PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Paul Pierce had 19 points and 12 assists, Kevin Garnett scored 22 points and the Boston Celtics broke open a surprisingly tight game in the fourth quarter to beat Philadelphia 113-103 on Wednesday night.
Ray Allen added 12 points for Boston (15-2), but it was Eddie House and James Posey who sank the big 3-pointers that let the NBA-best Celtics remain undefeated in the Atlantic Division.
House and Posey went 7-for-13 on 3s and that was the difference late in the game.
Andre Miller kept the Sixers alive until the fourth with his first double-double of the season, a 26-point, 12-assist effort. Andre Iguodala scored 24 points.
The Sixers gave an inspired effort in their first game with Ed Stefanski as president and general manager. Stefanski left his job as general manager of the Nets to take a similar role in Philadelphia after Billy King was fired on Monday.
Wizards 105, Cavaliers 86
WASHINGTON (AP) – Caron Butler scored 27 points to lead Washington past the Cleveland, which has lost four straight with LeBron James sidelined by a sprained left index finger.
Cleveland has lost five straight overall for the first time since Feb. 22-March 1, 2006.
Meanwhile, Washington is 6-4 without Gilbert Arenas, who underwent surgery on his left knee last month. Arenas sat on the Wizards’ sideline for the first time since his surgery.
Antawn Jamison had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Washington. Brendan Haywood finished with 17 points and 10 boards as the Wizards outrebounded the Cavs 45-29.
Suns 136, Raptors 123
TORONTO (AP) – Leandro Barbosa scored 35 points, Canadian star Steve Nash had a season-high 18 assists and Phoenix set a season high in points in beating Toronto.
Shawn Marion added 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Suns, who have won four straight and 12 of their past 14. Amare Stoudamire had 25 points and six rebounds.
Nash scored 10 points in his only appearance of the regular season in Canada.
T.J. Ford, who had missed five of the past seven games because of a stinger in his left arm, scored 27 for Toronto, which had won four straight home games. Anthony Parker added 22, and Jose Calderon and Carlos Delfino had 14 points apiece.
Bulls 91, Bobcats 82
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Luol Deng scored 30 points and Chicago dominated the fourth quarter to send Charlotte to its seventh straight loss.
Andres Nocioni scored 10 of his 15 in the final quarter and added 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who erased an 11-point deficit to win on the road for the second time in nine tries.
Gerald Wallace had 22 points for the Bobcats, but was on the bench with five fouls for the decisive 10-2 run early in the fourth quarter that gave Chicago its first lead of the game.
Jason Richardson scored 17 points, but was shut out in the final quarter and Raymond Felton scored 17 points but missed six free throws down the stretch for the Bobcats.
Knicks 100, Nets 93
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Jamal Crawford scored 29 points, Zach Randolph added 25, and New York overcame the absences of Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry to beat New Jersey.
Fred Jones and David Lee stepped into the lineup and finished in double figures, helping New York beat its cross-river rival for the second time in the last 12 regular-season meetings.
Richard Jefferson scored 31 points for the Nets. Vince Carter added 19 and Bostjan Nachbar had 16. Jason Kidd missed a game for the first time this season because of a migraine, and New Jersey failed to get anything going until it already trailed by 14 in the fourth quarter.
New York got its first road win in eight tries this season. The Nets fell to 20-5 in the regular season against the Knicks since acquiring Kidd in 2001.
Pistons 91, Hornets 76
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Richard Hamilton scored 21 points to help Detroit win its fifth straight.
As has often been the case during the streak, the Pistons received balanced scoring, help from the bench and rebounded well. Unlike the other games, though, Detroit trailed New Orleans by double-digits early and had to come back.
Chauncey Billups scored 18 for Detroit, while Rasheed Wallace had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Antonio McDyess added 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Tyson Chandler had 17 points and 22 rebounds for New Orleans, which had won three of its previous four. Peja Stojakovic scored 19 points, hitting two 3-pointers to give him 51 for the season, second-best in the NBA behind Orlando’s Rashard Lewis (53). Chris Paul added 14 points.
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