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The Associated Press

BOSTON—Kevin Garnett scored 30 points, sinking the final two to an “M-V-P!” chant echoing through the new Boston Garden, and Paul Pierce had 12 of his 27 in the fourth quarter to lead the Celtics to a 117-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

Kendrick Perkins had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 14 points and eight assists for Boston, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Rajon Rondo scored 14 with six rebounds and six assists while frustrating Shaquille O’Neal into a technical foul as Boston turned a tie game into a double-digit lead in the third.

Amare Stoudemire scored 32 and O’Neal had 16 with seven rebounds for the Suns, who have lost two straight since a seven-game winning streak put them in position to challenge the Lakers for first place in the Pacific Division.



Hornets 100, Cavaliers 99

CLEVELAND—David West’s 17-foot jumper, coming on Chris Paul’s 20th assist, with less than a second left gave the New Orleans Hornets their fifth straight win.

Cleveland inbounded the ball to James, whose 75-foot heave at the horn bounced off the 24-second clock at the other end.

Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points—18 on 3-pointers—and West added 20 points for the Hornets, who came in with the Western Conference’s best record and improved to 2-0 on a six-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored a season-high 29 points with 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which had its nine-game home winning streak end.



Hawks 115, Bucks 96

ATLANTA—Joe Johnson scored 28 points, Josh Childress added 20 and the Atlanta Hawks maintained the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks also escaped a major scare when X-rays on point guard Mike Bibby’s left thumb were negative. Bibby left the game in the fourth quarter and didn’t return, but trainer Wally Blase said he had a strain and would be listed as day-to-day.

Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 27 points and nine rebounds, but the 7-foot center left the game after Williams accidentally hit him in the face midway through the fourth.



Nets 124, Pacers 117

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—Devin Harris had 22 points and a career-best 15 assists and the New Jersey Nets kept pace with Atlanta for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Vince Carter added 22 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, Josh Boone had a career-best 26 points and Richard Jefferson added 20 as New Jersey (31-41) remained a half-game behind the Hawks (31-40) in the playoff chase.

Mike Dunleavy had 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead the Pacers (29-43), who trail the Hawks by 2 1/2 games after losing their second straight.



Raptors 89, Pistons 82

TORONTO—Chris Bosh scored 21 points and T.J. Ford had 13 points and nine assists in his return to the starting lineup for the Raptors.

Rasho Nesterovic had 15 points and Jose Calderon 13 as Toronto won for just the fourth time in 15 games. The Raptors avoided falling below .500 for the first time since a Nov. 24 loss at Cleveland dropped them to 6-7.

Chauncey Billups scored 24 points, and Rodney Stuckey, including 14 in the fourth, had 16 for Detroit, which has lost three of four.



Knicks 103, Heat 96, OT

NEW YORK—Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, including the go-ahead jumper with about 2 1/2 minutes left in overtime, and the New York Knicks ended their longest home losing streak in nearly 45 years.

Zach Randolph had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and David Lee added 15 points and 16 boards for the Knicks, who had dropped a franchise record-tying seven in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 26-Dec. 17, 1963. New York has never dropped eight in a row at home during one season.

Ricky Davis finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Pacers.



76ers 121, Bulls 99

PHILADELPHIA—Lou Williams scored 23 points and Andre Miller had a season-high 18 assists for the 76ers.

The Sixers dominated early and led by 22 in the first half en route to their 19th victory in their last 24 games. The Sixers (37-35) are two games over .500 for the first time all season, have won 11 of 12 at home and are 11-2 in March to charge up the East standings.

Thabo Sefolosha led the Bulls with 20 points.