He has a ways to go before he catches Jordan, who won five MVPs and led the way to two championship three-peats, but he sure is off to a good start.

“I’m not even touching that man right there,” Rose said. “I’m far away from him. If anything, it would be great to be close to him. This is a different team, a different era.”

In his third year, the dynamic point guard led the Bulls to their best season since the championship era.

The 22-year-old Rose got 1,182 points and 113 first-place votes from a panel of media voters, supplanting Wes Unseld as the youngest to win the award with a runaway win. Orlando’s Dwight Howard(notes) (643 points) finished second, Miami’s LeBron James(notes) was third, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant(notes) was fourth and Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant(notes) finished fifth.

A product of Chicago’s South Side, Rose established himself as one of the top players in the league after going from Rookie of the Year to All-Star in his first two seasons. He took another step this year with one of the best all-around performances by a point guard.

He averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists while leading Chicago into contention for its first championship since the Jordan-Scottie Pippen era. For all the groaning over the Bulls missing out on James, Dwyane Wade(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes) in free agency, they did quite well for themselves anyway.

Rose showed up to training camp openly wondering why he couldn’t be MVP. Then, he backed it up.

“It really just came out,” Rose said. “That’s the way I thought at the time. I put a lot of hard work into my game, especially during the summer. … I dedicated my whole summer to basketball. Even though it was tough, I did it.”

Rose was a picture of humility during the news conference. He thanked everyone from the fans to his teammates, coaches and management, and he choked up when he mentioned his mom, Brenda Rose, and older brothers seated in the front row.

At one point, he looked at her and paused.

“Just thinking how hard she works,” he said. “Those are hard days. My days shouldn’t be hard because I love what I’m doing. That’s playing basketball. You keep me going every day and I love you.”

Rose ranked seventh in scoring and 10th in assists, making him the only player this season in the top 10 in both categories. The only other Bull to do so was Jordan in 1988-89, when he led the league in scoring (32.5 points) and finished 10th in assists, according to information provided to the team by the Elias Sports Bureau.

Throw in a 4.1 rebounding average, and Rose joins another elite group. He’s the seventh player in league history to average at least 25 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds, along with Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Wade and James, according to Elias.

“We all knew how good he could be,” veteran forward Luol Deng(notes) said. “It’s a big surprise for all of us how quick he got there. We knew he was going to get there; we said that from the start. He’s just a hard worker, a humble kid. He’s really out there just to win games.”

In the postseason, he’s been just as impressive.

He scored 39 and 36 points in the first two playoff games against Indiana. Then he shook off two sub-par performances and a sprained left ankle to score 25 points in Game 5 as the top-seeded Bulls closed out what had been a tight first-round series with a 116-89 victory.

They stumbled in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta, losing 103-95. Rose scored 24 points, but he hit just 11 of 27 shots and did not attempt a free throw. He also limped off the court after twisting his left ankle, but expects to be ready for Game 2 on Wednesday.

It’s been a rapid, steady climb for a player who came into the league with soaring expectations. He helped Simeon Career Academy become the first Chicago Public League team to win back-to-back state championships, then led Memphis to the NCAA championship game before the Bulls drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2008 after defying 1.7-percent odds to win the lottery.

“I’ll never forget the morning after we got that pick where we got the entire management staff together to meet,” general manager Gar Forman said.

They knew then who they were picking.

And when they started talking to him, Forman said, “It was obvious to us that not only was Derrick a very special talent, but he possessed the intangibles that you need to become a very special player in this league. Going into that draft, I remember our feeling was this is too good to be true.”

Now?

“Our feeling is still this is really too good to be true,” Forman said.

Rose has added new touches to his game every season, expanding the range on his jumper to go with those explosive drives to the basket.

“He’s been everything you could ask for,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s been a leader, a player. He’s only going to get better.”

The thing is, you can't take this play alone and on its own merits, because Pierce didn't get chucked for it alone and on its own merits.

The double-technical called on both Pierce and Wade for their little tete-a-tete was the Boston Celtics captain's second T of the game, coming less than a minute after the first, which he earned for headrubbing/facenuzzling Miami Heat sharpshooter James Jones(notes) after a hard foul on a Pierce jumper. (Check out a video clip of the first T after the jump.)

As we all know, NBA rules stipulate that any player who racks up two technical fouls is automatically disqualified. That, and not a horrifically egregious overreaction to one bout of jawing, is why Pierce got tossed.

Sure, you can argue the merits of the tech if you want — while we don't know precisely what Pierce and Wade said to one another, Malloy or anyone else within earshot to get the ref's whistle moving, the mere physicality of the pick sure didn't seem to warrant major discipline.

UPDATE: According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, crew chief Dan Crawford told a pool reporter after Game 1 that Pierce's second technical was levied because the Boston forward lobbed "a verbal taunt. He directed profanity at Wade. And in the rule book, that is a verbal taunt." In an unrelated story, Kevin Garnett(notes) has just been given 1,438 technical fouls for verbal taunting and will not play NBA basketball again until 2016.

The call may indeed have been weak, but Pierce put himself in a position to have a weak call made by getting riled up and pressing Wade just after their collision. My man Eric Freeman put it well on Twitter: "It is possible for Pierce to be dumb and for it to be a bad call." In situations like these, there's usually more than enough blame to go around.

Plus, as WEEI.com's Paul Flannery wrote on Twitter just after the ejection, "Pierce could have avoided the whole scenario by not letting James Jones get into his head." If he doesn't get the first tech for butting up against Jones, he's still playing down the stretch; if he maintains his composure like a captain and a 12-year veteran with 106 games of playoff experience is supposed to, this isn't an issue at all.

Instead, Pierce got overheated and earned an early trip to the showers, ending his night with 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting, seven rebounds, two assists and four turnovers in just under 35 minutes of work, and leaving his team shorthanded for the final seven minutes. The Celtics trailed 87-74 when Pierce was disqualified, and while they made several small runs, they never drew closer than seven as Miami pulled away to score a 99-90 victory and get out to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals.

After struggling in four meetings with Boston this season, Wade was spectacular, hitting 14 of 20 field-goal attempts to post 38 points in 37 minutes. Jones gave Erik Spoelstra a major lift with 25 points off the Heat bench, hitting five of seven 3-point attempts and all 10 of his free throws. Ray Allen(notes) (25 points on 9-for-13 shooting) led the Celtics.

Game 2 tips Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Miami.

Original video of the ejection via Ben Golliver. Original video of Pierce's first tech via FunkyAxel11.

Durant matched his best playoff performance with 41 points, including the final nine for Oklahoma City, and the Thunder closed out their first-round series against the Nuggets with a 100-97 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Thunder overcame a nine-point deficit in the final 4 minutes, and Durant provided all the offense down the stretch to send the Oklahoma City franchise to its first playoff series win since it was still in Seattle in 2005.

“We willed ourselves to victory,” Durant said. “One thing that was going through my mind is like, `I don’t go back to Denver because it would be tough to win in there. I just don’t want to go back.’

“It was cold, it was raining, the fans said some not so nice words to us. We just didn’t want to go back.”

Instead of facing a tense Game 6 in Denver on Friday night, Oklahoma City is moving on to a second-round series against Memphis or top-seeded San Antonio, which stayed alive with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and beat the Grizzlies in overtime Wednesday to force a Game 6 in that series.

Denver had two chances to duplicate the Spurs’ performance, but Durant blocked J.R. Smith’s(notes) potential tying 3-pointer with 9 seconds left and Arron Afflalo(notes) missed another 3 at the buzzer.

