Pierce the hero as Celtics escape Knicks with 11th straight win

By Paul Levine Dec 16, 2010, 15:04 GMT

Los Angeles - Time ran out on Amar'e Stoudemire's heroics and the New York Knicks' winning streak on Wednesday night.

Paul Pierce hit the game-winning jumper with four-tenths of a second left as the surging Boston Celtics claimed their 11th consecutive victory with a thrilling 118-116 road shootout over the Knicks.

With the game squared at 116-116, Pierce got the ball out of a timeout, and ran down the clock before dribbling to the right side.

He drove on Stoudemire, but backed out again before connecting on the mid-range jumper and circling around the rim of the court in celebration.

With one final shot left, Stoudemire appeared to have given the Knicks their ninth straight win, swishing a straightaway 30-foot triple following a timeout to send the sold out Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy.

However, officials reviewing the replay on a court-side monitor ruled the shot left his hand after the red light came on and time had expired.

'I actually thought Amare's shot counted,' said Pierce, who finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds.

Before the game, Pierce was asked about the Celtics-Knicks rivalry, but didn't think there was one. However, after this scintillating contest he had second thoughts.

'The Knicks have arrived and they're going to be a team to reckon with in the division,' he said. 'That was a sign of it tonight.'

'I'll tell you right now, Boston respects us,' said Stoudemire. 'We had them all night. We played great basketball tonight.'

Stoudemire matched a season-high 39 points to extend his franchise-record streak to nine straight games of 30 or more points.

Ray Allen scored 26 and Kevin Garnett finished with 20 and 13 boards for the Celtics (20-4) who played from behind most of the night.

Ray Felton had 26 points and 14 assists, Danilo Gallinari scored all 20 of his in the second half, while Wilson Chandler chipped in with 18 and 12 rebounds for the Knicks (16-10), losers for just the second time in the last 15 games.

'I thought we matched them point for point,' Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Elsewhere: San Antonio Spurs 92, Milwaukee Bucks 90 Argentine ace Manu Ginobili scored 26 points, including the game-winning 17-foot fall-away jumper at the buzzer as the NBA-best Spurs (21-3) completed a 6-0 home stand. Chris Douglas-Roberts had 21 points for the Bucks (10-14) who snapped Dallas' 12-game run on Monday night.

Miami Heat 101, Cleveland Cavaliers 95 Dwyane Wade scored 17 of his 28 points in the final quarter, LeBron James had 21 with 13 rebounds, leading the host Heat (19-8) to its 10th straight victory. Daniel Gibson netted 26 and Brazil's Anderson Varejao had 18 with 15 rebounds in the Cavaliers' (7-18) ninth consecutive loss.

LA Lakers 109, Indiana Pacers 94 Kobe Bryant scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half and Spanish-native Pau Gasol added 28 as the Lakers' (19-7) improved to 4-1 on their seven-game road trip.

Philadelphia 76ers 105, LA Clippers 91 Jrue Holiday scored 24 points, Andre Iguodala added 20 and the Sixers (10-15) kept the Clippers winless on the road (0-11) with their seventh victory in the last nine games. Blake Griffin topped the league-worst Clippers (5-21) with 20 points and 18 rebounds.

Chicago Bulls 110, Toronto Raptors 93 Carlos Boozer had a season-high 34 points with 12 rebounds, and the visiting Bulls (16-8) ran to their seventh straight victory, but will lose centre Joakim Noah for 8-10 weeks following surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb..

Memphis Grizzlies 113, Charlotte Bobcats 80 OJ Mayo scored 24 points and Rudy Gay had 23 as the hosting Grizzlies (12-14) roared to their fourth straight victory.

New Orleans Hornets 94, Sacramento Kings 91 Chris Paul had 22 points with 11 assists, reserve Marcus Thornton scored 19, including a game-sealing tip-in, and the Hornets (15-10) rallied from 23 points down in the second half to hand the visiting Kings (5-18) their 11th loss in the last 12 games.

Oklahoma City Thunder 117, Houston Rockets 105 Kevin Durant poured in 32 points, Jeff Green had 21 and the host Thunder (18-8) rolled to their fourth straight win.

Dallas Mavericks 103, Portland Trail Blazers 98 Caron Butler matched his season-high with 23 points, German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki had 21, including the go-ahead basket with 1:49 left, and the Mavericks (20-5) won for the 13th time in the last 14 games despite blowing a 17-point cushion. LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-best 35 points for Portland (12-14), losers of three in a row.

Phoenix Suns 128, Minnesota Timberwolves 122 Jason Richardson scored 29 points, Channing Frye had 21 with seven threes, while Steve Nash handed out 19 assists as the Suns (12-12) stopped a three-game slide. Kevin Love collected 23 points and 16 rebounds in Minnesota's (6-20) ninth consecutive road loss.