The Boston Celtics opened a yawning 5-1/2 game gap over Toronto atop the NBA's Atlantic Division with a 116-103 win over the Raptors Friday. Ray Allen scored 20 points for Boston while Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins had 18 apiece. The Celtics won three in a row for the first time since opening the season with six straight victories. Toronto's Chris Bosh had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Mavericks 113, Pacers 92: In Indianapolis, Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points to lead Dallas over Indiana. Nowitzki, who entered the night sixth in the NBA at 26.9 points per game, made 10 of 14 field goals and 11 of 13 free throws. Jason Terry scored 17 for the Mavericks, winners of five straight road games. Indiana's Danny Granger, who missed the previous game with a sprained knee ligament, finished with 20 points. Grizzlies 106, Trail Blazers 96: In Portland, Oregon, Memphis withstood a second-half rally to hold off Portland. Zach Randolph scored 21 points and Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo added 19 each for the Grizzlies, who led by 29 points during the first half but saw that cut to eight during the fourth quarter. Brandon Roy had 26 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Blazers. Bobcats 94, Cavaliers 87: In Charlotte, North Carolina, Gerald Wallace had 31 points and 14 rebounds while outplaying LeBron James and leading Charlotte over Cleveland. The surprising Bobcats won their third straight game following a seven-game losing streak, mostly thanks to Wallace, who beat James in numerous 1-on-1 matchups in the post. Wallace topped 30 points for the second straight game, while James scored 25. The Cavaliers looked disjointed in Shaquille O'Neal's return from a shoulder injury. O'Neal missed five of his first seven shots and finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Cleveland fell to 6-4 when he plays and 5-1 when he's out. Hawks 100, 76ers 86: In Philadelphia, Jamal Crawford scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to lead Atlanta past Philadelphia. Thunder 108, Bucks 90: In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant had 33 points and 12 rebounds to lead Oklahoma City over Milwaukee. Spurs 92, Rockets 84: In Houston, Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess recorded double-doubles as San Antonio notched its first road win of the season at Texas rival Houston. Nuggets 128, Knicks 125: In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 50 points as Denver edged New York in a thriller. Wizards 94, Heat 84: In Miami, Washington defeated Miami for the first time in seven tries. Suns 120, Timberwolves 95: In Minneapolis, Phoenix sent Minnesota to its 15th straight loss. Clippers 104, Pistons 96: In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Chris Kaman scored 26 points and Baron Davis added 25 to help Los Angeles top Detroit. Kings 109, Nets 96: In Sacramento, California, New Jersey lost to Sacramento, dropping its 16th straight game to open the season and moving within one of matching the worst start in NBA history.
