nba roundup Monday’s other games

Celtics 95, Clippers 89

BOSTON — Kevin Garnett’s second game back had Boston coach Doc Rivers concerned for an unexpected reason. Paul Pierce scored 22 points and Rajon Rondo had 16 points and 12 assists, leading the Celtics in a game played on a TD Garden floor that had to be continually wiped because of condensation. “The first seven, eight minutes I didn’t think we were going to even finish the game,” Rivers said. “I was nervous, though. I really was.” The sometimes-slippery parquet floor forced the ball boys to mop one end while play was going on at the other for most of the game. Early in the game, a few players slipped, causing a brief delay with 2:28 left in the first quarter. Rivers and Los Angeles coach Mike Dunleavy spoke about the conditions early in the game. “Mike and I came together, if anybody else slipped in the next two minutes the game was going to be canceled,” Rivers said. “We, at that point, were very close. Mike said the same thing, ‘We can’t afford to get a guy injured on this floor.”’ “It was wet,” said Rondo, who shared a postgame podium with Garnett. Garnett played 30 minutes and scored 17 points, while being the center of the defense. It was the Celtics’ second straight win after they lost four of five games. Ray Allen added 15 points for the Celtics, who lost to the Clippers 92-90 in Los Angeles on Dec. 27 when Baron Davis hit a fallaway jumper at the buzzer. Rasual Butler led the Clippers with 17 points and Davis scored 16.

Grizzlies 99, Magic 94

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Zach Randolph had 23 points and 19 rebounds, O.J. Mayo added 20 points and the Grizzlies won their 11th straight home game. Marc Gasol added 19 points, and Rudy Gay had 15 for Memphis. Mike Conley finished with 14 points and seven assists for the Grizzlies, who snapped the Magics three-game winning streak. Dwight Howard led Orlando with 27 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks, while Rashard Lewis scored 19 points. Vince Carter had 15, while Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick had 11 apiece. The teams were tied at 94 on Randolphs tip-in with 1:34 left. Gay then tied up Nelson on the ensuing Magic possession, and won the jump ball, leading to his reverse layup for a 96-94 lead with just under a minute left.

Pacers 109, 76ers 98

PHILADELPHIA — Danny Granger scored 26 points and Dahntay Jones had 18 point to lead the Pacers. The Pacers earned a split of the home-and-home series after Philadelphia won 107-97 on Saturday night. Jones scored seven straight points late in the fourth quarter that helped the Pacers put this one away for a rare road win. Brandon Rush scored 16 points, and Troy Murphy had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers. Andre Iguodala scored 22 points and Allen Iverson had 20 for the Sixers. Philadelphia failed in its bid to win three straight games for the first time this season.

Hawks 102, Rockets 95

HOUSTON — Josh Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the Hawks snapped a 10-game losing streak in Houston. Joe Johnson scored 20 points and Jamal Crawford added 17 as the Hawks won in the Toyota Center for the first time in seven visits. The Hawks hadn’t beaten the Rockets in Houston since Feb. 25, 1999. Aaron Brooks scored 15 points and had five assists and Carl Landry added 16 points for the Rockets. Houston has lost seven of 11, including three of its past four home games.

Bulls 98, Spurs 93

SAN ANTONIO — Derrick Rose shook off flulike symptoms to score 27 points and the Bulls won their third straight. Kirk Hinrich added 18 points for the Bulls, who again impressively beat a Western Conference team with a winning record on their seven-game road swing after surprising Houston and Phoenix last week. Put it another way: the Bulls have won just one fewer road game in the last four days than they have in the first three months of the season. The Bulls are now 7-15 on the road. Tony Parker scored 20 points for the Spurs, who have lost five of six. Manu Ginobili scored 14 but was denied twice while barreling to the rim in the final 33 seconds.

Associated Press