Paul Pierce had 18 points and 10 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics overcome their second straight slow start and beat the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks 101-89 in the NBA on Friday. Richard Jefferson scored 20 points and Charlie Villanueva added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, playing without the injured Michael Redd. Kevin Garnett had 16 points for Boston. Hawks 110, Raptors 92: In Atlanta, Mike Bibby scored all of his 19 points in the first half, making four 3-pointers during an 18-4 run that broke open the game, as unbeaten Atlanta routed Toronto. Bibby added 12 assists for Atlanta, which is off to its best start since 1997, when they won their first 11 games. Bulls 100, Suns 83: In Chicago, reserve Ben Gordon scored 23 points as Chicago downed Phoenix. Bulls rookie Derrick Rose had 18 points, six assists and several dazzling plays. The Suns played without Shaquille O'Neal, who got the night off as part of a plan to rest him periodically throughout the season. O'Neal is expected back in the lineup Saturday. Nets 103, Pistons 96: In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Devin Harris scored a career-high 38 points to lead New Jersey over Detroit, giving a first start to Allen Iverson. New Jersey, which trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half, played some of its best basketball of the season in the final two periods to hand the Pistons their first loss after four wins to open the season. Iverson had 24 points and six assists in his first outing for the Pistons, four days after he was acquired from Denver. Jazz 104, Thunder 97: In Salt Lake City, Jerry Sloan became the first NBA coach to win 1,000 games with one team as Utah downed Oklahoma City. Sloan is 1,000-596 with the Jazz, who improved to 5-0 for just the third time in team history despite letting a 31-point lead slip to eight in the fourth quarter. Andrei Kirilenko led the Jazz with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Cavaliers 111, Pacers 107: In Cleveland, LeBron James scored 27 points as Cleveland rallied to beat Indiana. Anderson Varejao added a career-high 18 for the Cavaliers, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Cleveland scored 40 points in the fourth quarter. Bobcats 92, Hornets 89: In Charlotte, North Carolina, Jason Richardson and Raymond Felton scored 20 points apiece as Charlotte spoiled Chris Paul's homecoming by beating New Orleans. Rookie point guard D.J. Augustin spearheaded a late comeback, as Charlotte regrouped after blowing a 14-point lead. Paul, who grew up nearby and bought 500 tickets for friends and family, recovered from a scoreless first half to have 20 points and 10 assists, but had a key turnover in the final minute before missing a tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer. Other results: Grizzlies 109, Warriors 104; Heat 99, Spurs 83; Nuggets 108, Mavericks 105; Rockets 92, Clippers 83; Knicks 114, Wizards 108; Kings 121, Timberwolves 109.
