Pierce leads Celtics past Jazz 103-99

Pierce leads Celtics past Jazz 103-99

BOSTON, Massachusetts (Reuters): The Celtics got 30 points
from Paul Pierce -- 22 in the second half -- to beat the Utah
Jazz 103-99 on Friday.

Antoine Walker added 26 points for Boston, which moved within
1 1/2 games of Indiana for the final Eastern Conference playoff
spot with 23 games left.

"This is a big win for us," Walker said. "We're keeping right
in the playoff race. We can hope for teams to lose, but we
really have to take control of our own destiny."

"They wanted the ballgame more than we did and we couldn't
handle their traps or double-team," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.

In Atlanta, Baron Davis pumped in four 3-pointers in his 28-
point night to lead the Charlotte Hornets to their sixth-straight
victory, 105-99 over the Atlanta Hawks.

David Wesley scored 17 points and P.J. Brown added 11 and 13
rebounds for Charlotte, which defeated Atlanta for the sixth time
in the last seven meetings.

Toni Kukoc scored a season-high 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting
while Jason Terry had 26 and seven assists for the Hawks, who
have lost six straight.

In Chicago, The New York Knicks stumbled again on the road,
losing their sixth consecutive out-of-town game when the Chicago
Bulls beat them 81-72.

Elton Brand scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds for the
Bulls.

Brad Miller scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds while
Fred Hoiberg added a career-high 12 assists for the Bulls, who
shot 42.5 percent (31-of-73).

Allan Houston scored 23 points and Latrell Sprewell added 16
for New York.

In Denver, Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 12 rebounds and
Dean Garrett scored 10 points off the bench as the Minnesota
Timberwolves cruised to an 89-71 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Garnett made 9-of-14 shots and Garrett 5-of-6 as Minnesota
halted a three-game road losing streak and moved three games
ahead of Houston for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Eddie Jones scored 18 points in the
fourth quarter and Tim Hardaway had six in overtime, taking the
Miami Heat to a 97-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

In overtime, Anthony Mason converted a three-point play with
62 seconds left to put Miami ahead for good, 93-91.

"Eddie Jones just took over the game," Hardaway said.

In Indianapolis, Rashard Lewis hit back-to-back baskets down
the stretch as the Seattle SuperSonics blew a 23-point lead
before pulling out an 86-83 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Shammond Williams made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 19.4
seconds to seal Seattle's win.

Gary Payton scored 26 points and Lewis had 18 for the Sonics.

In Los Angeles, Corey Maggette scored 12 of his 23 points in
the fourth quarter, when the Los Angeles Clippers used their
bench and energy to post an 88-81 victory over the Sacramento
Kings.

Maggette hit 7-of-14 shots from the floor and made 8-of-9 free
throws as the Clippers ended a three-game losing streak.

Eric Piatkowski and Lamar Odom each scored 11 points for Los
Angeles.

Peja Stojakovic scored 31 points and Scot Pollard added 15 for
Sacramento.

In Philadelphia, Allen Iverson collected 41 points as the
Philadelphia 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 107-102.

In a strange play, Christian Laettner was whistled for an
offensive foul for running into a Sixer at midcourt without the
ball with 1:05 left.

Dikembe Mutombo made 3-of-4 free throws for a 105-100
advantage with 35.8 seconds to go.

Results (home team in bold):
Seattle 86 Indiana 83
Philadelphia 107 Washington 102
Charlotte 105 Atlanta 99
Boston 103 Utah 99
Orlando 120 Cleveland 94
Toronto 107 New Jersey 90
Miami 97 Detroit 93 (OT)
Chicago 81 New York 72
Minnesota 89 Denver 71
LA Clippers 88 Sacramento 81