Paul Pierce hit the winning jumper, scored 31 points and hindered Philadelphia's shot at the Eastern Conference's sixth seed in Boston's 100-98 win over the Sixers on Tuesday night. Kevin Garnett missed the meaningless game for Boston to rest his strained knee and Ray Allen served a one-game suspension. Pierce made seven 3-pointers to overcome the absence of the two All-Stars, which had to make the Sixers wonder how they could win a first-round series against a loaded and focused Celtics team. The Celtics already had the second seed in the East locked up and could face the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs. The Sixers, though, could move up a spot and play Orlando if they win Wednesday night in Cleveland and the Raptors beat Chicago. The Cavaliers, however, are 39-1 at home and are attempting to match the best home record in NBA history. The Sixers are only 16-24 on the road and have lost six straight games. Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 25 points and Thaddeus Young had 18. Hawks 81, Heat 79: At Atlanta, Flip Murray scored 17 points to lead Hawks reserves past Heat scrubs in a playoff preview that was more like a preseason game. With both teams locked into their postseason position – they'll play Game 1 in Atlanta this weekend – there was little incentive for either to give significant minutes to top players. They didn't. Miami star Dwyane Wade, coming off a career-best 55 points against the New York Knicks, didn't even bother dressing. Neither did Jermaine O'Neal or Udonis Haslem, the latter recovering from a deep cut on his right thumb. Michael Beasley led the Heat with 23 points and 13 rebounds in only 24 minutes. The Hawks rested Maurice Evans and Zaza Pachulia, and kept their starters on the bench much of the night. Speedy Claxton, a $25 million free-agent bust, actually played for the first time in more than two years. Lakers 125, Jazz 112: At Los Angles, Andrew Bynum scored 22 points in his best effort since returning from injury and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz to close the regular season with their sixth consecutive home victory. The Lakers tied the 1986-87 team with their 65th victory, the third-best record in franchise history, trailing only the 1971-72 team (69) and 1999-00 team (67). Pau Gasol added 20 points and nine rebounds, Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom had 16 points each, and Sasha Vujacic 16 points for the Lakers. Deron Williams had 25 points and 13 assists for the Jazz, and reserve Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points to go with 16 points by Carlos Boozer and 14 by Ronnie Brewer. Bynum added four rebounds and three assists in his fourth game back after missing 32 games because of a torn right knee ligament. The Lakers will open the playoffs this weekend against the Jazz, who ended their schedule in the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.
