Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
CHARLOTTE ó Marvin Williams scored 29 points and his impressive free-throw shooting keyed Atlanta’s comeback from a 17-point deficit in the Hawks’ win over the undermanned Charlotte Bobcats.
Williams went 18-for-20 from the line and the Hawks won their second straight game without All-Star Joe Johnson, who remained in Atlanta with flu-like symptoms.
Maurice Evans added 17 points filling in for Johnson and the Hawks got two big defensive plays by Josh Smith in the final seconds to send the Bobcats to their fourth straight loss.
Raja Bell scored 17 points for Charlotte, but was lost late in the third quarter to a groin injury. Charlotte was also without top scorer Gerald Wallace for a fourth straight game.
Celtics 110, Knicks 100
NEW YORK ó Paul Pierce scored 26 points and Ray Allen finished with 22 to help the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks 110-100 on Friday night.
Kevin Garnett also had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Boston. The Celtics won the season series against New York 3-1 and have won nine of the last 10 in the rivalry.
Al Harrington scored 27 points and David Lee had 18 points and 18 rebounds for New York, which absorbed its third straight loss against one of the NBA’s elite teams.
Pacers 107, Magic 102
INDIANAPOLIS ó Danny Granger scored 14 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic to snap a three-game losing streak.
It was Granger’s 15th time scoring 30 or more points this season. T.J. Ford scored 21 points and Troy Murphy added 20 for the Pacers.
Orlando’s Dwight Howard had 21 points and 20 rebounds, but made just five of 12 free throws, including 4-of-8 in the fourth quarter. J.J. Redick tied a season high with 17 points.
Hornets 101, Raptors 92
NEW ORLEANS ó Peja Stojakovic scored a season-high 28 points and the New Orleans Hornets tied a franchise record with 15 3-pointers, snapping their four-game losing streak.
Jermaine O’Neal scored 24 points for Toronto, which lost its fifth straight.
Thunder 102, Trail Blazers 93
OKLAHOMA CITY ó Kevin Durant scored 31 points and outplayed Greg Oden in the first pro meeting between the top two picks of the 2007 NBA draft.
Oklahoma City (12-38) snapped a three-game losing streak. Portland, which had won four of its previous seven road games, fell to 0-4 in Oklahoma City, having also lost three times in the Ford Center during the two seasons the New Orleans Hornets played in the arena.
Clippers 126, Grizzlies 105
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ó Zach Randolph had 35 points and 10 rebounds, while Ricky Davis added a season-high 24 points as the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Rudy Gay led Memphis with 26 points, hitting nine of his 13 shots.
Nuggets 124, Wizards 103
WASHINGTON ó The Denver Nuggets welcomed back starters Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups and showed no compunction about beating up on a beaten-down opponent.
Carmelo Anthony delivered 23 points, eight rebounds, six assists as the Nuggets celebrated their best 50-game record (34-16) since they joined the NBA in 1976.
Billups came back from a sprained right ankle to score 16 points against a Wizards team that dressed only nine players because of injury and illness and fell to an NBA-worst 10-40.