pointer with 2.1 seconds left in the second overtime to lift the Boston Celtics over the Charlotte Bobcats 111-109 and into second place in the NBA's Eastern Conference on Wednesday. The Bobcats, fighting for the final playoff spot in the conference, blew leads in the last 30 seconds of the fourth quarter and both overtimes and fell 1½ games behind the Chicago Bulls, who were idle. The Celtics moved a game ahead of Orlando, which lost to Toronto. Paul Pierce led Boston with 32 points, Allen added 22 and Rajon Rondo had 21 points and nine assists. Gerald Wallace had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats, and Boris Diaw scored 17 points. Mavericks 98, Heat 96: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points, and Josh Howard had 20 points and drew a game-saving foul with 2.3 seconds left in Dallas' victory over Miami. Dwyane Wade had 23 points and six assists, but wasn't able to pull off any late-game heroics, in part because of stiff defense by Jason Kidd. Lakers 104, Bucks 98: At Milwaukee, Kobe Bryant rebounded from a rough shooting night to hit his first seven from the field and score 30 points, and Pau Gasol had eight of his 15 in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles beat Milwaukee. Lamar Odom added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who were playing the finale of a grueling seven-game road trip and coming off two straight losses. Ramon Sessions had his first career triple-double for the Bucks. Raptors 99, Magic 95: At Orlando, Florida, Chris Bosh had 24 points, including a 22-footer over Dwight Howard with 29 seconds left that put the game out of reach, as Toronto beat Orlando. Suns 114, Rockets 109: At Phoenix, Steve Nash had 25 points and 17 assists as Phoenix held on to beat Houston and breathe some life into its flickering playoff hopes. Hornets 104, Clippers 98: At Los Angeles, Chris Paul had 30 points and 14 assists and David West added 19 points as New Orleans moved closer to the top of the Southwest Division by beating Los Angeles. Nets 111, Pistons 98: At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Devin Harris had 19 points and 11 assists as New Jersey snapped a season-high, five-game losing streak by beating sluggish Detroit. Other results: Grizzlies 112, Wizards 107; Warriors 143, Kings 141, OT.
