NBA ROUNDUP | Tuesday’s games

Celtics 101, Pacers 86

INDIANAPOLIS — Paul Pierce scored 31 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers to remain unbeaten. Pierce made 14 of 14 free throws and had 11 rebounds.

Kevin Garnett added 18 points and 11 rebounds, his sixth double-double in six games, as Boston (6-0) matched its best start since the 1987-88 season. Boston still is chasing its best start, 14 straight wins to begin the 1957-58 season. Danny Granger led Indiana (3-4) with 24 points, and Jermaine O’Neal added 10 points and nine boards.

Indiana made a push late. Jamaal Tinsley scored back-to-back buckets to cut Boston’s lead to 89-82 with 4:06 to go, but Garnett made a long jumper on the other end to help the Celtics maintain control. Boston outscored the Pacers 33-20 from the free-throw line and held the Pacers to 35 percent shooting. It was Indiana’s fourth consecutive loss after starting the season with three straight wins.

Bobcats 91, Heat 76

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gerald Wallace scored 19 points, Jason Richardson added 18 and the Charlotte Bobcats continued the Miami Heat’s early season misery. Emeka Okafor had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats, who dominated the punchless Heat. Playing again without Dwyane Wade, Miami often struggled to just get a shot off and dropped to 1-6. Shaquille O’Neal had 17 points and six rebounds, but got little help. While O’Neal shot 7-of-14, the other four starters combined to shoot 9-for-34 as Wade watched from the bench in a tan jacket. With Wade missing his seventh straight game because of offseason knee surgery, the Heat assured they’d remain the NBA’s lowest-scoring team by shooting 38 percent, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range. The Bobcats beat the Heat for the second time in a little over a week and the fourth straight time dating to last season by continually racing past the older Heat in transition. Richardson and Wallace, each shooting less than 40 percent coming into the game, combined to make 15 of 26 shots and grab 15 rebounds. Okafor had his sixth double-double in seven games. Okafor brought the small crowd to its feet when he blocked O’Neal in the lane late in the third quarter. Matt Carroll then hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to put the Bobcats ahead 67-42.

SuperSonics 103, Magic 76

ORLANDO, Fla. — Rashard Lewis scored 22 points against his former team and the Orlando Magic handed the SuperSonics their league-worst eighth straight loss. The SuperSonics have not won since April 7 of last season, when Lewis was still on their side and went for 35 points against the Utah Jazz. It is the worst start in franchise history, surpassing an 0-6 streak in 1969-70. Two other NBA teams are winless, but Minnesota and Golden State have only played five games. Seattle opened a five-game East Coast road trip, and will get another chance Wednesday against Miami. Orlando won despite itself, committing 26 turnovers compared with 17 for Seattle. The Magic were averaging 13 turnovers, second in the league, but committed 16 in the first half alone. Lewis had 19 in the first half, and along with Dwight Howard rested the fourth quarter. Howard had only one first-half point, but finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Hedo Turkoglu scored 17 points. Keith Bogans scored 16 points on 5-of-9 3-point shooting. Kevin Durant continued to struggle from the field as Seattle shot a season-worst 34 percent. The heralded rookie was 2-for-8 in the first half, getting just getting four points off a dunk and fast-break layup. He didn’t make his first jumper until the second half, and finished with 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting. Nick Collison led Seattle with 15 points — including 10 of the SuperSonics’ 20 points in the third quarter. Rookie Jeff Green added 12 points, all in the second quarter, on an impressive array of jumpers, drives and even a 10-foot hook.

Grizzlies 105, Rockets 99

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Pau Gasol scored 26 points, including four free throws in the final minute, and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame 41 points from Tracy McGrady to beat the Houston Rockets. Darko Milicic added 20 points, while Mike Miller finished with 17 as Memphis snapped Houston’s three-game winning streak. Rudy Gay scored 15 for the Grizzlies. Free throws were the difference in the game, as Memphis connected on eight straight in the final two minutes after Houston tied the game at 97. Memphis scored 34 points from the line, compared to 17 for the Rockets. Yao Ming added 22 points for Houston and reserve Mike James had 10. The Rockets could never get the lead to double digits at any point through three quarters, and Memphis overtook Houston entering the final stanza. The Grizzlies extended the advantage to as many as eight in the early stages of the fourth quarter, fueled by an 8-2 run. Milicic and Stromile Swift recorded blocks, and Memphis built its lead while going inside while McGrady got his final rest before the stretch run. After Memphis built the lead to 94-85, McGrady, who entered the game with about 7 minutes left, hit a 3-pointer and a layup. His drive tied the score at 97 with 2:10 left. Free throws by Kyle Lowry and Gasol gave Memphis a six-point lead with under a minute to play. Miller’s two free throws with 7.4 left were the final margin.

Mavericks 99, 76ers 84

DALLAS — Jason Terry scored 12 of his 25 points during Dallas’ big third-quarter run and the Mavericks rallied to beat the Philadelphia 76ers. Dirk Nowitzki added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks, who bounced back from Saturday night’s 91-82 road loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Nowitzki also matched a career high with eight assists. Dallas shot 35 percent from the field and got a season-low 11 points from Nowitzki on Saturday night against Portland. The Mavericks upped it to 45 percent shooting against Philadelphia with Nowitzki going 7-for-14 from the floor. Josh Howard added 18 points for Dallas.

Spurs 107, Lakers 92

SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker had 26 points and nine assists, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers for their fourth straight victory. Bruce Bowen went 6-of-6 from 3-point range for the Spurs and finished with 23 points. Manu Ginobili added 17 points. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 18 points, well below the 30.4 he was averaging before the game. Jordan Farmar added 16 and Lamar Odom had 12. The Spurs finished 13-of-27 from beyond the arc and had the lead from midway through the second quarter. The Lakers entered as the league’s second-highest scoring team, averaging better than 108 points. The Spurs and their league-leading defense had been holding opponents to just about 88.

Associated Press