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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, January 23, 2010

Celtics tip Blazers in overtime, 98-95


Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Boston's Kevin Garnett, who missed the Celtics' 10 previous games with a knee injury, soars in for a dunk against Portland.

CHARLES KRUPA | Associated Press

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BOSTON — Kevin Garnett missed 10 games with a knee injury.

Ray Allen missed just about everything else.

The forgotten member of Boston's new Big Three was shooting just 2 for 13 when he hit a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left in overtime to give the Celtics a 98-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers last night.

"Ray is one of the great shooters of all time, right behind me. I told him that in the huddle," said Paul Pierce, who scored 24 before fouling out on a charging call on Boston's last possession of regulation. "We believe in him so much, no matter how he might be going."

Garnett returned after missing 10 games with a hyperextended right knee and scored 13 points, surviving first-half foul trouble to play more than 30 minutes. He wore a padded white brace on his knee, and it was taped and iced after the game.

"I felt good. I thought I had some decent energy," Garnett said. "The old '76 Pinto got banged up a little bit. But I just kept hitting the gas and kept going."

Allen's breakthrough gave Boston a 96-95 lead before LaMarcus Aldridge followed with a missed 3-pointer and, after a scramble at midcourt, Allen wound up with the ball and passed it ahead to Tony Allen for a breakaway dunk.

Ray Allen said he was frustrated, but never doubted his shot.

"There wasn't anything wrong with my form or my mechanics," he said. "It just wouldn't go in."

Already without centers Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden, who had season-ending knee injuries, the Blazers sent star guard Brandon Roy home from the road trip after he injured his right hamstring; he will miss four games. Then Jerryd Bayless, who started in place of Roy last night, left in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return.

HEAT 112, WIZARDS 88

Dwyane Wade had 32 points and 10 assists, and visiting Miami raced to a 32-15 first-quarter lead which never dipped below 10 thereafter in cruising past Washington. Heat forward Udonis Haslem played in his 479th game, third most in team history.

76ERS 92, MAVERICKS 81

Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams, bumped from the starting lineup, scored 22 and 11 points respectively coming off the bench to lead Philadelphia over Dallas for just its seventh victory at home this season.

MAGIC 100, KINGS 84

Dwight Howard had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and host Orlando built a 32-point lead to cruise past Sacramento for its second straight blowout win. The Kings have lost six straight and 11 of their last 12 games.

RAPTORS 101, BUCKS 96

Jarrett Jack scored 27 points, Chris Bosh added 17 and host Toronto used an 11-0 run for a 92-87 lead with 1:17 remaining to rally past Milwaukee. The Raptors avenged a 113-107 loss in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

HAWKS 103, BOBCATS 89

Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, Al Horford had 23 and host Atlanta dominated the first and third quarters in beating Charlotte. Atlanta made 15 of 20 shots in the opening period and 12 of 18 in the third quarter.

PACERS 105, PISTONS 93

Danny Granger scored 25 points, Troy Murphy added 16 points and 11 rebounds and Indiana snapped a three-game skid with a victory over Detroit. Indiana won for just the fifth time in 23 road games this season.

HORNETS 96, TIMBERWOLVES 94

James Posey hit a layup at the buzzer for the second straight game, lifting host New Orleans over Minnesota. The play came two nights after he did the same thing with 1.1 seconds to play to beat Memphis.

LAKERS 115, KNICKS 105

Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and Pau Gasol added 20 points, half in the final period, helping visiting Los Angeles pull away from New York. David Lee scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Knicks.

GRIZZLIES 86, THUNDER 84

Rudy Gay hit a 20-footer with 1.3 seconds left to finish with 25 points and help Memphis beat Oklahoma City to extend its franchise-record home winning streak to 10. Kevin Durant scored 30 points for the Thunder, but missed a 3-point attempt at the horn.

ROCKETS 116, SPURS 109

Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry scored 23 points apiece, and Houston ended a five-game road skid with a victory over San Antonio. Tim Duncan scored 25 points for the Spurs and became the 35th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points.

WARRIORS 111, NETS 79

Stephen Curry scored a career-high 32 points, Corey Maggette added 29 points and host Golden State beat New Jersey despite losing leading scorer Monta Ellis to a right ankle injury. Ellis was hurt in the second quarter and did not come out after halftime.

BULLS 115, SUNS 104

Derrick Rose scored 32 points and Chicago shot 51 percent to win their fifth road game of the season, handing Phoenix only its fifth home loss. Luol Deng added 23 points, Joakim Noah had 15 and John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich 14 apiece for the Bulls, 5-15 on the road this season.

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