Afflalo, who missed the first two games of the series with a hamstring strain, led Denver with 15 points and Kenyon Martin(notes) added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Nuggets have only made it out of the first round once during a stretch of eight straight postseason appearances—the first seven coming before Carmelo Anthony(notes) engineered a midseason trade to the Knicks this February.

“We have a lot of guys in that locker room who are banged up, and I think they gave a great stand. I’m proud to be a part of what they’ve done,” Denver coach George Karl said. “It’s going to be hard to swallow but I think we have a bright future and a bright energy coming out of Denver after a year that had many, many faces.”

The Nuggets were shooting 51 percent and seemed to be in control after Wilson Chandler(notes) and Ty Lawson(notes) had driving layups during an 8-2 run that pushed Denver’s lead to 91-82 with 4:15 to play. Chandler raced to the rim when Russell Westbrook(notes) didn’t switch over to him off of a screen, and Lawson blew past Durant for his easy basket.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks put his rim protector, Serge Ibaka(notes), back into the game and the defense tightened up from there.

Durant hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to start bringing the Thunder back, and he also connected on a leaner in the lane as Oklahoma City reeled off nine straight points to tie it at 91 on James Harden’s(notes) 3-pointer from the left side with 1:50 remaining.

Martin ended that spurt by tipping in Raymond Felton’s(notes) miss for what ended up being Denver’s only basket in the final 4 minutes. Durant answered at the other end and just kept hitting.

He put Oklahoma City on top 96-95 with a three-point play with 1:05 remaining, connecting on a one-handed shot as he got knocked down in the lane.

Felton put Denver back ahead with two free throws after he tweaked his left ankle and had to be helped to the Nuggets bench. He walked gingerly to the line and hit both shots, but Durant and Ibaka made sure that turned out to be the Nuggets’ last lead.

Durant put the Thunder ahead to stay on two free throws with 46 seconds left. Ibaka then swatted Nene’s dunk attempt for his ninth block of the game, and what Durant considered the most important play.

Durant followed with a 19-foot jumper to put the Thunder up 100-97 with 12 seconds to go. He made six of seven shots—none of them layups or dunks—and scored 14 points during the final 4 minutes.

“When a guy gets going like that, I don’t care how many guys you put on Durant,” Karl said. “He probably was going to make shots.”

Karl said Durant’s performance brought to mind what Brandon Roy(notes) did while leading Portland back from a 23-point deficit in the second half against Dallas in Game 4 of that series.

“When he gets hot like that, with his length and his ball-handling ability and his shot-making skills, it’s tough to stop,” Brooks said.

Brooks praised Durant—the NBA’s scoring champion the past two seasons— for getting better at handling the increasing double-teams that Denver sent his way after he scored 41 points in Game 1.

“I thought he grew up a lot in this series, just in that area,” Brooks said. “That’s something that I’m proud of because it takes a lot of effort to do that every night, every game, every quarter, every possession and that’s how teams do it.

“The stamina, the work ethic, the determination that he has pays off.”

It appeared the Nuggets would get one last chance to go ahead when referee Bill Spooner momentarily awarded them possession with 14.8 seconds left after Durant took an inbounds pass and whirled with the ball near the midcourt line. He then reversed his own call and gave the ball back to Oklahoma City, setting up Durant’s last jumper.

“They said if your momentum takes you backcourt, you can go,” Durant said. “I didn’t catch it in the frontcourt and just run backcourt. My momentum took me there. Good call on the ref.”

Westbrook had 14 points on 3-for-15 shooting, one game after he’d drawn criticism for attempting 30 shots.

Despite dreadful 37 percent shooting, Oklahoma City stuck with the Nuggets with a sizable edge in free-throw opportunities and offensive rebounds.

The Thunder made 34 of 42 foul shots—doubling the number of attempts Denver got—and also had 22 second-chance points off 16 offensive boards.

NOTES: Karl missed last year’s playoffs while being treated for throat and neck cancer. “I’m very thankful to be back coaching and healthy. I just wish tonight I could have helped a little bit more,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough pill. It’s going to be very bitter to get out of your system.” … Fans in the sellout crowd got free navy blue T-shirts that ended up matching the color of Denver’s alternate uniforms. … Lawson had made his first 19 free throws in the series before missing two key ones with 2:18 left in the game.

The Grizzlies routed the Spurs 104-86 on Monday night and need just one victory to become the second No. 8 seed to knock off the top seed in a best-of-seven series in the NBA playoffs.

Game 5 is Wednesday night in San Antonio, and Battier is trying to prepare his younger teammates for what lies ahead.

“It’s a very difficult situation,” he said. “These guys know this could be it. They are going to fight as hard as they have ever fought before as a group. We have to be able to match that intensity and surpass it.”

The Spurs won 61 games in the regular season and only lost the NBA’s best record by dropping the final two games. But the four-time NBA champs are on the verge losing their opening playoff series 4-1 for the second time in three years.

Battier thinks that makes Wednesday night very dangerous.

“I’d feel better if it was against someone other than the Spurs,” he said. “They are very capable of winning three straight in a playoff series. All we’ve done is held home court.”

Memphis made franchise history by winning the series opener for its first playoff victory, then added its first playoff win at home. A win Wednesday night would put the Grizzlies alongside the 2007 Golden State Warriors as the only No. 8 seeds to eliminate the top team since the NBA expanded to a best-of-seven series.

“I know a lot of people didn’t expect us to be here,” Grizzlies guard Mike Conley(notes) said. “It’s not like we were expected to be up 3-1 at this point. In our locker room, we’re just playing it game by game. We want to come into San Antonio looking to end it there. We’re focused and want to be able to move onto the next round.”

The Spurs now are placing their hopes in making a stand Wednesday night on their home court. Coach Gregg Popovich pulled his starters with 5:43 left to start resting them for that game.

“They’ll need their juice for the next game,” Popovich said.

Conley had 15 points and seven assists. Darrell Arthur(notes) added 14 points for Memphis. Tony Allen(notes) scored 12, and Zach Randolph(notes) and O.J. Mayo(notes) each had 11 points.

Tony Parker(notes) scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half for the Spurs, but also had seven turnovers. Manu Ginobili(notes) had 14 points, Gary Neal(notes) finished with 11, and George Hill(notes) and Tiago Splitter(notes) had 10 apiece. Splitter, a rookie from Brazil, had not played in the series previously.

Tim Duncan(notes) had six points for the Spurs on his 35th birthday.

“Obviously, the whole team is very frustrated,” Parker said. “I mean we go through a whole season and get that first seed, and now we’re just one game away to be eliminated so it’s most important for us to focus on Game 5. That’s the most important thing to get Game 5 and try to get another chance to get a win here.”

San Antonio led 50-48 for its first halftime lead of the series, and Memphis coach Lionel Hollins ripped his team at the break.

The Grizzlies responded with a 14-0 run to begin the third quarter. Marc Gasol’s(notes) two free throws at 11:04 put Memphis ahead to stay at 52-50, and Sam Young(notes) capped the surge with a dunk. The Spurs missed their first five shots, had seven turnovers in the quarter and put Memphis on the line early with foul trouble.

“Everybody started to smell blood,” Conley said. “I think we started to realize a couple more punches, and we got them. A couple more stops, a couple more layups, a couple more steals.”

The Grizzlies had every fan up and waving a rally towel, cranking up the noise with every Spurs miss or mistake. Arthur ended the quarter by hitting a pair of jumpers to put Memphis up 78-65.

