Celtics-Lakers rivalry back at full throttle
Kevin Garnett had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the new Big Three in its first game against the rival Lakers, and Paul Pierce added 20 points and 9 assists to help the Boston Celtics beat visiting Los Angeles 107-94 on Friday night.
Kobe Bryant scored 28 points for Los Angeles, which got no help from having California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sitting courtside. Instead, the Celtics fired up the crowd for the renewal of the rivalry by putting a muscle-bound clip of Schwarzenegger's movie "Predator" on the scoreboard.
"Starting to bring celebrities out," said Pierce, who grew up in the Los Angeles area as a Lakers fan who hated the Celtics. "That's what I like."
Kendrick Perkins had 21 points and 9 rebounds for Boston, which improved to 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home. Ray Allen had 18 points, and Rajon Rondo 10 assists for the Celtics.
Warriors 123, Wizards 115: Baron Davis had 33 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, Stephen Jackson scored 28 points, and visiting Golden State ended Washington's six-game winning streak.
Caron Butler, coming off a career-high 39-point effort Wednesday, did his best to keep Washington unbeaten without sidelined all-star Gilbert Arenas, but it wasn't quite enough. Butler finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Antawn Jamison had 30 points and 12 rebounds.
Jazz 99, Hornets 71: Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead host Utah to its sixth consecutive home victory.
Heat 98, Rockets 91: Shaquille O'Neal had season highs of 26 points and 14 rebounds, Dwyane Wade scored a season-high 31 points, and host Miami handed Houston its sixth straight loss.
Magic 105, Bobcats 92: Dwight Howard had 34 points and 17 rebounds to help host Orlando overcome a poor shooting night in a win over Charlotte. Howard made 11 of 14 shots, while his teammates were a combined 27 of 66 from the field, including 7 of 28 from 3-point range.
Spurs 101, Grizzlies 88: Tim Duncan (14-for-17) scored 28 points, and host San Antonio beat Memphis for its fourth straight victory. Tony Parker added 21 points and 8 assists for the Spurs.
Pistons 83, Sixers 78: Tayshaun Prince scored 15 points and Detroit held on for its fourth home victory in four games. The Pistons and Sixers combined to hit just 5 of 29 3-point shots.
Pacers 111, Mavericks 107: Danny Granger scored 25 points and Jamaal Tinsley added 24 to help host Indiana hold off Dallas.
Suns 113, Clippers 94: Amare Stoudemire scored 13 of his season-high 29 points in the decisive third quarter, and host Phoenix (11-2) matched the best start to a season in franchise history by beating the Clippers. The 1980-81 squad also started 11-2.
Nuggets 99, T'wolves 93: Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points and Kenyon Martin had a season-high 18 to lift host Denver to a win over Minnesota.
The Nuggets have now won seven of eight.
Trail Blazers 87, Kings 84: LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead host Portland to a victory over Sacramento. Brandon Roy made the go-ahead basket and finished with 13 points and 8 assists.