Celtics tame Bobcats to share division lead
Indianapolis— Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat 105-90 on Monday.
Darren Collison added 20 points, and Paul George had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers.
LeBron James had 24 points and nine rebounds, and Dwyane Wade had 24 points and six assists for Miami.
The Heat had won the previous three meetings this season, but the Pacers played with confidence throughout. Indiana led by double digits for most of the fourth quarter, and Pacers fans stood and showed their appreciation during the final minute.
Celtics 102,
Bobcats 95
At Charlotte, North Carolina, Paul Pierce scored a season-high 36 points as Boston moved into a first-place tie with Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.
Pierce shot 10 of 20 from the field, made 15 of 18 free throws and added 10 rebounds and four assists.
Pierce has scored 20 or more points in five of the past six games and is averaging 22.3 points per game during March.
Kevin Garnett had 24 points for the Celtics.
Gerald Henderson had 21 points for the Bobcats (7-40), who have lost six of their past seven and remain the only team in the NBA with fewer than 10 wins. Charlotte got 59 points from its bench, including 18 from Byron Mullens and 16 from Derrick Brown.
Clippers 97,
Hornets 85
At Los Angeles, Chris Paul had 25 points and 10 assists for the Los Angeles Clippers against his former team New Orleans.
The Hornets first tried to trade Paul to the Lakers — a deal that was rejected by the league — before shipping the All-Star point guard to the Clippers shortly after the lockout ended.
Blake Griffin added 20 points and seven rebounds to help the Clippers climb within two games of the Pacific Division-leading Lakers.
Al-Farouq Aminu scored 15 points, and Carl Landry added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who didn’t have a player in double digits until Landry’s two free throws trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 66-52 with 2:21 left in the third quarter.
Rockets 113, Kings 106, OT
At Houston, Patrick Patterson scored a career-high 24 points and Earl Boykins hit four free throws for Houston late in overtime for a win over Sacramento. OTHER RESULTS: Nuggets 108, Bulls 91; Knicks 89, Bucks 80; Jazz 105, Nets 84; Pistons 79, Wizards 77; Magic 117, Raptors 101. /ap
