The Boston Celtics notched a 14th consecutive NBA win on Friday, with Paul Pierce contributing 28 points to a 94-82 victory over the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who took the lead with a 17-4 run early in the third quarter and never trailed again while improving to a league-best 22-2 this season. After trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter, New Orleans cut it to 89-82 before the Celtics put it away. Suns 113, Magic 112: In Phoenix, Grant Hill made a reverse layup with 2.7 seconds left to lift Phoenix over Orlando. The narrow victory was the Suns' sixth in a row against the Magic, whose four-game winning streak was ended. Cavaliers 88, 76ers 72: In Cleveland, the home side matched a club record with its 11th straight win, downing Philadelphia. LeBron James scored 28 points and Anderson Varejao added 17 for the Cavaliers, who improved to 13-0 at home and added another victory to their longest winning streak since the 1993-94 season. Cleveland can set a team record for consecutive wins in Atlanta on Saturday. Lakers 112, Kings 103: In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 32 points as Los Angeles avenged a loss to Sacramento earlier in the week. Pau Gasol had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who suffered one of only three defeats this season at the hands of the otherwise struggling Kings on Tuesday. Hawks 87, Heat 73: In Miami, Atlanta overcame a poor start to comfortably beat Miami. Joe Johnson scored 21 points, while Mike Bibby and Josh Smith each added 15 for the Hawks, who scored the final 14 points of the third quarter, blowing open the game on the way to snapping a three-game losing streak. Miami, which lost for the first time in five games, missed nine straight shots during one second-half lull, plus were outscored 23-4 in fast-break points and were a mere 4-for-10 from the foul line, compared with Atlanta's 24-for-32. Rockets 119, Warriors 108: In Oakland, California, Tracy McGrady just missed a triple-double in his return to the court as Houston beat Golden State. Yao Ming had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who moved to their best record after 23 games for 12 years. McGrady, who missed the last seven games with soreness in his left knee, had 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Raptors 101, Nets 79: In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Chris Bosh scored 18 points to lead Toronto over New Jersey. Toronto capitalized on Vince Carter's 0-for-13 night and brought up successive wins under interim coach Jay Triano. Clippers 120, Trail Blazers 112, 2OT: In Portland, Oregon, Zach Randolph scored a season-high 38 points against his former team, leading Los Angeles to a double-overtime victory over Portland. Other results: Pistons 114, Pacers 110; Grizzlies 103, Bulls 96; Spurs 98, Timberwolves 86.