Battier made a 3-pointer to give Memphis a 94-75 lead with 5:43 left, starting the party in earnest in a town desperate for an NBA winner in the Grizzlies’ 10th year here.

“They put their foot on our neck and they never let up,” Popovich said. “They did a great job.”

The Grizzlies had just their sixth sellout crowd of the season, and the fans couldn’t have been more electric. They buzzed with a sense of expectation instead of mere hope for a win over the same team that swept Memphis out of the playoffs in its first postseason trip in 2004.

Duncan, Parker and Ginobili were on that team, and they’re still with the Spurs. Ginobili was asked if they are feeling old right now.

“We’ve been feeling old for five years. I don’t think it’s a matter of experience, old or young,” Ginobili said. “We’re not the most athletic team in the league, and they are tough as we said for a week since we started playing. They are young, athletic. They play hard, and we couldn’t find answers in that third quarter.”

NOTES: The Spurs outscored Memphis 46-42 in the paint. … The Grizzlies led the NBA in forcing turnovers with 16.5 per game and steals with 9.40 per game. They had their best performance of the series Monday night, forcing 17 turnovers that they turned into 20 points. Memphis also had eight steals, three by Allen. … The Grizzlies went 23-3 in the regular season when holding opponents to 90 points or fewer. … Memphis has never played a game in May.

Instead, the Celtics quickly finished off the Knicks.

Kevin Garnett(notes) had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Rajon Rondo(notes) added 21 points and 12 assists, and Boston swept its way into the Eastern Conference semifinals, holding on for a 101-89 victory over New York on Sunday.

Ray Allen(notes) and reserve Glen Davis(notes) each added 14 points for the Celtics, the first team into the second round after sweeping a series for the first time since a 3-0 victory over Indiana in 1992, the last series victory for their old Big Three before Larry Bird retired.

It didn’t appear that drought would end when the Celtics needed late shots by Allen and Garnett to win the first two games. But they elevated their play in the first postseason games at Madison Square Garden in seven years, winning both by double digits.

“I think we just really settled into a good rhythm once we got on the road,” Paul Pierce(notes) said. “I think sometimes the road can kind of bring you together.”

The Celtics had a 23-point lead cut to four in the fourth quarter, but pulled away again behind Garnett, who scored 20 after halftime.

The current Big Three of Garnett, Allen and Pierce twice was extended to seven games in the first round, but this one was far easier than expected against the injury-weakened Knicks. The Celtics now could have a week off while they wait for likely opponent Miami, which was forced to a fifth game earlier Sunday after a late rally by Philadelphia.

The Celtics almost faced the same scenario, but a Knicks comeback attempt stalled in the final minutes before they were saluted by their orange-clad crowd after delivering the best season in New York in a decade.

“Everybody understood what was at stake. Give a team some confidence, even in a 3-0 series to win a game, you never know what can happen,” Pierce said. “So it was just very important for us to withstand the run. They made a great run and the crowd really got behind them, but in the fourth quarter we just really settled down in the last six or seven minutes, executed the offense and were able to put the game out of reach.”

Carmelo Anthony(notes) had 32 points and nine rebounds, and Amare Stoudemire(notes), who decided to play after his back felt better, finished with 19 points and 12 boards but shot only 5 of 20 from the field.

“It was all heart. He just gave it all. With him and Carmelo going forward, the Knicks are in good shape,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said.

The Knicks shot 34 percent and were quickly dispatched in their first playoff appearance since 2004, when they were also swept in the first round. They haven’t won a playoff game in 10 years.

“Tonight was one of those games that we have to leave it all out on the court. Wasn’t no need to take anything home with us, and we did that,” Anthony said. “So I’m pretty sure that we gained a lot of respect from a lot of people right now, but this is the first step of something great.”

The Celtics were only 10-11 in their last 21 games of the regular season, struggling to adjust to a changed lineup after trading center Kendrick Perkins(notes) to Oklahoma City at the deadline and renewing questions they were too old.

The Knicks believed they could challenge them, but Chauncey Billups(notes) was lost for good after straining his left knee in the final minute of Game 1 and Stoudemire was never the same after hurting his back during warmups before Game 2.

Meanwhile, the Celtics got better as the series went along, pulling out two close victories in Boston and saving their best for Madison Square Garden, surrounded in orange as it was finally open for postseason basketball again.

But that couldn’t shake the Celtics, who held the Knicks to three field goals in the second quarter to seize control.

Garnett made three straight field goals to make it 70-48 in the third quarter before the Celtics let the Knicks back into it. Consecutive run-out dunks by Anthony cut it to 14, and New York had it all the way down to 10 when Shawne Williams’(notes) 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining trimmed it to 82-72 after three.

Stoudemire opened the fourth with a basket and Anthony followed, bringing it within six and forcing coach Doc Rivers to put Garnett back into the game. He made a pair of free throws, but baskets by Stoudemire and Anthony Carter(notes) made it 84-80 with 7:34 to go.

“I thought we dropped the guard a little bit,” Rivers said. “Give them credit, I thought they played desperate and you could see it in their play and their defensive energy.”

But Boston would never let it get closer and finally put it away when consecutive jumpers by Rondo and Garnett extended it to 95-85 with 4:22 to play.

Disappointed in their effort in a blowout loss Friday, the Knicks showed plenty of fight. Anthony knocked Rondo down for a flagrant foul and Stoudemire was called for a technical after he shoved Delonte West(notes) in the back following the Boston guard’s hard foul on Knicks rookie Landry Fields(notes).

But New York, which went 42-40 to end a franchise-worst streak of nine straight losing seasons, simply didn’t have enough to match Boston, which got 13 points from Pierce.

Stoudemire made only one field goal in the first half as Boston led 55-38.

The former MVP signed up for four more years because he wanted to turn around that reputation.

Just a week into the playoffs, the Mavs are in jeopardy of adding to it.

Dallas went to Portland with the chance to pull off a sweep, but returned home licking its wounds following one of the most humiliating losses of the NBA’s shot-clock era. The Mavericks spit up a 23-point lead with 13 minutes left to lose Game 4 and knot the series at 2-2.

Game 5 is in Dallas on Monday night. A return trip to Portland is already set for Game 6 on Thursday night.

“Frustration is definitely at a high level,” Nowitzki said. “There is a huge difference from being up 3-1 and 2-2. This is definitely up there with the most frustrating losses.”

In Nowitzki’s collection of most frustrating losses, nothing can top blowing a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead while up 2-0 in the 2006 NBA finals against the Miami Heat. This one is in the ballpark, though.

Up 2-0 for the first time since that infamous series, the Mavericks were halfway to only their second series win since then. They had the chance to sweep the Trail Blazers, or to return home with a chance to knock ‘em out. By losing both games, this title-starved collection of veterans in their 30s guaranteed themselves at least two more games in a series that keeps getting more physical, plus another round-trip flight to the Pacific Northwest.

And, of course, the immediate concern is getting over what Jason Kidd(notes) called “one of the toughest losses I’ve ever been involved in.”

“But we can still win the series, and that’s where our focus has to be,” Kidd said. “We have to stay together and get home and come out Monday with the same focus and intensity as we did today. Then we just have to finish.”

The Mavs flew home after Game 4 on Saturday. They didn’t practice Sunday.

The biggest thing going for them is that Game 5 is in Dallas, and so would a Game 7. The home team has won all four games this series—just like the home team won all four games during the regular-season series.

