BOSTON: Ray Allen scored 22 points and Paul Pierce recovered after missing his first seven shots to score 11 in the second half to lead the Boston Celtics to their 14th straight victory, 84-80 over the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night. Shaquille O'Neal had 13 points and nine rebounds, but he missed two free throws with 1:02 left and Boston holding a two-point lead. Philadelphia had two chances to equalize, but Andre Iguodala slipped and turned the ball over the first time and then had his shot blocked by Kevin Garnett the next. Allen hit a pair of free throws with 5.6 seconds left to finish it off. Elton Brand had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday scored 15 points for Philadelphia, which was coming off a 45-point loss to the Chicago Bulls - its worst in three years. Spurs 109, Nuggets 103: At San Antonio, Manu Ginobili and Gary Neal scored 22 points apiece as San Antonio beat Denver - playing without All-Star Carmelo Anthony because of the death of his sister - for its 10th straight victory. The Spurs improved their NBA-best record to 25 wins from 28 games. It ranks among the 11 best starts to a season in NBA history. Ty Lawson and J.R. Smith led the Nuggets with 22 points apiece, and Kenyon Martin played 17 minutes in his season debut after missing the first 26 games while recovering from knee surgery. The Nuggets said Anthony will return after Christmas. Their next game is Christmas Day at Oklahoma City. Jazz 112, Timberwolves 107: At Minneapolis, Al Jefferson had 23 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks against his former team and Utah coach Jerry Sloan moved into sole possession of third place on the career victories list. Jefferson scored 21 points in the second half and Deron Williams added 25 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Jazz, who came back from 12 points down at the start of the fourth quarter. Sloan picked up victory No. 1,211, moving past Pat Riley into sole possession of third place on the career list. Only Don Nelson (1,335) and Lenny Wilkens (1,332) have more victories in NBA history. Kevin Love had 25 points and 19 rebounds and Michael Beasley added 24 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota. The Timberwolves have lost seven straight games. Bulls 87, Wizards 80: At Washington, Carlos Boozer scored 30 points and Derrick Rose added 25 to help Chicago beat the Wizards for its ninth victory in 10 games. Boozer also had 10 rebounds and a season-high seven assists to go with his second 30-point performance this season. The Bulls have won nine of 12 since Boozer returned after missing the first 15 games with a broken hand. Luol Deng added 14 points for Chicago. Nick Young scored 22 points for the Wizards. Knicks 112, Thunder 98: At New York, Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Wilson Chandler added 21 as New York ran past Oklahoma City to end a three-game losing streak. Rookie Landry Fields had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks. In a game featuring the NBA's top two scorers, Stoudemire nearly matched league leader Kevin Durant, who finished with 26. But Stoudemire had far more help, with the Knicks putting six players in double figures. Raymond Felton added 12 points and 10 assists. Pistons 115, Raptors 93: At Toronto, Richard Hamilton scored a season-high 35 points, Rodney Stuckey had 21 and Detroit beat Toronto to end a five-game losing streak against the Raptors. Hawks 98, Cavaliers 84: At Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 23 points in his best game since his return from elbow surgery to lead Atlanta past Antawn Jamison and Cleveland. Rockets 97, Clippers 92: At Los Angeles, Kevin Martin scored 28 points, including four free throws in the final 16 seconds, and Houston nearly blew an 18-point lead in the second half before holding on for its fourth straight victory. Hornets 105, Nets 91: At New Orleans, Emeka Okafor had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Chris Paul added 12 points and 14 assists as New Orleans shot 53.9 percent and made eight of 16 3-point attempts.
