CHARLOTTE, N.C.: Byron Mullens had 25 points and 18 rebounds, and the Charlotte Bobcats defeated Boston 94-91 Monday night to snap the Celtics’ seven-game winning streak.
Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, but missed a key 18-footer that would have given Boston the lead late in the game. Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley had chances to send the game into overtime in the final seconds, but missed open 3-pointers.
Ramon Sessions had 19 points for the Bobcats, including the go-ahead jumper from 18 feet with 25.7 seconds left. Kemba Walker had 18 points, six assists and six rebounds, and Gerald Henderson chipped in with 16 points.
Jeff Green had 18 points for the Celtics and Paul Pierce finished with 13 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.
Clippers 107 76ers 90: In Philadelphia, Chris Paul had 21 points and 11 assists, Blake Griffin scored 20 points and the Los Angeles Clippers cruised past Philadelphia 76ers.
Jamal Crawford also scored 20 points and Matt Barnes had 11 for the Pacific Division-leading Clippers. Eric Bledsoe scored 10 points while DeAndre Jordan grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Clippers closed out their season-high eight-game road trip at 4-4, including consecutive wins at New York and Philadelphia.
Los Angeles won the finale with ease without guard Chauncey Billups and forward Caron Butler. Both players were nursing sore lower backs and were replaced in the starting lineup by Matt Barnes and Willie Green.
Nick Young led the Sixers with 29 points while Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner and Jeremy Pargo had 10 each. Spencer Hawes had 10 rebounds.
Timberwolves 100 Cavaliers 92: In Cleveland, Luke Ridnour scored 21 points, Ricky Rubio added 13 and 10 assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped an eight-game road losing streak, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ridnour dropped a critical 3-pointer with 1:43 left for the banged-up Timberwolves, who hadn’t won on the road since Jan. 3 — star center Kevin Love’s last game before he was lost indefinitely with a broken hand.
Nikola Pekovic added 16 points and 10 rebounds as Minnesota ended a four-game losing streak and improved to just 4-16 since losing Love.
Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and Tristan Thompson had 16 for the Cavs, who were within 82-81 in the fourth before Ridnour sparked a 10-2 run by the Timberwolves. Ridnour had 13 points in the final 12 minutes.
Spurs 103 Bulls 89: In Chicago, Kawhi Leonard had a career-high 26 points and Danny Green scored 18 , helping the short-handed San Antonio Spurs beat the Chicago Bulls without their three biggest stars.
Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were all out with injuries, and swingman Stephen Jackson also missed the game due to “personal business,” according to the team. And the NBA-best Spurs still had enough talent to beat one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams in its building.
Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter had 16 points apiece for San Antonio, which improved the league’s best road record to 19-10. Nando De Colo, subbing for Parker, had nine points and seven assists in his second career start. Nate Robinson scored 20 points and Richard Hamilton had 16 for the Bulls.
Wizards 102 Bucks 90: In Milwaukee, Rookie Brandon Beal scored a season-high 28 points as the Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks, earning a rare road win.
Washington has won four consecutive games and 11 of 18. The Wizards are 10-7 since John Wall returned from injury and won for only the fourth time in 25 road games this year.
Monta Ellis had 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for Milwaukee, and Ersan Ilyasova added 19 points and nine rebounds. Leading-scorer Brandon Jennings was held to seven points, missing 14 of 17 shots.
The Bucks have dropped four consecutive games and six of seven, but hold the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They didn’t lose any ground to the team closest to them as Philadelphia lost 107-90 to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Hornets 105 Pistons 86: In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Ryan Anderson scored 31 points, Robin Lopez had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets beat the Detroit Pistons 105-86 on Monday night.
New Orleans had lost of five of seven coming in, but was in control for the final 40 minutes even though Eric Gordon sat out to rest his knee. Wearing their purple, green and gold Mardi Gras jerseys, New Orleans finished with 10 blocks to just three for the Pistons. Al-Farouq Aminu added 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Nets 89 Pacers 84, OT: In Indianapolis, Brook Lopez scored 25 points and Brooklyn opened overtime on a 9-3 run to pull away from Indiana.
The Nets (30-22) ended a five-game losing streak at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and won for just the second time in six games overall despite playing without injured guard Deron Williams.
Indiana (31-21) lost its second straight home game in overtime, the losses coming on the heels of a 15-game home winning streak. George Hill scored 22 points and Roy Hibbert added 12 on a night the Pacers shot just 34.4 percent from the field and All-Star Paul George finished with five points.
The Pacers appeared to swing the game with a 7-0 run that gave them a 76-72 lead with 1:38 left in regulation.
But Brooklyn scored the final four points to force overtime and started fast in the extra period to put away the game.
Hawks 105 Mavericks 101: In Dallas, Josh Smith had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Devin Harris made a key steal in the final minute and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-101 Monday night.
Al Horford had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Jeff Teague scored 20 points to help the Hawks win for just the second time in their last 10 road games.
With the Hawks up 99-98, Harris poked the ball from a driving O.J. Mayo and saved the ball from going out of bounds with 23.9 seconds left. Atlanta preserved the victory by hitting its final six free throws.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and Mayo added 19 for the Mavericks, who have lost two of the first three on a five-game homestand.
