Garnett's 30 points lead Celtics past Suns

Kevin Garnett scored 30 points, sinking the final 2 to an "M-V-P!" chant echoing through the new Boston Garden, and Paul Pierce had 12 of his 27 in the fourth quarter to lead the host Celtics to a 117-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

Kendrick Perkins had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 14 points and eight assists for Boston, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Rajon Rondo scored 14 with 6 rebounds and 6 assists while frustrating Shaquille O'Neal into a technical foul as Boston turned a tie game into a double-digit lead in the third.

Amare Stoudemire scored 32 points, and O'Neal had 16 with 7 rebounds for the Suns, who have lost two straight since a seven-game winning streak.

Hornets 100, Cavaliers 99: David West's 17-foot jumper, coming on Chris Paul's 20th assist with less than a second left at Cleveland gave New Orleans its their fifth straight win.

The Cavaliers inbounded the ball to James, whose 75-foot heave at the horn bounced off the 24-second clock at the other end.

Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points -- 18 on 3-pointers -- and West added 20 points for the Hornets, who came in with the Western Conference's best record and improved to 2-0 on a six-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored a season-high 29 points with 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which had its nine-game home winning streak end.

Rockets 97, Timberwolves 86: Tracy McGrady scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and Luis Scola had 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for Houston in its victory over visiting Minnesota.

McGrady also had 11 rebounds and 9 assists to help the Rockets keep pace in the tight Western Conference race.

Al Jefferson had 21 and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Hawks 115, Bucks 96: Joe Johnson scored 28 points, Josh Childress added 20 and Atlanta maintained the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference with a win over visiting Milwaukee.

The Hawks also escaped a major scare when X-rays on point guard Mike Bibby's left thumb were negative. Bibby left the game in the fourth quarter and didn't return,

Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 27 points and 9 rebounds.

Raptors 89, Pistons 82: Chris Bosh scored 21 points, and T.J. Ford had 13 points and 9 assists as host Toronto defeated Detroit.

Rasho Nesterovic had 15 points and Jose Calderon 13 as Toronto won for just the fourth time in 15 games.

Chauncey Billups scored 24 points for the Pistons, who have lost three of four.

Knicks 103, Heat 96 (OT): Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, including the go-ahead jumper with about 2½ minutes left in overtime, and the New York Knicks ended their longest home losing streak in nearly 45 years with a victory over Miami.

Zach Randolph had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and David Lee added 15 points and 16 boards for the Knicks, who had dropped a franchise record-tying seven in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 26-Dec. 17, 1963.

Spurs 97, Clippers 88: Tim Duncan had 26 points and 12 rebounds, and host San Antonio withstood a late rally from Los Angeles for its fifth straight victory.

The Spurs are in fifth place in the Western Conference and have a 1½-game lead over the Phoenix Suns.

Corey Maggette scored 22 points for the Clippers, who have lost nine in a row.

Nets 124, Pacers 117: Devin Harris had 22 points and a career-best 15 assists, and host New Jersey kept pace with Atlanta for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a win over Indiana.

Vince Carter added 22 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, Josh Boone had a career-best 26 points and Richard Jefferson added 20 as New Jersey (31-41) remained a half-game behind the Hawks (31-40) in the playoff chase.

Mike Dunleavy had 33 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds to lead the Pacers.