“Game 5 is the pivotal game,” Blazers forward Gerald Wallace(notes) said. “The advantage is tilted their way because they’re at home. But we’ve got the momentum on the court.”

Portland’s momentum includes a rejuvenated Brandon Roy(notes).

Roy left Dallas wondering about his career and his role on the Blazers. He hardly played in Game 2 and didn’t score. He was so low in the rotation that he said he was nearly in tears on the bench. He picked things up in Game 3, then was the star of Game 4, scoring 18 points in the series-shifting fourth quarter, including the winning basket in the final minute.

“He helped us in Game 3, and people doubted if he could do it again,” Portland center Marcus Camby(notes) said. “He proved a lot of people wrong. He’s got a lot of game left.”

Maybe there’s a lesson there for Dallas.

Roy said he regained his confidence and his shooting touch with the support of friends and family. He won the fans back with a few more jumpers. If the Mavericks can get the same kind of backing, maybe they can turn things back in their favor.

After all, they did dominate the first three quarters of Game 4. It’s just the last one they need to clean up.

“We just have to stay positive,” Nowitzki said. “Two out of three we’re at home, where our crowd has really carried us, especially in the fourth quarter in the two wins that we got. This is going to sting; this is going to hurt, but we worked hard all through the regular season to get those two at home.”

Dallas’ sketchy playoff history includes a 2003 matchup against Portland that played out somewhat similarly to this series.

The Mavericks jumped ahead 3-0, then the Blazers won the next three. Game 7 was in Dallas and the Mavs pulled it out. Portland hasn’t won a playoff series since; its drought actually stretches to 2000.

“As each game goes on, it becomes the biggest game of the series,” Camby said. “Neither team has been able to win on the other team’s home court. I know they’re thinking the same thing. They don’t want another collapse like they did in the finals against Miami.”

AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson in Portland, Ore., contributed.

Rondo had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who pulled out two close games in Boston but never trailed in this one, dominating the first playoff game at Madison Square Garden in seven years. They will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon, and no NBA team has ever lost a series after winning the first three games.

“We’re in New York. It’s playoffs. Their first game at home, we’ve got to be excited. Hostile environment,” Celtics forward Kevin Garnett(notes) said. “We’re a lot more locked in than usual.”

Allen and Pierce certainly were, combining to go 14 of 19 from 3-point range with much-higher stakes than when they dueled in the 3-point contest during All-Star weekend.

“After a while, I started feeding off of Ray. I mean he was making every shot and was putting pressure on me to make shots. I couldn’t let him down,” Pierce said. “I was looking at him saying how much on fire he was, but then everybody was saying I’m on fire. It was good to be a part of that.”

After winning the two games in Boston despite trailing in the final half-minute of both, the Celtics scored the first nine points of this one and never really let it get much closer.

“You come out and you hit them first. You don’t give the crowd a reason to get involved. That was big, when we came out with that run to start the game. We were comfortable from there on out,” Pierce said.

Carmelo Anthony(notes) had 15 points and 11 rebounds but shot 4 for 16 for the Knicks, who were booed as they walked off the court trailing by 23 points after three quarters.

“You can’t give them that big an opening that they can smell blood,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said.

Exactly 10 years to the day since their last home playoff victory, the Knicks were outclassed in the same way they have been so many times in their forgettable decade since.

With Chauncey Billups(notes) sidelined again with a knee injury, Amare Stoudemire(notes) limited by his back spasms and Anthony unable to duplicate his 42-point performance from Game 2, the Knicks lacked the firepower to match the defending Eastern Conference champions.

“It’s tough knowing that Amare’s not 100 percent, Chauncey’s not 100 percent and we’re just trying to find our way on the fly right now,” Anthony said. “That’s a tough situation but I think that would be making excuses if I sit here and say that they beat us because we’re not at full strength. We’ve still got guys that have to go out there and play … so I don’t want to use that as an excuse.”

Stoudemire was just 2 for 8 for seven points, admitting he was trying to avoid contact on drives to the basket. He said he wasn’t fully healthy and knows he won’t be Sunday, either.

“I felt good enough to play but I wasn’t 100 percent,” he said. “I just wanted to show some courage out there for the fans of New York. They deserved it and my teammates, also.”

Allen, who made the go-ahead 3-pointer in the Celtics’ 87-85 victory in Game 1, was 8 for 11 from behind the arc and is a sizzling 15 for 20 in the series. Pierce was 6 of 8 from 3-point range as Rondo continuously set up his two All-Star wing players for open shots.

Rivers compared his point guard, who shared the previous Celtics record for playoff assists (19) with Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, to a catcher calling a perfect game. But Rondo, whose sixth postseason triple-double is four behind Larry Bird’s team record, gave credit to the screeners who were freeing up so much space for Allen and Pierce.

“I would say our bigs are getting Ray and Paul open,” Rondo said. “Ray and Paul made them pay.”

A sellout crowd filled with celebrities and fans starving to see postseason success could do nothing but admire the execution of the Celtics in an impressive performance after believing they played poorly in the first two games. They matched the 3-0 lead Miami has over Philadelphia, moving closer to an expected second-round showdown.

Many fans wore orange shirts or waved orange towels. But the Celtics, who came within one win of an NBA title last season despite having home-court advantage in only one round, shook off the sounds as easily as they swatted away the Knicks.

“For us, you know you’re in a hostile environment and we’ve been here before in this situation,” Allen said.

Stoudemire, who missed the second half of Tuesday’s game, won the opening tip but struggled early. He overshot the basket on his first attempt, missed badly on his next one and was 0 for 3 in the opening period.

He warmed up for the second half with a large pad attached to his back, but by then it wouldn’t even haved mattered if he played well.

The Celtics quickly scored the first nine points of the game before struggling Landry Fields(notes) got the Knicks on the board with a jumper more than 3 minutes in. Pierce later nailed a 3-pointer to start a 10-0 run that made it 22-5 and Boston turned away every New York rally.

Boston finished 14 of 24 (58 percent) from beyond the arc and outrebounded the Knicks 43-33.

NOTES: Shaquille O’Neal(notes) sat on Boston’s bench, showing he’s closer to returning from a right calf injury by making the trip to New York. Rivers said O’Neal is working hard but doesn’t know if he’ll be available for Game 4. … Pierce tied Tom Heinsohn for 13th place on Boston’s career list with his 104th playoff game. He will tie K.C. Jones for 12th on Sunday and could move into the top 10 during this postseason.

Chicago’s star guard picked himself up off the floor and still delivered the decisive blow.

Rose beat Dahntay Jones(notes) off the dribble, getting a rare clean shot to the basket with 17.8 seconds left for the go-ahead layup that gave the Bulls an 88-84 victory and a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.

Take that, Pacers.

“It was frustrating a little bit,” Rose admitted of Thursday’s strong-armed tactics. “But that’s basketball. If you don’t stand up to it, no one will.”

Rose, as usual, did his part.

Yes, he spent the first three quarters contending with the bigger Paul George(notes), the feisty Jones and the relentless Jeff Foster(notes), once running smack into an elbow and repeatedly taking hard fouls that sent him sprawling on the floor.

The continual punches did a number on the Bulls’ MVP candidate.

He made only 4 of 18 shots, just one basket in the second half and finished with only two assists and five turnovers in 42 1/2 minutes. The game obviously took a toll on Rose, who slowly climbed the stairs to the dais for the postgame news conference.

But Rose still found ways to produce.

