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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, November 21, 2009

Magic tip Celtics


Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Orlando's Vince Carter, left, and Boston's Marquis Daniels battle for a loose ball in the first quarter. Boston won, 83-78.

MICHAEL DWYER | Associated Press

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BOSTON — Kevin Garnett missed last season's playoff series against Orlando with a knee injury. Rasheed Wallace signed with Boston after it was over.

But the Magic made a key offseason pickup of their own.

Vince Carter scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, including a tiebreaking fadeaway jumper with 2:33 left to give Orlando an 83-78 victory over Boston last night.

Carter, who came to Orlando in the offseason as part of a five-player trade, took 29 shots, a season high and his most in almost three years.

"I'm just glad I was able to deliver," he said. "This type of basketball game, you don't want to let down. This is what it's all about. This is the bar. It's great to see we were able to buckle down and persevere."

Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Dwight Howard grabbed 15 boards and Mickael Pietrus added 14 points for Orlando, which won the rematch of last season's Eastern Conference semifinal for its fourth consecutive victory.

Paul Pierce scored 21 points, Garnett scored 13 with 11 rebounds and Ray Allen had 15 points for the Celtics, who have lost three of their last four games.

HAWKS 105, ROCKETS 103

Josh Smith soared through the lane to drop in a missed shot with 0.7 seconds remaining and host Atlanta won its seventh in a row. Carl Landry hit a pair of free throws with 5 seconds left to cap Houston's 11-1 run that tied the game at 103. The Hawks got the ball to Mike Bibby, whose jumper bounced off the rim. But Smith flew right down the middle of the lane and softly laid it in with both hands while the Rockets screamed for basket interference.

GRIZZLIES 102, 76ERS 97

Rudy Gay tied his season high with 33 points, including a clutch jumper with 19 seconds remaining, Zach Randolph added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and visiting Memphis registered its first road win of the season. Marc Gasol had 19 points for the Grizzlies, who improved to 1-6 on the road.

MAVERICKS 104, KINGS 102

Jason Terry scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and host Dallas got 52 points from the bench in winning its fifth straight. Dirk Nowitzki added 20 points and Drew Gooden pulled down a season-high 16 rebounds for Dallas.

RAPTORS 120, HEAT 113

Chris Bosh had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani had 24 points and 10 rebounds and host Toronto beat Miami to snap a three-game losing streak. Hedo Turkoglu added 19 points for Toronto.

THUNDER 127, WIZARDS 108

Kevin Durant scored 35 points, Russell Westbrook added 26 and host Oklahoma City had its highest-scoring output of the season. Rookie James Harden hit his first three 3-pointers and finished with 25 points for Oklahoma City.

CAVALIERS 105, PACERS 95

LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points, and visiting Cleveland beat Indiana. James also had nine rebounds and seven assists. Cleveland center Shaquille O'Neal missed his fourth straight game with a strained right shoulder.

WARRIORS 108, BLAZERS 94

Monta Ellis scored a season-high 34 points and had eight assists, Anthony Morrow added 23 points, and host Golden State snapped a three-game losing streak. Anthony Randolph added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors.

BUCKS 95, BOBCATS 88

Rookie Brandon Jennings scored 29 points to lead host Milwaukee over Charlotte. Milwaukee (7-3) finished the homestand 5-1 and is off to its best start since going 9-1 in 2001.

CLIPPERS 106, NUGGETS 99

Reserve forward Rasual Butler scored 27 points, Al Thornton added 18 and host Los Angeles beat Denver. Chris Kaman had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Clippers.

NOTES

Iverson situation: The New York Knicks have decided not to pursue Allen Iverson. Iverson was waived by Memphis on Tuesday and became a free agent Thursday. Team president Donnie Walsh said he wasn't interested because Iverson would take time away from the young players the Knicks are trying to develop.

Bucks: Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut will be out two to four weeks after the former No. 1 pick was kicked in the left leg against New Jersey on Wednesday. An MRI taken Thursday revealed that he had strained a ligament on the outside of his left calf to go along with a bruise.