Celtics win thriller 118-116

NEW YORK (AP):

Paul Pierce made a tiebreaking jumper with 0.4 seconds left, Amare Stoudemire's 3-pointer at the buzzer was ruled too late, and the Boston Celtics pulled out a thrilling 118-116 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night for their 11th straight win.

The Knicks had their eight-game winning streak snapped when a video replay of Stoudemire's shot showed the ball was clearly still in his hands as time expired.

Pierce scored 32 points for the Celtics, who trailed most of the fourth quarter before running their record to 20-4, best in the Eastern Conference.

Stoudemire had 39 points, extending his franchise-record streak to nine straight 30-point games. But the Knicks were denied the victory over a top team they desperately craved to punctuate their return to relevance.

They get another chance Friday, when LeBron James and the Miami Heat come to Madison Square Garden.

Ray Allen scored 26 points and Kevin Garnett had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics.

Raymond Felton had 26 points and 14 assists for the Knicks, who lost for the second time in 15 games.

Lakers 109 Pacers 94

INDIANAPOLIS (AP):

Kobe Bryant scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half to help Los Angeles beat Indiana.

Pau Gasol scored 28 points and Lamar Odom had 13 points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers, who never trailed.

The Lakers shot 51 per cent against the Pacers, who entered with the NBA's No. 2 field-goal percentage defence. Los Angeles outrebounded Indiana 51-29 to win for the sixth time in seven games.

Darren Collison scored 17 points for the Pacers, who have lost three straight. Indiana were going for their first season sweep of the Lakers since 1992 after winning 95-92 on November 28 in Los Angeles.

Bulls 110 Raptors 93

TORONTO (AP):

Carlos Boozer had a season-high 34 points and 12 rebounds, and Chicago won their seventh straight game by beating Toronto.

Luol Deng added 19 points, Joakim Noah had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Derrick Rose dished out 11 assists for the Bulls, who never trailed and led by as many as 29.

Kyle Korver scored 13 points as Chicago matched its longest winning streak since a seven-game run from November 25 to December 8, 2006.

Leandro Barbosa scored 21 points for Toronto, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Mavericks 103 Trail Blazers 98

DALLAS (AP):

Caron Butler matched his season high with 23 points, Dirk Nowitzki scored 12 of his 21 in the fourth quarter and Dallas got back on track with a victory over Portland.

Jason Terry added 13 points for the Mavericks, whose 12-game winning streak was snapped by Milwaukee on Monday night.

Dallas-area native LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 of his season-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and Wesley Matthews added 17 for the Blazers, who lost their third in a row.

Other results: Heat 101 Cavaliers 95; 76ers 105 Clippers 91; Grizzlies 113 Bobcats 80; Hornets 94 Kings 91; Thunder 117 Rockets 105; Spurs 92 Bucks 90; Suns 128 Timberwolves 122.