He went 13 of 15 from the free-throw line, finished with 23 points and his late layup put Chicago on the verge of a first-round sweep. Game 4 will be played Saturday afternoon in Indy, against a Pacers team that seems as dismayed with its inability to close out Chicago as Rose was with Indiana’s strategy.

“It’s very frustrating,” Pacers swingman Danny Granger(notes) said after missing a potential go-ahead 3-point attempt in the last 2 seconds. “To know we’re so close in so many games, just a few more plays to win the game or send it to overtime. It’s just too many mistakes, too many mental breakdowns.”

It’s not only Rose causing problems for the Pacers.

Kyle Korver(notes) continued his late-game mastery by scoring half of the Bulls’ points in a 10-0 run that turned a 70-65 fourth-quarter deficit into a 75-70 lead with 7:04 to go. Korver finished with 12 points.

Luol Deng(notes) had 21 points, six assists and six rebounds—his biggest coming after Granger missed the 3. Deng made the last two free throws to seal the victory. Joakim Noah(notes) had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer(notes) had 11 rebounds in the kind of physical contest he prefers.

“It was right up my alley,” Boozer said with a smile. “I love to get down and dirty.”

That’s exactly what the Bulls needed to get past eighth-seeded Indiana, which has not trailed by more than seven points in the series.

The Pacers were led by Granger with 21 points, Jones with 11 and Tyler Hansbrough’s(notes) 10.

But their top priority was stopping Rose, who had scored 75 points in the first two games.

“I thought we did a great job on Rose,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “I had a lot of confidence that they would do a good job on him.”

The problem was they didn’t do nearly as good a job defending everyone else.

As Rose adapted to the Pacers’ changing defenses and traps, his teammates swung the ball to find open shooters—and defensively, the Bulls took a page right out of the Pacers’ physical playbook.

It worked.

Indiana shot just 37.9 percent and was 1 of 10 from 3-point range—not enough to beat the East’s No. 1 seed even with an off-night from Rose.

“So what? I missed shots,” Rose said. “My teammates were hitting them.”

Indiana used an 8-0 second-quarter run to take its first lead but settled for a 42-42 halftime tie.

The Pacers led briefly again in the third quarter before making two free throws to close the third quarter and scoring the first six points of the fourth to build a 70-65 lead with 9:28 left.

That’s when Rose and Korver took control.

“Kyle did come to me, and it’s great when you have a teammate come to you as the point guard,” Rose said. “We kept going to him because we knew (Darren) Collison would be on him and he has a great release, pretty high.”

Collison also was playing with a sprained left ankle.

Korver took advantage by hitting a 3-pointer to make it 75-70 and another 3 to push it to 78-74 with 6:01 left.

But when the Bulls needed a late basket, they went right back to Rose, who found the crease he needed to put Indiana on the verge of elimination.

“The whole time, I was just thinking I’ll go to the hole,” Rose said. “It was tough the whole night the way they were playing, but at that time, I saw space and went for it.”

NOTES: Former Pacers star Reggie Miller said he remembers the early 1990s when his team would host the Bulls at Market Square Arena and the crowd would be about 60 percent Bulls fans. He said that changed when the Pacers proved to be legitimate Eastern Conference contenders. … Noting Chicago’s history of traveling in large numbers, Vogel asked the fans to support the team, joking that metal detectors would keep Bulls fans out of the building. … The game was a sellout, and Indiana had a clear advantage in crowd support. Indiana, which was last in the league in attendance during the regular season, had just six sellouts before Thursday’s game. … Rev. Jesse Jackson attended the game to support the Bulls. He stood along the baseline in pregame warmups, and even chatted with Rose for a few moments.

Kevin Garnett(notes) sank the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds left then stole the ball with 4 seconds remaining as the Knicks gave the Celtics all they could handle in falling into an 0-2 hole in the series.

“I probably (have) never been more proud of a team and how they battled the circumstances,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said, “how hard they played and how tough they played.”

Billups had a strained left knee and his status for Game 3 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden is uncertain. Stoudemire had back spasms but expects to be back when the best-of-seven series resumes.

Rajon Rondo(notes) led the Celtics with a career playoff-high 30 points, 14 of them in the first quarter when he kept driving to the basket.

“I tried to attack Game 1,” he said, “It’s just (that) my lanes were getting blocked.”

Anthony matched his career playoff high for points and set a new high with 17 rebounds as the Knicks held a 53-37 advantage on the boards. Toney Douglas(notes) had 14 points in place of Billups.

Paul Pierce(notes) had 20 points after missing his first five shots, and Ray Allen(notes), who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Boston’s 87-85 win in the opener, scored 18.

Now the sixth-seeded Knicks, who have tested the third-seeded Celtics, must win at least one of two at home to bring the series back to Boston.

“The Celtics didn’t do anything special,” Anthony said. “They won two games on their home court. Now it’s our turn to go to our home court and try to do the same thing.”

Rivers wasn’t raving about his team’s play, either.

“We didn’t execute very well,” he said. “We played hard. … Hard is great. Hard and smart is much better.”

Garnett hit the decisive jump hook after backing Jared Jeffries(notes) into the lane.

“I wasn’t really in a nice rhythm,” said Garnett, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds. “I just remained calm, went to a shot I knew I could make.”

Anthony was the obvious choice to shoot on New York’s final possession. So Pierce and Glen Davis(notes) swarmed him when he got the ball just inches from Boston’s bench, forcing him to pass to Jeffries, who tried an interior pass instead of going up with the shot.

D’Antoni said Anthony made the right play.

“He’s the best at closing the game,” D’Antoni said.

In the opener, though, Anthony missed a long 3-point attempt with 2 seconds left.

Garnett said he was simply reacting when he made the steal, as Jeffries hesitated momentarily.

“When I caught it my initial route was there, but I felt like KG was coming and closing down,” Jeffries said. “I should have went ahead and shot the ball.”

The Knicks then fouled Delonte West(notes), who made two free throws with 0.6 seconds to go.

The Knicks had gone ahead 91-88 with 2:35 left when Anthony took a pass beyond the left arc and made a 3-pointer despite being bumped by Pierce. Pierce followed with two free throws, then both teams missed jumpers.

On the next possession, Pierce drove the lane to draw a defender and fed a wide-open Garnett for a dunk that put the Celtics on top 92-91 with 49 seconds to go.

Jeffries followed with a layup, giving New York its last lead at 93-92 with 20 seconds left.

With the score tied at 59, the Celtics went on a 15-4 run led by Pierce’s seven points. Allen and Jeff Green(notes) hit 3-pointers during the surge that put Boston on top 74-63 with 45 seconds left in the third quarter.

Then Anthony single-handedly brought the Knicks back by scoring their first seven points of the fourth quarter, while Boston managed only a jumper by Pierce. New York was making a game of it, down only 76-74 with 10:01 to play. At that point, Anthony had scored the Knicks’ previous 13 points and 18 of 20.

After a timeout, Ronny Turiaf(notes) tied the game for the Knicks at 76 with a short jumper.

Rondo, threading his way at high speed through New York’s big men, had 14 of Boston’s first 18 points after scoring just 10 in Game 1. He went to the bench for a rest of the quarter with the Celtics ahead 18-11 with 3:59 left. On one play, he sprinted like a wide receiver and hauled in a long pass from Garnett ahead of the field and drove for an easy layup.

The rest of the game was far from easy for Boston, even with New York missing two of its top three players.

“In a tough game like this, coming down the stretch, coming down to the wire, I think it gives (our) guys momentum,” Anthony said.

