Celtics 95, Heat 85

Celtics 95, Heat 85

MIAMI — Paul Pierce scored 18 of his 27 points in the first quarter, Kevin Garnett added 23 as Boston wasted most of a 28-point lead. Ray Allen scored 17 for the Celtics, who prevailed despite missing 12 of 13 shots over an 81⁄2-minute span late in the game. Boston forced 24 turnovers, which it turned into 33 points. 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.

Spurs 106, Timberwolves 91

MINNEAPOLIS — Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 31 points as San Antonio 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.

Mavericks 91, Trail Blazers 80

DALLAS — 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. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 22 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots.

76ers 85, Wizards 84

PHILADELPHIA — 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 — 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.

Hornets 92, Hawks 86

ATLANTA — 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.

Associated Press