The Boston Celtics had to wait until the final quarter to take the lead, and finally saw off the Dallas Mavericks 99-92 on Thursday to go into the All-Star break with the most wins in the NBA. Paul Pierce scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics were forced to work hard for victory, and he hit two jump shots in the closing stages to ensure the result. Pierce's tiebreaking 11-footer gave the Celtics a 93-91 lead. At the other end, he took an elbow to the head from a charging Dirk Nowitzki. Then Pierce made another step-back jumper, from 14 feet, to seal the game. Coach Doc Rivers wasn't on the Celtics bench to see the end of the game, having been ejected because of two technical fouls late in the third quarter. That came in a sequence when Kevin Garnett got three fouls in a matter of seconds - two personals and a technical while battling with Nowitzki. Ray Allen, playing with an injured thumb, had 20 points, and Rajon Rondo had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists for his second career triple-double, as the Celtics recorded a ninth consecutive road win. Nowitzki led Dallas with 37 points. Heat 95, Bulls 93: In Chicago, Shawn Marion's dunk with a second left gave Miami a thrilling win over Chicago. Dwyane Wade, who finished with 24 points, found Marion for the decisive dunk. The win meant Miami went into the season break with the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference. Warriors 105, Trail Blazers 98: In Oakland, California, Golden State brought up a third straight victory by defeating Portland. The Blazers have not won at Golden State since 2004. Brown fined The NBA fined Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown $25,000 on Thursday for criticizing officials. Brown erupted in a tirade after the Cavaliers' last-second loss to Indiana on Tuesday, in which Cleveland star LeBron James was called for a foul that allowed Danny Granger to win the game at the free-throw line. Brown said after watching replays that the call was pre-determined based on the Cavaliers' prior possession. Granger had fouled James with four-tenths of a second left on a nearly identical play, allowing him to hit two free throws that tied the game at 95-95. Then the foul called on James sent Granger to the line in similar fashion. Brown was angry with official Joey Crawford for making the call on James. Shaq, Kobe back together for NBA All-Star game The NBA All-Star game will see the return of the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant pairing that once dominated league headlines, on and off the court. Together they led the Los Angeles Lakers to three straight championships and four finals berths in five years, but that success was eventually overshadowed by the bickering that triggered their breakup. On Sunday they'll be on the same team for the first time since the 2004 NBA Finals, when the Lakers were knocked off by Detroit. They traded sporadic barbs through the years after O'Neal's departure, but say they've patched things up - with O'Neal saying they were never that bad in the first place. “That will be kind of fun to see how well they hook up together,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who will coach them in the Western Conference team. “I think there's no doubt about the fact they'll have a relationship. They still are very friendly.” O'Neal was chosen to 14 straight All-Star games before missing last year during an injury-plagued season. Few players match his level of popularity with fans and fellow players. Mike Jordan had a role to start the weekend, when the finalists for this year's Basketball Hall of Fame class were announced on Friday. The end was left for the players who have inherited his mantle as the best in the league. Bryant and LeBron James have dominated recent All-Star games, combining for the last three MVP awards.