Notes: The Knicks stumbled through the first quarter until Anthony converted a three-point play, then hit a 3-pointer during a surge that pulled New York to 23-21 at the end of the first period. … Celtics C-F Jermaine O’Neal(notes) left late in the first quarter to ice his left wrist, which the Celtics said had a mild sprain. He returned with 7:54 left in the second. … Ronan Tynan sang the national anthem. For years he sang at New York Yankees home games. … Through three quarters, Anthony had made 10 of 22 shots, while the rest of the Knicks were 12 for 47. … Late in the game, Knicks fan Spike Lee was booed as he was shown on the video screen.

Just watch the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics led for just 60 seconds in the second half until Ray Allen(notes) sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 seconds left and beat the Knicks 87-85 in their playoff opener on Sunday night.

“Down the stretch we found a way to win,” Paul Pierce(notes) said, “and that was because of our experience.”

The Celtics won their NBA-high 17th championship in 2008 and lost in Game 7 of the finals last year to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks, in the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, last won a postseason game on Apr. 29, 2001.

“We can compete with them, obviously,” New York coach Mike D’Antoni said. “They made big shots at the end. That’s why they are who they are.”

The Knicks ability to make those clutch shots may have suffered a blow when Chauncey Billups(notes) left with 51 seconds remaining with what he said was a strain in his left knee or thigh muscle. He and D’Antoni said they didn’t know his status for Game 2 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series on Tuesday night.

“We’ve got a couple of days and I’ll just be treating it as long as I can,” he said. “If I can get out there and help any, I’ll be out there.”

If he’s not, Toney Douglas(notes) likely will start in his place.

On Sunday, it was Douglas who hit a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left that put the Knicks ahead 85-82. But after a timeout, the Celtics scored just one second later on an alley-oop pass from Rajon Rondo(notes)—who had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists—to Kevin Garnett(notes).

“We just didn’t communicate real well on that,” D’Antoni said.

New York led 85-84 before Carmelo Anthony(notes) was called for an offensive foul for pushing Pierce with 21 seconds remaining.

“What I thought and what they called were two different things,” Anthony said.

Boston coach Doc Rivers disagreed.

“Heck of a call to make,” he said, “but it was the right call.”

Rondo then lined up to inbound the ball but called timeout. The next time, Allen inbounded from just in front of the half-court line on the right side. He threw the ball to Pierce, then circled to the other side of the court, caught Pierce’s pass and fired up the deciding basket.

“We’ve run that play many times,” Allen said. “It’s a play that has so many options and tonight I was just the option.”

Pierce’s pass set it up. His defense also shut down Anthony, who scored just 15 points and missed 10 of 11 shots in the second half, including a 3-pointer with 2 seconds to go. Anthony or Amare Stoudemire(notes) usually takes the shot with the game on the line, but Kevin Garnett guarded Stoudemire much tighter in the last few minutes.

“We’ve got to find a way to win down the stretch,” Stoudemire said. “We had a great chance to win. We played well throughout the full 48 minutes. We just didn’t quite close it out.”

New York had the same problem against Boston on Dec. 15, when Pierce hit a jumper with .4 seconds left to put the Celtics ahead 118-116 at Madison Square Garden. Stoudemire then sank a 3-pointer, but it was waved off after officials determined that time had run out.

On Sunday, Stoudemire had 28 points and 11 rebounds for New York.

Allen led the Celtics with 24 points, Pierce added 18 and Garnett had 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Third-seeded Boston got a tough challenge from the sixth-seeded Knicks, who allowed 105.7 points per game during the regular season, third-most in the league.

“I’d like our offense to be better,” Rivers said, “but the only way it will be is with (defensive) stops.”

They didn’t need a stop to set Allen up for the winning basket.

“Ray’s the hero with the shot,” Rivers said. “Paul’s the hero with the pass. That’s a great example of not playing hero basketball, just trusting what we drew up. And he made the shot.”

And, with a chance to win the game, Anthony missed.

“We’re very confident,” he said. “We’re a team that is going to look at this game and build off of it.”

NOTES: During a timeout late in the second quarter, the crowd cheered when New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was shown on the video scoreboard. He laughed and tipped his cap. But when the camera shifted to a spectator wearing a No. 1 Knicks jersey in the row behind him, the fans booed. … The Knicks have lost their last three playoff series since beating the Miami Heat in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2000. … The Celtics are expected to be without center Shaquille O’Neal(notes) for Game 2. He missed the last six regular-season games and the playoff opener with a sore right calf.

They certainly didn’t in Game 1.

Rose scored 39 points and found Kyle Korver(notes) for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 48 seconds left, helping top-seeded Chicago stage a late rally to beat the Pacers 104-99 in their playoff opener on Saturday.

“We knew it was going to be a hard game,” Rose said. “From the beginning I guess we weren’t prepared for it. Next time I think we’ll be ready.”

For the Pacers, the loss was tough to accept. They controlled most of the game, but couldn’t put it away.

They’d make little runs, Chicago would come back, and the Pacers would pull ahead again. With Rose staring at them, Danny Granger(notes) never felt safe.

“With Derrick Rose on the other team? No,” Granger said. “With Derrick Rose on the other team, no. It’s like a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend. Everytime you tell her you don’t want to talk to her, she’ll show up at your door again.”

Trailing 98-88 in the final period, the Bulls showed the resolve that carried them to a league-best 62-20 record, closing with a 16-1 run over the final 3:38.

Rose scored seven during the impressive finish, including a three-point play and a floater that tied it at 99 with 1:27 left. He then hit Korver with a cross-court pass for a 3 that gave the Bulls their first lead at 102-99.

Danny Granger then missed a 3 and Joakim Noah(notes) got the rebound. Rose eventually hit two free throws with 14.8 seconds remaining.

Game 2 in this best-of-7 series is Monday night at the United Center.

Rose again showed why he is an MVP favorite even though he was off target. He missed each of his nine 3-point attempts but made 19 of 21 at the foul line and finished with six rebounds and six assists.

Luol Deng(notes) added 18 points and Korver finished with 13, no shot bigger than that 3.

Rose said an open 3 is “like a layup” for Korver, who credited the dynamic point guard for finding him.

“Derrick made a great read,” Korver said. “If my man helps, he’s going to kick it out to me. If he doesn’t help, he’s going to drive into the lane. That’s why it’s set up that way.”

Granger led Indiana with 24 points, and Tyler Hansbrough(notes) shook off an elbow from Kurt Thomas(notes) to finish with 22. Darren Collison(notes) scored 17, but had just two in the second half, and the Pacers came up just short in their first playoff game in five years.

Even so, they gave the Bulls all they could handle.

With the Pacers leading by 10, Deng hit two free throws with 3:28 remaining to start the comeback. Noah followed with a tip-in and dunk to make it a four-point game, and the Bulls were on their way.

Exactly how far they’ll go remains to be seen, but they’re certainly aiming high after securing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. They won nine straight and 21 of 23 down the stretch, and anything less than a big run would be a big disappointment.

Meanwhile, the Pacers will try to shake this one off and figure out how a game that looked so promising ended in defeat.

“We put forth a good effort, but who cares?” Granger said. “It’s 0-1.”

The Pacers were concerned late in the third quarter when Hansbrough was elbowed by Thomas as he was trying to rebound a miss by Rose. Hansbrough stayed down for several minutes and, still woozy, had to take a seat in the tunnel.

He eventually walked to the locker room on his own power. He returned with 5:33 remaining, and it looked as if he might lead the Pacers to a win.

