LOS ANGELES: Paul Pierce scored 32 points, and Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 13 rebounds with a large bandage over a cut on his head, as the Boston Celtics won their NBA finals rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, overcoming Kobe Bryant's 41 points in a 109-96 victory. Ray Allen scored 21 points for the Celtics in the longtime rivals' first meeting since Los Angeles rallied from a late 13-point deficit for an 83-79 win in Game 7 last June. Pau Gasol had 12 points in a quiet game for Los Angeles, which has lost four of seven. Heat 108, Thunder 103: At Oklahoma, City, Dwyane Wade scored 32 points and Eddie House hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 22.2 seconds left as Miami got its Big 3 back together to beat Oklahoma City. LeBron James added 23 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Bosh scored 20 points in his first game back after a four-game absence and the Heat snapped Oklahoma City's home winning streak at six. Kevin Durant scored 33 points but missed a contested jumper along the left baseline that would've tied it. Jeff Green had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook added 21 points and 10 assists. Suns 104, Hornets 102: At Phoenix, backup center Marcin Gortat scored a career-high 25 points as Phoenix beat a team with a winning record for the fourth straight time, surviving New Orleans' frantic late rally. The Suns nearly blew an eight-point lead in the final 18 seconds, but Grant Hill blocked Marcus Thornton's inside attempt with 3.9 seconds left and Hornets guard Chris Paul's desperation 3-point attempt missed the rim as time expired. Paul led New Orleans with 26 points. The Hornets were coming off a loss Saturday night in Sacramento that snapped their winning streak at 10. Magic 103, Cavaliers 87: At Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard had 20 points and 20 rebounds in three quarters, and Ryan Anderson added 23 points and 16 rebounds as Orlando handed Cleveland its 20th straight loss and 30th in 31 games. Howard had his 36th double-double of the season by halftime. J.J. Redick added 17 points, and Brandon Bass and Jason Richardson had 12 apiece. Cleveland coach Byron Scott started guard Manny Harris in place of Daniel Gibson, but it had little effect. Harris led the Cavs with 20 points, but was the only starter in double figures. Knicks 124, Pistons 106: At New York, Amare Stoudemire scored 33 points despite a sprained right knee, and rookie Timofey Mozgov had career highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds in his first appearance in three weeks for New York. Danilo Gallinari added 29 points for the Knicks, who seized control early in the fourth quarter after it was tied through three. He made two 3-pointers in a decisive 12-2 burst to open the final period and New York went on to win for the third time in four games. Ben Gordon made seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 35 points for Detroit. The Pistons have lost three in a row. 76ers 110, Nuggets 99: At Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 24 points and Thaddeus Young had 21 as Philadelphia beat Denver. Elton Brand added 15 points to help the 76ers sweep the season series for the first time since 2002-03. Chauncey Billups led Denver with 27 points. Warriors 96, Jazz 81: At Oakland, California, Stephen Curry had 27 points and seven assists as Golden State overcame scoring leader Monta Ellis' horrendous shooting performance to beat undermanned Utah.
