NBA roundup \ Monday’s games

Celtics 107, Magic 88

BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 24 points in the third quarter to lead the Celtics to their ninth straight win. Ray Allen added 21 points, Rajon Rondo had 16 points with 12 assists and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points for the Celtics (17-2) in a win over a top Eastern Conference rival. Rashard Lewis paced Orlando (13-5) with 30 points, Hedo Turkoglu 19 and Dwight Howard, the league’s rebounding leader, had 14 points with 15 boards. The Magic had their four-game winning streak snapped. Orlando had won six straight road games, one short of its club record set at the start of last season.

Bobcats 100, Timberwolves 90

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jason Richardson scored 25 points in another strong performance following arthroscopic knee surgery, and the Bobcats beat the error-prone Timberwolves. It was the third straight game of at least 21 points for Richardson since his return after sitting out seven contests. He led an efficient offense that included a season-high 24 points from Emeka Okafor and 14 assists and just one turnover for Raymond Felton. Randy Foye scored 23 points and Mike Miller added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Associated Press