MIAMI (AP) -Paul Pierce scored 18 of his 27 points in the first quarter, Kevin Garnett added 23 and the NBA-leading Boston Celtics wasted most of a 28-point lead before beating the Miami Heat 95-85 on Friday night.
Ray Allen scored 17 for the Celtics, who prevailed despite missing 12 of 13 shots over an 8 1/2-minute span late in the game – a drought that allowed Miami to make a huge comeback bid.
Boston forced 24 turnovers, which it turned into 33 points.
Jason Williams scored 22 points and hit three 3-pointers to spark a 24-3 run, one that drew the Heat within seven points with 3:56 left. But the margin didn’t get any smaller, and Miami lost for the 11th time in 15 games this season.
Udonis Haslem finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Shaquille O’Neal had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Dwyane Wade managed only 10 points on 2-for-11 shooting for Miami, which opens a six-game road trip Sunday in Denver.
Suns 110, Magic 106
PHOENIX (AP) – Raja Bell had a season-high 20 points and Phoenix beat Orlando, the NBA’s winningest team, for the second time this season.
Amare Stoudemire had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Shawn Marion had 18 points and nine rebounds, Grant Hill scored 15 points, Leandro Barbosa 17, and Steve Nash added 15 points and 14 assists for the Suns (12-4), who snapped a two-game skid.
Dwight Howard, who had a career-high 39 points and 16 rebounds against Seattle on Wednesday night, followed that with 30 points and 23 rebounds against the Suns. Howard had eight dunks. Hedo Turkoglu added 25 points for the Magic (14-4) and Rashard Lewis had 18.
Spurs 106, Timberwolves 91
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 31 points, and the San Antonio Spurs rallied to hand Minnesota its 12th loss in 14 games.
Ginobili, San Antonio’s super sub, shot 11-for-16 from the field. Tim Duncan had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, who didn’t lead until early in the fourth quarter.
Al Jefferson had 23 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota, and Sebastian Telfair scored 17 points despite some erratic play at point guard.
The Wolves built their biggest lead, 80-66, before the Spurs went on a 14-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. Minnesota didn’t fall behind until Duncan’s free throw with 9:05 remaining made it 83-82.
Mavericks 91, Trail Blazers 80
DALLAS (AP) – Josh Howard had 23 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, and Dallas overcame a weak performance by Dirk Nowitzki to beat Portland.
Jason Terry added 17 points and Devin Harris had 14 points and seven assists for the Mavericks, who extended their home winning streak against the Blazers to nine games.
Dallas-area native and former University of Texas star LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 22 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots.
Nowitzki, the defending league MVP, began the night averaging 21.7 points, but was 0-for-5 in the first quarter and went without a point for the game’s opening 20 minutes and 45 seconds. He finished with 11 points.
76ers 85, Wizards 84
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Samuel Dalembert had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Andre Miller scored 18 points and Philadelphia snapped a two-game losing streak at home and a four-game skid against the Wizards.
Willie Green and Reggie Evans added 13 points each for the Sixers (5-10). Andre Iguodala contributed eight points and 12 rebounds despite missing 16 consecutive shots and finishing 3-for-19 from the field.
Caron Butler scored 20 points while Antawn Jamison had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Washington, which fell to 7-9. The Wizards are 4-4 since Gilbert Arenas went down with a knee injury expected to sideline him for three months.
Nick Young scored 13 points while DeShawn Stevenson and Antonio Daniels had 10 apiece.
Knicks 91, Bucks 88
NEW YORK (AP) – Jamal Crawford made the go-ahead basket with 28 seconds left, and New York erased a 17-point deficit to beat Milwaukee.
One night after they were accused of quitting during a 104-59 loss in Boston, the Knicks surged back in the fourth quarter to win for the third time in four games.
Crawford and Zach Randolph led New York with 25 points apiece. Stephon Marbury had 13 points but left midway through the third quarter with a right shoulder muscle spasm.
Michael Redd scored 27 points for the Bucks, but missed two late 3-point attempts in Milwaukee’s third straight loss.
Raptors 91, Cavaliers 82
TORONTO (AP) – Andrea Bargnani and Carlos Delfino had career highs with 26 and 24 points each, and the Toronto beat Cleveland in a game that stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh missed with injuries.
James, the league’s leading scorer, was out of the Cavaliers’ lineup with a sprained left index finger, while Bosh sat out with a strained groin as the Raptors won their third straight.
Daniel Gibson led Cleveland with 24 points and seven assists. Drew Gooden added 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Sasha Pavlovic had 15 for the Cavaliers, who have lost two straight following a four-game winning streak.
Hornets 92, Hawks 86
ATLANTA (AP) – David West had 22 points and 17 rebounds and New Orleans won for the eighth time in 10 road games this season, beating turnover-plagued Atlanta.
The Hawks committed 20 turnovers, which New Orleans turned into 22 points. Atlanta scored 10 points of turnovers.
Chris Paul had 20 points for New Orleans. Jannero Pargo had 13 and Morris Peterson added 12.
Marvin Williams led the Hawks with 18 points, and Joe Johnson had 17 points and nine assists. Smith added 16 points and nine rebounds.
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