NBA ROUNDUP \ Friday's other games

Celtics 84, Kings 74
BOSTON -- Ron Artest's 15 points weren't enough in his Sacramento debut and Boston got 18 points from Paul Pierce to beat Sacramento for just the second time in 12 tries. Artest wore out his welcome in Indiana and was traded to Sacramento for Peja Stojakovic on Wednesday in an attempt to turn around the Kings' sinking season. Although Artest provided a spark -- scoring seven of the team's first 15 points -- Sacramento fizzled in the fourth quarter and made under 31 percent of its shots overall in its worst shooting night of the season. The Celtics had their own debut: Wally Szczerbiak made his first appearance since being acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Ricky Davis as part of a seven-player trade. He scored 10 points in 24 minutes; Michael Olowokandi, who also came over in the deal, did not play. Artest went 1-for-5 from the field in the fourth and the Kings made just four baskets -- on 18 shots -- in the final quarter. Sacramento did not make a basket for 7:19 down the stretch as the Celtics turned a three-point game into a 12-point lead. Artest was 5-for-14 from the floor overall and 3-for-7 from 3-point range. He had six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Boston's Kendrick Perkins had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Raef LaFrentz had 12 and 10.
Suns 110, Hawks 106
ATLANTA -- Boris Diaw scored 25 points in his first game in Atlanta since he was traded, leading Phoenix to its second straight win. Diaw, who was a forgotten backup for the Hawks before he was traded to Phoenix last summer, added eight rebounds and five assists. Steve Nash had 22 points and nine assists for Phoenix. Shawn Marion had 15 points and Barbosa added 14. Joe Johnson scored 27 points but couldn't keep Atlanta from its eighth loss in its last 10 games. Lue had 17 and Harrington added 16 for the Hawks.
Knicks 97, Magic 94
NEW YORK -- Eddy Curry had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and New York snapped a six-game losing streak. Jamal Crawford added 21 points and Channing Frye 18, sparking a strong effort by the Knicks' reserves. Qyntel Woods scored 11 in his first start of the season. The Knicks avoided their second seven-game skid of the season -- they lost seven in a row in December. Orlando had won its last five and was looking for its first six-game winning streak since March 2002. Steve Francis scored a season-high 36 points for the Magic.
Heat 91, Bobcats 85
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points and Antoine Walker scored 12 of his 15 in the final quarter to lead the Heat to the win. Miami, playing without guards Dwyane Wade and Jason Williams, trailed for most of the game and were barely able to stick with the undermanned Bobcats. But Walker stepped up in the fourth quarter with three straight baskets to finally put Miami in control and hand the Bobcats their 10th consecutive loss. Matt Carroll scored 20 off the bench to lead Charlotte.
Pistons 95, Grizzlies 89
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Chauncey Billups scored 34 points and Detroit won its 10th straight game. With the Pistons down 81-78, Billups hit four straight free throws to put Detroit ahead with 2:27 to go. Richard Hamilton added 19 and Tayshaun Prince scored 16 for the Pistons. Gasol led the Grizzlies with 31 points and Mike Miller had 20.
Bucks 108, Raptors 87
MILWAUKEE -- Bobby Simmons scored 18 points and the Bucks snapped a two-game losing streak. Andrew Bogut had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Jamaal Magloire had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee. Michael Redd scored 15 points and Dan Gadzuric added 11. Chris Bosh scored 21 points, Jalen Rose added 14 and Charlie Villanueva 13 for Toronto. The Bucks, who never trailed, opened the second half with an 11-0 run that included a pair of easy layups by Magloire.
Bulls 90, Wizards 79
CHICAGO -- Ben Gordon scored 26 points and Tyson Chandler grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds for the Bulls. Gilbert Arenas led the Wizards with 23 points and Antawn Jamison added 21.
Timberwolves 96, Rockets 92
HOUSTON -- Ricky Davis scored 26 points in his first game with the Rockets, and Tracy McGrady added 19 points. Kevin Garnett scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Minnesota.
Associated Press