NBA

Celtics ruin return of brawling Pacer

By wire services
Published January 27, 2005

BOSTON - Paul Pierce scored 23 in Boston's 110-86 win over Indiana on Wednesday, spoiling Stephen Jackson's return from a 30-game suspension.

Jackson scored 17 in his first game since the Nov.19 melee in Detroit, in which he followed Ron Artest into the crowd. He made Indiana's first basket, a 3-pointer, and scored eight in the first quarter. But he went 0-for-6 on 3-pointers from there and scored six in the second half.

"I felt like a kid," he said. "I was pumped, excited to be out there. But as the game went on, my shots fell shorter and shorter from the rim. You have to be out there to get in shape."

Down 14, Indiana's 13-2 run, capped by Austin Croshere's 3-pointer, made it 84-81 with 6:20 left. But the Celtics scored the next five.

Boston, however, lost center Al Jefferson for four weeks with a high ankle sprain sustained with 3:11 left in the first quarter. The 15th pick in June, he was averaging 7.1 points in 16 minutes.

CAVS 114, GRIZZLIES 111: LeBron James had 27 points, nine rebounds and a career-high 15 assists for host Cleveland. James twisted his ankle with 9:23 left but returned with 4:53 left. He scored on a driving scoop, fed Drew Gooden for a basket and stole the ball to set up Jeff McInnis' basket that made it 108-99 with 2:54 left.

Memphis played without forward James Posey, who injured his right heel Tuesday. His status for Saturday is unknown.

WIZARDS 117, 76ERS 107: Gilbert Arenas scored 33 for host Washington to overcome a career night by Allen Iverson's replacement. Willie Green scored a career-high 32 in place of Iverson, who strained his left rotator cuff Monday against Miami. His status for Friday is unknown.

Green's rebound and baseball pass to Andre Iguodala for a dunk gave Philadelphia a 98-97 lead with 6:40 left. But the 76ers didn't score again for four minutes.

JAZZ 109, SONICS 100: Raul Lopez tied a career high with 20 points and set one with 11 assists for host Utah. A 26-8 run put Utah up 96-83, and Lopez's one-handed runner with the shot clock winding down made it 102-91 with 2:50 left.

HEAT 111, RAPTORS 96: Shaquille O'Neal had 33 points and 18 rebounds for visiting Miami. Toronto's Chris Bosh scored 15 in the first quarter but played one minute in the second after picking up his third foul. Against 216-pound Loren Woods, O'Neal scored seven straight, and Eddie Jones' 3-pointer at the buzzer made it 61-46.

SUNS 121, BUCKS 115: Shawn Marion scored 24, 17 in the first half, for visiting Phoenix. The Suns led 93-82 but missed four free throws in the final minute. Desmond Mason's two free throws cut it to 117-115. But Steve Nash made two with 12.5 seconds left and Quentin Richardson two with 5.8 seconds left.

MAVS 95, BLAZERS 88: Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and 15 rebounds (his sixth double double in the past eight games) for visiting Dallas. Portland cut it to 89-88 with 1:38 left on Darius Miles' two free throws. But Miles missed a 5-footer with 53.7 seconds left. Then Jerry Stackhouse's driving layup and Nowitzki's four free throws sealed it.

WOLVES 104, HAWKS 87: Latrell Sprewell scored 32, 22 in the third, for host Minnesota. Timberwolves guard Sam Cassell returned after missing 10 games with a hamstring injury and had four points and eight assists. It was 53-53 when Kevin Garnett made two turnaround jumpers and Sprewell two 3-pointers and a jumper for a 12-0 run.

ROCKETS 82, HORNETS 77: Tracy McGrady scored 10 of his 33 in the fourth for visiting Houston. Down 65-55, he made three jumpers and a driving shot. Then Scott Padgett's 3-pointer put the Rockets up 76-73 with 28 seconds left.

PISTONS 87, NUGGETS 70: Antonio McDyess scored eight in a row spanning the third and fourth to seal it for host Detroit.

George Karl will become Denver's coach, the Associated Press and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Karl, 13th all-time in wins with 708, led Seattle to the Finals in 1996, when they lost in six games to the Bulls. Most recently, he spent five seasons with Milwaukee before being fired in 2003.

After signing Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets were expected to contend but struggled and fired Jeff Bzdelik on Dec. 28. Interim coach Michael Cooper is 4-10.

HEAT: Forward Qyntel Woods signed. Taken 21st in 2002, he was released by Portland, after averaging 3.1 points in two seasons, Friday after admitting in court he mistreated his dog. He was suspended after the allegations and hasn't played this season. In October, Woods was suspended for five games for violating the league's drug policy. That started Wednesday.

BUCKS: Marcus Fizer is out 7-10 days after surgery to repair the bursa sac on his right elbow, which he fell on Friday.

CELTICS: Walter McCarty said he wants to be traded because of limited playing time. The center, the 19th pick in 1996, averages 3.6 points in 12.4 minutes.

[Last modified January 27, 2005, 01:11:02]