Paul Pierce had 27 points and 8 assists Friday night as the Boston Celtics got back above .500 with their third straight win, a 107-94 victory against the visiting Nets. Boston's Kevin Garnett added 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Rajon Rondo had 14 points and 13 assists for the Celtics, who improved to 18-17. Boston played without Ray Allen, who was sick, but compensated by having five players score in double figures. Brook Lopez had 28 points for the Nets, and Deron Williams finished with 12 points and 8 assists. MarShon Brooks, Anthony Morrow and Gerald Green scored 11 apiece for the Nets. The Nets are still trying to recover from an eight-game losing streak last month. They had gone 3-2 since the slump, including a 93-92 road win against the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday. Hornets 97, Mavericks 92: Chris Kaman had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Jarrett Jack made a key basket down the stretch as host New Orleans beat Dallas. Jack hit a leaning jumper with 17.9 seconds left, giving the Hornets a 93-89 lead. Xavier Henry added a season-high 19 points off the bench for New Orleans. Jack had 15 points and 6 assists. Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points as Dallas lost a season-high fourth in a row. Jazz 99, Heat 98: Al Jefferson had 20 points and 6 rebounds, carrying host Utah past Miami. C. J. Miles added 14 points for the Jazz. LeBron James had 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat. 76ers 105, Warriors 83 The host Sixers topped 100 points for the first time in 20 games as Lou Williams scored 25 points and Elton Brand had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Andre Iguodala contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds. David Lee had 24 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State. Hawks 99, Bucks 94: Vladimir Radmanovic made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds remaining as Atlanta rallied past visiting Milwaukee. Jannero Pargo scored 11 points, all in the fourth quarter, for the Hawks, who played without the injured All-Star Joe Johnson (knee). Brandon Jennings scored 34 points for the Bucks. Spurs 102, Bobcats 72: The host Spurs won for the 13th time in 15 games as Tony Parker scored 15 points. Richard Jefferson scored 14 points and made four 3-pointers for San Antonio. The Bobcats (4-30) have lost 20 of their last 21. Nuggets 117, Rockets 105: Ty Lawson had 22 points and a career-high 15 assists as Denver prevailed at Houston. Arron Afflalo scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half for the Nuggets. Kenneth Faried added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Martin scored a season-high 35 points for the Rockets. Bulls 112, Cavaliers 91: Luol Deng scored 24 points and Derrick Rose added 19 as Chicago routed host Cleveland, which was without the rookie guard Kyrie Irving. Irving missed his fourth game with an illness. Antawn Jamison scored 22 points for Cleveland. Grizzlies 102, Raptors 99: Rudy Gay had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol each scored 21, and visiting Memphis earned its sixth straight victory over Toronto. O. J. Mayo scored 16 points and Dante Cunningham added 11 for the Grizzlies. Jerryd Bayless had 18 points and James Johnson 14 for the Raptors, who have lost 9 of 12. Other results: LA Lakers 115, Kings 107; Suns 81, Clippers 78.
