Celtics down Hawks; Bulls demolish Magic

Atlanta  — Ray Allen hit two 3-pointers in Boston’s 13-0 run in the fourth quarter and protected the lead with two free throws in the final seconds as the Boston Celtics held on to beat the Atlanta Hawks, 79-76 yesterday.

The Celtics led 73-58 at the end of the run. Joe Johnson, who had 25 points, had three late 3-pointers as the Hawks rallied. Johnson’s 3 with 11.8 seconds remaining cut the lead to 77-76.

Allen, who had 19 points, made two free throws with 10.9 seconds remaining.

Jeff Teague launched an air ball on Atlanta’s final possession.

Kevin Garnett had 16 points and Rajon Rondo had 10 points, 13 assists and six steals for Boston.

Bulls  85, Magic  59

At Orlando, Florida, Carlos Boozer scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds, and John Lucas scored 20 points off the bench as Chicago beat Orlando.

Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau also became the fastest coach in NBA history to earn 100 career victories. The Bulls won for the fifth time in six games.

Dwight Howard had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Magic, who had 19 turnovers.

76ers  105,

Bobcats  80

At Charlotte, North Carolina, Jrue Holiday had 20 points and six assists as first-placed Philadelphia defeated Charlotte to end a three-game losing streak and sweep the three-game season series between the teams.

Holiday, coming off a career-high 30 points in Saturday’s night loss at Chicago, was 8-of-13 shooting from the field and made all four shots from the free-throw line.

Thaddeus Young also had 20 points and Louis Williams chipped in with 19 for the 76ers.

Gerald Henderson had 14 points for the Bobcats, who failed to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Mavs 112,

Nuggets  95

At Denver, Dirk Nowitzki had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and Brandan Wright scored 15 points as Dallas beat Denver.

Arron Afflalo scored 24 points for the Nuggets, who lost a game that could have an impact on their playoff position. Denver entered Monday seventh in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Dallas. The Mavericks not only gained a game on the Nuggets, they won the season series and hold a tiebreaker should the teams finish with the same record.

The Nuggets also lost guard Andre Miller in the second quarter with a bruised right shoulder, and forward Danilo Gallinari broke his left thumb in the third quarter. OTHER RESULTS: Cavs  105, Nets  100; Timberwolves  97, Warriors  93. /AP