and we're 1-0, we'll take it."

Tracy McGrady netted 16 points while Argentina's Luis Scola finished with 12 and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who won despite shooting an icy 36.8 per cent (28-of-76) from the floor.