CHICAGO: The Boston Celtics earned their 10th straight win, beating the struggling Chicago Bulls 106-80 in the NBA on Saturday.
Rajon Rondo had 16 points and 14 assists, Rasheed Wallace and Eddie House scored 15 apiece, Kevin Garnett added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Pierce scored 14 even though he sustained a stinger on his right shoulder and hit just 4 of 12 shots.
Boston scored 10 straight late in the third quarter, making it a 20-point game and sending the Bulls to their 10th loss in 12 games. Derrick Rose scored 19 for Chicago, and Luol Deng added 17.
Jazz 102, Lakers 94: At Salt Lake City, Deron Williams scored eight straight points to start the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points and 11 assists as Utah snapped the Lakers’ 11-game winning streak.
Utah took advantage as Kobe Bryant struggled with a fractured index finger from a game the night before. The Jazz held Bryant to 16 points on 7 of 24 shooting. Bryant didn’t score in the second half until less than five minutes remained in the game and Utah was up by 15.
Nuggets 105, Suns 99: At Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and Chauncey Billups shook off an awful first half to lead Denver past Phoenix.
Billups, whose first half included three turnovers and three fouls, scored 24 points and sank five 3-pointers in the second. His turnover with 30 seconds left and the Nuggets leading 101-99 however gave the Suns a shot at a rare win in Denver.
Steve Nash, who scored 28 points, missed a driving layup with seven seconds left and Anthony ended up with the ball and was fouled with two seconds remaining. Suns coach Alvin Gentry hollered at an official and was ejected. Anthony sank all four free throws.
Mavericks 98, Bobcats 97, OT: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki hit a 10-foot jump Shot with 1.8 seconds left in overtime as Dallas improves to 11-0 all-time against Charlotte.
Nowitzki scored 36 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter and overtime. He hit a fadeaway over Boris Diaw from the left elbow, capping a frantic ending where the teams exchanged the lead six times in the final minute.
Pacers 114, Wizards 113: At Washington, Mike Dunleavy benefited from a replay review and made two free throws with one-tenth of a second left for Indiana, which overcame a Gilbert Arenas triple-double.
Arenas’ big night was marred when he missed two free throws in the closing seconds of a tight game for the second time in three nights, leaving the Wizards up by only one.
Pistons 104, Warriors 95: At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Rodney Stuckey scored 29 points and Charlie Villanueva added 24 as Detroit won its fifth straight game.
Pistons guard Richard Hamilton played after missing 21 games with a sprained right ankle and had 18 points in 37 minutes.
Monta Ellis led Golden State with 29 points, while reserve Corey Maggette added 23 and rookie Stephen Curry scored 19.
Bucks 108, Trail Blazers 101, 2OT: At Milwaukee, Luke Ridnour scored six of his 20 points in the second overtime as Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak. Andrew Bogut tied his season high with 27 points, and Brandon Jennings added 18 for the Bucks, who snapped a five-game skid against Portland dating to Dec. 6, 2006 Brandon Roy scored 23 points for injury-ravaged Portland.
Kings 120, Timberwolves 100: At Sacramento, California, Jason Thompson had 23 points and 13 rebounds as Sacramento snapped a four-game losing streak.
Tyreke Evans scored 18 points and Beno Udrih had 16 points and seven assists for the Kings.
Al Jefferson had 26 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost four straight and is 3-21 overall under rookie coach Kurt Rambis.