Instead, the Bulls came surging back, erasing that deficit after Hansbrough hit back-to-back jumpers and converted a three-point play to make it 98-88. Now, they can breathe a little easier after a hard, physical game.

“Right now I’m feeling good and can’t wait to go eat,” Rose said.

For Indiana?

“This one hurts real bad,” Roy Hibbert(notes) said.

NOTES: Chicago held a 49-34 rebounding advantage. … The Bulls went 53-12 after a 9-8 start. … Former Bulls assistant Johnny Bach presented the game ball before the opening tip.

“We’re growing up, We hold ourselves to a higher standard now,” said Durant, who leads the NBA in scoring this season.

It was another strong effort for Durant, who had nine of his 32 points in the fourth quarter against Sacramento in Oklahoma City’s 120-112 win over the Kings on Monday night.

Russell Westbrook(notes) had 30 points and nine assists for the Thunder, who beat the Kings for their fifth straight victory.

Oklahoma City (55-26) has clinched the Northwest Division and will be seeded no worse than fourth in the playoffs. The Thunder trail Dallas by a game and the Los Angeles Lakers by a half game.

The Thunder, who had an emotional road win Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, are 16-3 since losing to the Memphis Grizzlies on March 7.

They conclude their regular season Wednesday at home against the Milwaukee Bucks, while Dallas meets New Orleans.

Despite the strong finish over the past six weeks, Durant said it won’t mean much once the playoffs begin this weekend.

“It’s very important (how we finish), but we also know that what we did in March and April is all out the door once the playoffs start,” said Durant, who made four free throws in the final 41 seconds to secure the victory.

The Thunder will head into the playoffs with Kendrick Perkins(notes) handling the middle. Since arriving in a trade with Boston on Feb. 24, he has brought a toughness and defensive presence to a team that lacked it a year ago.

“I see this team really starting to play together,” said Perkins, who had six points, three rebounds and blocked two shots.

“We’re starting to think defense first. We keep improving and we have a bunch of guys who are hungry. They like to win and take losing hard.”

Despite a dismal record and a possible move to Anaheim looming, the Kings (24-57) played inspired before a boisterous crowd of 15,683 that at times showed its verbal support by chanting to keep the team in Sacramento.

Rookie center DeMarcus Cousins(notes) made 18 of 21 free throws and had a career-high 30 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who have dropped six straight to the Thunder. Marcus Thornton(notes) had 21 points and nine rebounds, Beno Udrih(notes) also scored 21 and Jason Thompson(notes) added 16.

“(The move) is not something I’m thinking about, I’m a Sacramento King,” said Cousins, whose free throws made and attempted were both records for a rookie in the Sacramento era. “The only thing I’m thinking about Wednesday is finishing this season with a bang. Like I said, I’m a Sacramento King.”

Serge Ibaka(notes), who moved into the starting lineup when Jeff Green(notes) went to Boston, had 14 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for the Thunder, who trailed by six points at the half.

James Harden(notes) scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter when the Thunder converted 16 of 17 free throws to hold off the Kings.

“It was great to come in here and get a win on the road in back-to-back games,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “This is not an easy place to play. They have been playing good basketball. We knew that we were going to be in a good game tonight.”

If the Thunder win and the Mavericks lose, Oklahoma City moves into the third slot because it defeated Dallas 2-0 in the season series. The Lakers have two games remaining, including the season finale in Sacramento.

“The Lakers was a big win, but it was even bigger to come in here tonight and keep it going,” said Westbrook, who added six rebounds, two steals and a block.

“We’re ready to go once the playoffs start. We’re older and know what to expect this year.”

The Kings quickly opened a 10-point lead early in a high-scoring third quarter that was both physical and fast paced.

Scoreless in the opening half, Ibaka scored 12 points in the third and Westbrook had 11. Durant’s 3-pointer just before the buzzer gave the Thunder an 87-83 lead.

The Thunder went on a 7-1 run to open the fourth and built the lead to 101-89 by the 8:55 mark. Inspired by their fans, the Kings kept the game within reach.

The Kings cut the lead to 114-110 on Thornton’s 3-pointer, but Westbrook answered with a jumper with 55 seconds left to put the Thunder ahead by six.

The Kings played without last year’s rookie of the year, Tyreke Evans(notes), who sprained his left ankle in Sunday’s victory over the Golden State Warriors. Evans said he would play against the Lakers.

Notes: The Kings are 11-29 at home and must defeat the Lakers on Wednesday night to avoid tying the worst home record in franchise history. The Kings went 11-30 in 2008-09. … Thunder backup center Nazr Mohammed(notes) made all five shots and had 10 points, five rebounds and five fouls in 18 minutes.

Kevin Martin(notes) scored 35 points, Luis Scola(notes) added 12 of his 15 in the second half and the Rockets won their seventh straight home game on Sunday night, a 114-109 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

The Rockets have won eight of their last 10 but remain three games behind New Orleans and Memphis in the race for the No. 8 playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Hornets beat Indiana on Sunday night, and the Grizzlies were idle.

“We just keep hanging in there,” Houston coach Rick Adelman said. “That’s all we can do.”

Houston rallied from 14 points down in the first half, and led 107-104 after Scola’s jumper from the top of the key with 1:32 remaining. He buried another one from the same spot about a minute later to stretch the lead to 109-105, and Houston made five free throws after that to secure the win.

But the Rockets have only five games left to catch the Hornets or Grizzlies. Houston plays Sacramento on Tuesday and visits New Orleans on Wednesday—with virtually no margin for error.

“Every game now is huge for us,” Scola said. “We just want to stay alive. You don’t know what’s going to happen. We can’t control New Orleans or Memphis. We are going to keep playing hard and try to keep winning games.”

The Hawks, who had won four straight, were led by Joe Johnson’s(notes) 25 points. The Rockets shot 57 percent (43 of 75) to beat Atlanta for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings in Houston.

“Looking back on those last four wins, we were much better defensively,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said.

Each of Houston’s starting five finished in double figures as Chuck Hayes(notes) added 19 points, Kyle Lowry(notes) had 17 and Chase Budinger(notes) scored 11.

“It’s a big win for us,” Lowry said, “just to keep playing and being resilient.”

But the Hawks shot 57.5 percent in the first half and scored 40 points in the second quarter to lead 63-54 at the break. Adelman ripped his team’s energy level at halftime, and the Rockets responded by holding Atlanta to 18 points in the third.

“We just weren’t giving a consistent effort between the first and second quarters,” Martin said. “Against a team like that, we just needed to step it up a little bit. They were controlling the game.”

The Rockets led by five points with about 6 1/2 minutes remaining before Atlanta used a 10-2 run to take a 102-99 lead with just under 4 minutes remaining. Johnson scored six straight points in that span.

Houston answered with six straight points, including four from Martin, to regain the lead, 105-102, before the key shots by Scola. The Rockets finished with 56 points in the paint.

“That’s way too many,” said Atlanta forward Josh Smith(notes), who scored 21. “We’ve got to make it more stingy. If we would have closed in some of those gaps and made them kick out to shooters, I would think it might have been a different outcome.”

Smith also had 11 rebounds and Jamal Crawford(notes) scored 15 off the bench for Atlanta.

The Rockets offset their 3-of-15 shooting from 3-point range by going 25 of 29 from the free throw line. Martin went 12 for 13 from the line and reached 30 points for the fourth time this season. He’s hit 20 points in 10 of his last 11 games.

