BOSTON — Home-court advantage has meant everything when the new Big Three plays King James, and the Boston Celtics may have swiped the edge away from the Cavaliers last night.

Paul Pierce scored 29 points, reserve Leon Powe had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Celtics beat Cleveland, 105-94, to move within percentage points of the East-leading Cavaliers in the race for home-court advantage through the conference finals.

"I know we're close, and at the end of the season they'll tell us," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Both teams are really good, and really good teams don't lose at home. That's why it's really important for us to get this."

The Cavaliers (48-13) lead Boston (49-14) in winning percentage .787 to .778, though the Celtics took the lead in the head-to-head tiebreaker, 2-1, with an April 12 game in Cleveland remaining.

Since the Celtics assembled their core of Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, neither team has won on the other's court, including the Eastern Conference semifinal last year that Boston won in seven games.

NOTES

Ex-Pistons coach has cancer: Former Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The team said yesterday that Daly "is being treated for the cancer and his family is requesting privacy."

Daly coached the Pistons to NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. He also was the coach of the 1992 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic squad dubbed the "Dream Team." He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

OVER AND BACK

Indiana Pacers guard Mike Dunleavy had surgery to remove a bone spur and repair a torn tendon in his right knee and will be out indefinitely. ... The Toronto Raptors signed center Pops Mensah-Bonsu for the final 20 games of the season yesterday, two days after he was released from a 10-day contract with San Antonio. ... Washington Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson had season-ending surgery yesterday to repair a herniated disc and is expected to resume basketball activity in three to four months. ... The New York Knicks signed Demetris Nichols, of Iowa of the NBA Development League, to a 10-day contract.