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BOSTON - Paul Pierce had 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Mike James added 21 points in leading the Celtics past Orlando 101-93 Wednesday night to extend the Magic's losing streak to six.
"It is easy to go out against the worst team in the league and do what we did," Pierce said. "But this was a must-win, and any win feels good right now."
After trailing 90-72 with 8:16 left, Orlando went on a 14-2 run featuring three 3-pointers and 11 points by Tracy McGrady. But the Magic got no closer as Pierce scored four straight to make it 96-86.
McGrady scored 28 to lead Orlando, which has lost six straight on the road. He had 14 points in the fourth. Keith Bogans added a career-high 18 points.
Boston opened the fourth with 10 straight points to go ahead 90-72.
NUGGETS 113, LAKERS 91: Carmelo Anthony had 20 points and helped harass Kobe Bryant into a poor shooting night, leading Denver in Bryant's first game in Colorado since he was accused of sexual assault last summer.
Bryant was booed from the start and never found a rhythm offensively, finishing with 27 points on 8-of-23 shooting with five turnovers.
The crowd booed Bryant loudly during introductions and kept it going every time he touched the ball. A chant of "Guilty! Guilty!" rang out midway through the third quarter, and several fans made sexual references throughout the game.
Bryant's frustration boiled over in the third when he grabbed Anthony under the basket and both were called for technical fouls.
In Lakers news, guard Jannero Pargo was waived.
MAVS 105, WARRIORS 99: Dirk Nowitzki scored eight of his 23 in the final 3:56, including a layup that put Dallas ahead for good. The Warriors lost their seventh straight overall and eighth straight on the road, lows they hadn't hit in two seasons. This also was their 19th straight loss to the Mavericks.
HEAT 102, BULLS 95: Eddie Jones scored 27 and Lamar Odom added 25 for host Miami, which was coming off its worst-scoring game of the season.
The Heat, which lost 87-65 to Indiana on Monday, topped the 100-point mark for the fifth time and won for the sixth time in nine games.
In team news, the Heat activated forward John Wallace from the injured list and placed forward Jerome Beasley on it with a lower back strain.
RAPTORS 75, CAVALIERS 69: Vince Carter scored 11 of his 14 in the final eight minutes, including a clinching windmill dunk with 21 seconds left for host Toronto. After LeBron James (21 points) missed a jumper with less than a minute left, Carter took a pass and dunked to give Toronto a 73-67 lead.
76ERS 100, CLIPPERS 80: Allen Iverson scored 20 and host Philadelphia reached 100 for the first time in nearly two months. Iverson and Glenn Robinson combined for 16 points during a 21-5 run to start the third that gave the Sixers a 17-point lead. With Iverson on the bench in the fourth, the Clippers cut the deficit to 11.
PISTONS 85, ROCKETS 66: Richard Hamilton scored 16 to lead host Detroit in a matchup of top defensive teams. Houston had its worst point total of the season - and tied the mark for fewest points in franchise history - as Detroit extended its league record of holding teams to fewer than 100 points to 38 straight games. The Pistons won their seventh straight, their longest streak in nearly 12 years, and the longest current streak in the league.
BUCKS 95, SUNS 87: Michael Redd scored 23, including 13 in the third, and host Milwaukee extended its winning streak to a season-high four.
The Bucks hadn't beaten Phoenix since Nov. 12, 1999.
HORNETS 97, WIZARDS 87: Baron Davis had 28 points and 10 assists and David Wesley broke out of a slump with 20 points to lead host New Orleans. Wesley, who scored 13 total and shot only 21 percent in his past two games, was 7-of-13.
SONICS 104, KINGS 93: Ray Allen led all scorers with 22 off the bench for host Seattle.
GRIZZLIES-JAZZ PPD.: Snow prevented Memphis from flying out of Portland, forcing the postponement of its game against Utah and has not been rescheduled.
SUSPENSIONS: The Nets' Kenyon Martin and the Clippers' Corey Maggette were suspended for two games without pay by the league, a day after they were ejected for fighting.