NBA Roundup | Friday’s other games

Celtics 100, Grizzlies 96

BOSTON — Reserve Tony Allen filled in when Ray Allen struggled, scoring a season-high 20 points to help the Celtics while his more celebrated namesake was scoreless into the last 10 seconds of the game. Tony Allen scored 15 in the second quarter to help Boston take the lead for good, Paul Pierce scored 23 with 10 rebounds and Kevin Garnett also had 23 to give the Celtics their eighth straight win. James Posey had nine points and 10 rebounds while also busting open the lip of Memphis’ Rudy Gay, who made just one of his first eight shots but finished with 21 points. Ray Allen went 0-for-9 from the floor, but sank a pair of free throws with 9.3 seconds left to avoid his first scoreless appearance in a decade. The crowd cheered its approval, and coach Doc Rivers had to ask one of his players when the seemingly meaningless foul shots were met with applause.

Nets 102, Bobcats 96

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Vince Carter scored 30 points and the Nets won a season-high fourth straight game with a victory over Charlotte, the Bobcats’ 11th consecutive road loss. An under-the-weather Richard Jefferson added 28 points, and Jason Kidd had 11 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his eighth triple-double of the season to help the Nets win for the sixth time in seven games. Bostjan Nachbar had six of his 11 points in the run that helped the Nets take the lead, while Darrell Armstrong hit two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to put away Charlotte. Jason Richardson scored 33 points for Charlotte before fouling out with 1:17 to play. Gerald Wallace added 25 for the Bobcats, who have not won on the road since beating Miami in their first away game this season. Charlotte was its own worst enemy, turning the ball over 21 times, which led to 29 points for New Jersey.

Pistons 101, Raptors 85

TORONTO — Richard Hamilton scored 22 points, Rasheed Wallace added 20 and the Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to 11 games. Chauncey Billups had 18 points for Detroit, which has not lost since an 80-77 defeat in Houston on Dec. 12 and owns the longest current run in the NBA. The Pistons’ streak is their longest since winning 11 straight in January 2006. Detroit hosts Eastern Conference-leading Boston on Saturday night. Hamilton has averaged 21.6 points during the streak and has led the Pistons in scoring in the past seven games. Tayshaun Prince had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Maxiell came off the bench to score 11 points for Detroit. Chris Bosh had 23 points and 16 rebounds for Toronto, which has lost five of seven.

Pacers 113, Hawks 91

INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger tied a career high with 32 points, and the Pacers snapped a five-game losing streak. Granger shot 10-for-15 from the field and had nine rebounds. He tied his career best point total on a dunk late in the fourth quarter. Mike Dunleavy had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Kareem Rush scored 20 points for the Pacers. Josh Childress tied a career high with 26 points and Josh Smith added 20 for the Hawks, who have lost three straight. It was Indiana’s largest victory margin at home this season. The Pacers shot 13-for-25 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Hawks 49-35 to win before heading out on a five-game road trip. Indiana scored a season-low 72 points in a loss to Memphis on Wednesday, but shot 48 percent against Atlanta. Indiana point guard Jamaal Tinsley sat out for his fourth straight game with a sore left thigh. It was the team’s first win without him.

Rockets 96, Magic 94

ORLANDO, Fla. — Rafer Alston scored 20 points, including the game-winning layup with 4 seconds left, as the Rockets narrowly escaped Orlando. Orlando appeared to tie the game at 96 with Adonal Foyle’s tip-in at the buzzer, but officials said he didn’t get the shot off in time. The replay seemed to show he did, and the Rockets literally ran off the floor when the call came down. Yao Ming got the better of Dwight Howard in a matchup of the probable NBA All-Star starting centers, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to Howard’s 16 points and eight boards. Yao knocked Howard out of the game with about a minute left, just as Orlando had drawn to 93-91 after trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter.

Associated Press