NBA \ Friday’s other games

December 13, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

Celtics 94, Hornets 82

BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored 28 points and Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 10 rebounds on Friday night to lead the Boston Celtics to their 14th consecutive victory. The defending NBA champions took the lead with a 17-4 run early in the third quarter and never trailed again while improving to a league-best 22-2 this season. Chris Paul had 20 points and 14 assists for the Hornets, while David West had 23 points and 14 rebounds. After trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter, New Orleans cut it to 89-82 before the Celtics put it away, thanks in part to an alley-oop from Ray Allen to Garnett that made it an 11-point game with 1:43 left.

Kendrick Perkins had nine points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, and Eddie House hit two of his three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Hawks 87, Heat 73

MIAMI — Joe Johnson scored 21 points, Mike Bibby and Josh Smith each added 15, and Atlanta easily erased a terrible start to beat Miami. Maurice Evans scored 12 points and Al Horford finished with 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who scored the final 14 points of the third quarter, blowing open the game on the way to snapping a three-game losing streak. Dwyane Wade had 21 points and eight rebounds for Miami, which lost for the first time in five games. The Heat missed nine straight shots during one second-half lull, plus were outscored 23-4 in fast-break points and were a mere 4-for-10 from the foul line, compared with Atlanta’s 24-for-32. Mario Chalmers scored 14 points and Daequan Cook added 13 for Miami, which finished with its second-lowest scoring total of the season.

Grizzlies 103, Bulls 96

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rudy Gay scored 29 points and Hakim Warrick added 21, both matching their season highs, as Memphis won its third straight. Warrick’s 12 points in the fourth quarter kept the Bulls at bay, snapping Chicago’s two-game winning streak. The win marked the first time the Grizzlies won three straight under Marc Iavaroni, in his second season as their coach. The game featured the top two rookie scorers, O.J. Mayo of Memphis with a 20.8 average, while Chicago’s Derrick Rose was averaging 18.3. Both were kept under those numbers, as Mayo scored 14 points and Rose finished with 12 points and a season-high 11 assists.

Pistons 114, Pacers 110

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Richard Hamilton scored 28 points and Allen Iverson had 17 points and 12 assists as slumping Detroit beat Indiana. Indiana got a career-high 42 points from Danny Granger, but still lost its fifth straight. Rodney Stuckey added a season-high 21 points and eight assists for Detroit, which had lost four of five. Antonio McDyess had 14 points in his second game since rejoining the team.

Spurs 98, Timberwolves 86

MINNEAPOLIS — Tony Parker didn’t have another 55-point night in him, so his San Antonio relied on its defense to carry them over Minnesota. In his first game back at Target Center since that career night on Nov. 5 that also included 10 assists, Parker managed 17 points and nine assists. Tim Duncan had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili added 16 points for the Spurs, who have won five in a row to rebound from an 0-3 start to the season.

Al Jefferson had 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have lost eight in a row and three straight since Kevin McHale took over as coach on Monday.

Raptors 101, Nets 79

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Chris Bosh scored 18 points and Toronto capitalized on Vince Carter’s 0-for-13 night to beat New Jersey, the Raptors’ second straight win under interim coach Jay Triano.Jason Kapono, with four 3-pointers, and Joey Graham each had 16 points. Jose Calderon scored 13 as the Raptors improved to 2-3 under Triano, who replaced Sam Mitchell on Dec. 3. Yi Jianlian and Devin Harris led the Nets with 14 apiece, while Bobby Simmons had 12.

Associated Press