Pierce fuels Celtics win
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Memphis' Mike Conley, right, calls for a timeout as Denver's Nene wrestles him for the ball in the first half Tuesday night in Memphis.
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Paul Pierce scored 20 points, Ray Allen had 12 in the third quarter and the Boston Celtics avenged a disappointing loss to Cleveland two days ago by barely holding off the host Cavaliers, 93-90, Tuesday night.
The Celtics, who blew an 11-point lead at home Sunday in the final four minutes and lost by one, led by 22 late in the third quarter.
However, the Cavaliers rallied again behind rookie Kyrie Irving and got within two on his twisting layup with 1:18 left.
But Kevin Garnett dropped in a short jumper that bounced high off the rim and Pierce made two free throws with 2.6 seconds left.
Irving scored 21 points and Anderson Varejao added 20 and a career-high 20 rebounds for Cleveland.
The Celtics were again without All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, whose injured right wrist kept him out of his seventh consecutive game. The Celtics improved to 5-2 without him.
Rivers felt his team had let up on Sunday, when the Cavaliers closed the game with a 12-0 run.
"They thought they could squeeze out the game," coach Doc Rivers said of the Celtics. "All of a sudden, Cleveland got excited. We couldn't turn them off. There was a lot of frustration. That's good to see. I like that."
Rivers didn't like what he witnessed in the final 12 minutes as his team again became complacent.
This time, the team with shamrock logo got a little lucky.
• Hawks 100, Raptors 77: Joe Johnson matched his season high with 30 points and Tracy McGrady scored 15 against his former team as visiting Atlanta recorded its sixth consecutive victory against Toronto.
• Pacers 106, Nets 99: Paul George scored a career-high 24 points to lead Indiana past visiting New Jersey. Danny Granger had 21 points and seven rebounds and Roy Hibbert had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers.
• Knicks 113, Pistons 86: Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points in his return to the lineup and Landry Fields added 16 of his 18 in a flawless first half as New York Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory against visiting Detroit.
First Published February 1, 2012 12:00 am
