Ray Allen scored 22 points and Paul Pierce recovered after missing his first seven shots to score 11 in the second half to lead the host Boston Celtics to their 14th straight victory, 84-80 over the Philadelphia 76ers last night.
Shaquille O'Neal had 13 points and nine rebounds, but he missed two free throws with 1:02 left and Boston holding a two-point lead. Philadelphia had two chances to equalize, but Andre Iguodala slipped and turned the ball over the first time and then had his shot blocked by Kevin Garnett the next.
Allen hit a pair of free throws with 5.6 seconds left to finish it off.
Elton Brand had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 15 points for Philadelphia, which was coming off a 45-point loss to the Chicago Bulls - its worst in three years.
Bulls 87, Wizards 80
At Washington, Carlos Boozer scored 30 points and Derrick Rose added 25 to help Chicago beat the Wizards for its ninth victory in 10 games.
Boozer also had 10 rebounds and a season-high seven assists to go with his second 30-point performance this season. The Bulls have won nine of 12 since Boozer returned after missing the first 15 games with a broken hand.
Luol Deng added 14 points for Chicago.
Nick Young scored 22 points for the Wizards.
Knicks 112, Thunder 98
At New York, Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Wilson Chandler added 21 as New York ran past Oklahoma City to end a three-game losing streak.
Rookie Landry Fields had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks.
In a game featuring the NBA's top two scorers, Stoudemire nearly matched league leader Kevin Durant, who finished with 26. But Stoudemire had far more help, with the Knicks putting six players in double figures. Raymond Felton added 12 points and 10 assists.
Pistons 115, Raptors 93
At Toronto, Richard Hamilton scored a season-high 35 points, Rodney Stuckey had 21 and Detroit beat Toronto to end a five-game losing streak against the Raptors.
The Pistons fell one point shy of matching a season high and ended an eight-game road skid, winning away from home for the first time since November 14 at Sacramento.
Charlie Villanueva had 18 points and former Raptors star Tracy McGrady added a season-high 17 for the Pistons. Leandro Barbosa had 21 points for Toronto.
Hawks 98, Cavaliers 84
At Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 23 points in his best game since his return from elbow surgery to lead Atlanta past Antawn Jamison and Cleveland.
Jamison had 23 points but Atlanta was stronger with its balanced attack in its eighth straight home victory. Al Horford had 18 points, Marvin Williams added 17 and Josh Smith had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks. Mo Williams had 18 points for Cleveland. The Cavaliers have lost 12 straight on the road and 12 of 13 overall.
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