nba roundup | Saturday’s other games

Magic 86, Celtics 78

ORLANDO, FLA.

Brandon Bass scored 21 points and the Magic ended the Celtics’ 14-game winning streak. Hedo Turkoglu added 16 points while Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick each made a jumper in the final minutes to help Orlando rally from 12 points down in the second half for back-to-back wins against the NBA’s best. The Magic also ended San Antonio’s 10-game winning streak earlier this week to win for the first time since orchestrating a pair of blockbuster trades. Kevin Garnett had 22 points, Paul Pierce scored 18 points but injuries finally caught up with the Celtics against the team they ousted in last season’s Eastern Conference finals. Boston had not lost since Nov. 21 at Toronto. The Celtics again seemed to frustrate Orlando for most of the game. They had Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard in foul trouble for the first three quarters. He didn’t even score his first field goal until a minute into the fourth quarter, a hook shot over Glen Davis to trim Boston’s lead to four. A few plays later, Howard was wrestling with Shaquille O’Neal for position when he drew a sixth foul on O’Neal by easily falling to the ground. The Magic would tie the score at 77 on Bass’ short jumper with 1:56 remaining and runaway from there. Nelson followed with a 3-pointer, leaving his hand in the air and chest-bumping teammate Jason Richardson in a frantic celebration near the bench. After Garnett made one of two free throws, Redick rolled in a jumper from about 20 feet. Ray Allen and Nate Robinson each had airballs in the final seconds, and Nelson made four free throws to seal another huge victory for a Magic team that was falling apart only days early.

Knicks 103, Bulls 95

NEW YORK

Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton each scored 20 points, and New York limited Chicago to two baskets in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari added 15 apiece for the Knicks. Carlos Boozer had 26 points and 19 rebounds for the Bulls.

Thunder 114, Nuggets 106

OKLAHOMA CITY

NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant had a season-high 44 points — 21 in the third quarter — for the Thunder. James Harden added 21 points in the first Christmas game in the franchise’s three-season tenure in Oklahoma City.

Associated Press