BOSTON -- Paul Pierce scored a career-high 41 points and Antoine Walker added 24 as the Celtics sent the Magic to their fifth straight loss, 103-98 in overtime Friday night.

Pierce and Walker scored nine of Boston's 14 points in the overtime period as Boston won for the fourth time in six games.

Tracy McGrady led the Magic with 26 points. John Amaechi and Darrell Armstrong contributed 16 each.

Armstrong's three-pointer with 4.4 seconds left tied the score at 89. Doug Overton missed a layup at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

The Celtics fell behind 82-76 when Monty Williams' jumpshot gave the Magic an 82-76 lead with 5:05 left.

Pierce's three-pointer with 22.3 seconds left capped a 5-0 Boston run in the final 48 seconds and gave it a 88-85 lead.

The Magic trailed 49-46 at halftime despite blocking eight shots, including six by Bo Outlaw.

CAVALIERS 85, HEAT 80: Clarence Weatherspoon had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Chris Gatling added 15 points and three hustle plays in the final minutes for host Cleveland.

Weatherspoon and Gatling, acquired from the Heat in the three-team trade that sent Shawn Kemp to Portland, helped Cleveland improve to 6-0 at home.

PACERS 99, WIZARDS 87: Jalen Rose scored 23 points, and host Indiana changed its starting lineup to end a four-game losing streak -- its longest in almost seven years.

Derrick McKey and Jonathan Bender moved into the starting lineup for the Pacers, who hadn't lost four in a row since January, 1994. Jermaine O'Neal, who had been starting at forward, began the game at center but sprained an ankle in the first half. O'Neal returned in the fourth quarter.

76ERS 76, HAWKS 67: Allen Iverson bounced back from a miserable first half, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter as visiting Philadelphia resumed its winning ways.

Philadelphia shot 37 percent from the field, committed 16 turnovers and made only 18 of 32 free throws, allowing Atlanta to keep the score fairly close.

SUPERSONICS 98, CLIPPERS 81: Host Seattle pulled away early in the second half and coasted to the victory. Gary Payton, suspended for a tirade then reinstated this week, scored 23 points.

HORNETS 106, BUCKS 90: Visiting Charlotte used a 28-2 first-half run to set up its fourth straight victory. The Hornets travel to Cleveland tonight for a matchup of the top teams in the Central Division.

The Bucks have lost three straight. The Hornets held their third straight opponent to less than 40 percent shooting -- the Bucks made 38 percent.

PISTONS 118, GRIZZLIES 96: Joe Smith provided host Detroit a legitimate low-post scoring threat with 20 points in 20 minutes in his debut with the Pistons.

Jerry Stackhouse scored 31 despite being hammered by Vancouver forward Tony Massenburg with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. The blow opened a cut over Stackhouse's right eye, requiring four stitches before he could return in the fourth quarter.

Heat approaching deadline

Pat Riley has a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Sunday to use the $3.92-million injury exception granted by the league for the loss of Alonzo Mourning. The Heat can use the exception either for a trade or a free-agent signing, although both markets are dry. "We're very active, but there isn't anything that's imminent," Riley said. Among the available free agents are Mark Bryant, Dickey Simpkins, Oliver Miller, Armen Gilliam and Rick Brunson. The trade market is being kept down by a rule that prohibits players who were free agents last summer from being traded before Dec. 15.

BUCKS: Free agent forward Jerome Kersey, a 16-year veteran, signed. Kersey played 72 games last season with the Spurs, averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. The team has lost forwards Darvin Ham (foot surgery) and Scott Williams (foot injury). Kersey spent his first 11 seasons with the Trail Blazers after being selected in the second round of the 1984 draft. He also played for the Warriors, Lakers, SuperSonics and Spurs. ... Forward Glenn Robinson sat out against the Hornets because of severe cold symptoms. He was replaced by Tim Thomas in the starting lineup.

HAWKS: Jim Jackson, the team's leading scorer, was placed on the injured list with a sprained ligament in his right knee. ... Team president Stan Kasten and general manager Pete Babcock will meet Tuesday with agent David Falk to discuss Dikembe Mutombo's future. Mutombo is in the final season of his contract and has grown tired of losing in Atlanta.

JAZZ: John Stockton reached a longevity milestone against the Nets, tying the league's single-team record of 1,270 games set by John Havlicek with the Celtics. In his 17th season, Stockton has missed 22 games.

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