“He’s a scorer, that’s what he does,” Hawks guard Jeff Teague(notes) said. “When someone is putting that much pressure on you at all times, they’re going to be a tough person to guard.”

Crawford had 11 points in the second quarter to help the Hawks to a 63-49 lead with 35 seconds left in the half. Martin had 10 second-quarter points to keep the Rockets in range.

The score was tied eight times in the first quarter. The Hawks recovered from an early 8-0 run by Houston and scored the final six points of the period for a 23-21 lead, completing an 11-2 run. Smith had five points in the charge.

Notes: The Rockets have overcome a double-digit deficit in 10 games this season. … Smith has 31 double-doubles this season, 14th most in the NBA. … Lowry needed six stitches to close a cut on his upper lip after he was elbowed by Zaza Pachulia(notes) in the first quarter. Lowry was seething about it after the game. “It was a dirty play by him,” Lowry said. … Atlanta’s Marvin Williams(notes) scored 11 points to leave him just one point away from 5,000 in his career. … Former Hawk and Rocket Dikembe Mutombo(notes) visited the Houston locker room after the game.

Rose had 36 points and 10 assists, and Chicago took another step toward the top seed in the Eastern Conference with its 15th victory in 17 games, hanging on to beat the short-handed Raptors 113-106 on Saturday night.

The Bulls lead Miami by three games and Boston by 3 1/2 . They also are within one of San Antonio for the NBA’s best record after squeezing by one of the league’s weakest teams.

Rose scored at least 30 for the third time in five games and got a measure of revenge for a perceived slight in a loss at Toronto in late February.

“I just remember them celebrating after they won back in Toronto,” he said.

To Rose, it was embarassing.

“When you see people celebrating when they normally don’t do that if you watch other games after they win, it kind of gets to you, especially being the person that I am,” he said. “I just try to feed off of anything, where by nature I’m just a quiet guy trying to get along with a lot of people.”

Jerryd Bayless(notes), charged with the unenviable task of guarding Rose, had nothing but praise for him.

“That’s what an MVP is I guess,” Bayless said. “I think he should be it. I can’t speak highly enough about him.”

Thanks in part to his star, Tom Thibodeau broke Phil Jackson’s club record for wins by a first-year coach as the Bulls improved to 56-20, but Rose was hardly alone.

Carlos Boozer(notes) added 18 points and 10 rebounds despite early foul trouble, and Luol Deng(notes) scored 17 points, Taj Gibson(notes) had 15 points and nine rebounds. Kyle Korver(notes) came up big down the stretch to finish with 10 points, and Chicago won despite some shaky stretches on defense, with Toronto shooting just over 50 percent.

It helped that the Bulls outrebounded the Raptors 43-33 even though Joakim Noah(notes) missed his third straight game because of a sprained right ankle. The Raptors were no picture of health, either.

With leading scorer Andrea Bargnani(notes) sidelined by a sore right ankle and guard Jose Calderon(notes) staying home because of a sore left hamstring, the Raptors dropped their sixth straight.

Bayless, filling in for Calderon, and DeMar DeRozan(notes) each scored 26 points for Toronto. Leandro Barbosa(notes) added 18 points, and Ed Davis(notes) had 17 points and 11 rebounds in Bargnani’s place.

“We kept the momentum at our pace,” DeRozan said. “They just executed well and we made few mistakes at the end of the game.”

The Bulls led by as much as 13 in the first half and were up 53-43 at the break, but the Raptors wiped that out in the third, tying it at 74 at one point before Chicago regained the lead. The Bulls got it back up to 11 in the fourth quarter and hung on after seeing it shrink to four several times.

It was 102-98 after DeRozan drove for a layup with 2:30 left, but Kyle Korver buried a 3 from the right corner with 1:40 remaining.

Then, after Bayless banked in a runner, Korver nailed a jumper at the shot-clock buzzer to make it 107-100 with just over a minute left.

The Raptors weren’t quite finished as Barbosa banked in a runner.

Rose answered by nailing a floater with 26.3 seconds left to boost the lead back up to seven—109-102—and give the Bulls some breathing room, although he followed that with a poor defensive play. He flew out at Bayless and fouled him as he attempted a corner jumper with 20.3 seconds left.

Bayless hit both free throws after the shot was downgraded from a 3, but Korver hit two from the line and the Bulls hung on.

“You have to win different ways,” Thibodeau said. “The bottom line is getting the win. They were short-handed. They played extremely well. They played hard, they played smart, they played unselfishly. They put a lot of pressure on us, and in the end, I thought we did the things that we needed to do.”

NOTES: The Bulls hope to have Noah back Tuesday night against Phoenix. “He’s almost there,” Thibodeau said. “We’re going to wait one more day. He’s good straight ahead and not quite there laterally yet.” … Rose said he was fine after hurting his left ankle in the second half Friday night at Detroit. “Right now, its good,” he said before the game.

Westbrook began a personal 12-point scoring tear by crushing a two-handed jam in the third quarter that awakened his listless Thunder teammates and led Oklahoma City to a 95-75 win Sunday over Cleveland, leaving Scott to doubt his team’s toughness.

“I’m really starting to question what type of heart we have as a basketball team,” the coach said.

Westbrook scored 14 of his 20 points in the third quarter, helping the Thunder open a 20-point cushion and coast to an easy win. He began his one-man sideshow by delivering a dunk that stunned the Thunder, the Cavs, ushers, vendors, mascots and 19,000 fans.

“It caught us all by surprise,” Kevin Durant(notes) said. “That was a big-time dunk. I’ve been waiting for that one.”

Westbrook followed it up with five consecutive layups, spinning around or blowing past any Cleveland defender daring to cover him.

Scott was incensed that none of his players bothered putting a body on Westbrook.

“It was too easy,” he said. “He’s a great player, but it gets to a point as a team where enough is enough and somebody has to knock him on his (rear end). It’s as simple as that, and that’s where the heart part comes in. Or are you just going to keep backing down and taking it?”

Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, had 19 points—nine below his average— but the Thunder hardly needed their superstar while improving to 19-6 against Eastern Conference teams.

Daniel Gibson(notes) scored 13 and J.J. Hickson(notes) had 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers.

James Harden(notes) scored 16 and Serge Ibaka(notes) finished with eight points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks for the Thunder.

Westbrook and Durant combined for 23 of Oklahoma City’s 25 points in the third. With his team up by 19 entering the fourth, coach Scott Brooks rested his two All-Stars. They spent the entire fourth quarter on the bench relaxing and laughing.

“We still wanted to play the right brand of ball no matter what,” said Durant, who had scored at least 20 in 16 straight games. “Play the right way, make the right passes, make the right rotations on defense. But it did feel good to sit a little bit in the fourth.”

The Thunder were leading 59-47 when Westbrook powered toward the basket and rose in the air. At first, it looked as if he was going to just lay the ball up, but he double-pumped and flushed it, posterizing three or four Cavs and leaving his teammates in awe.

Westbrook even caught himself off guard.

“I ended up jumping and moving the ball and finishing it,” he said. “It got us going.”

It finished the Cavs.

On Oklahoma City’s next possession, Durant complained about a non-call when he got pushed from behind and was slapped with a technical. After Cleveland’s Anthony Parker(notes) missed the free throw, Westbrook approached Durant, whispered something to his teammate and they slapped hands.

From there on, the Cavs couldn’t contain Westbrook.

“Once he gets it going, he’s tough to stop,” Durant said. “He did everything within the offense and everybody still looked good. They (the Cavs) were talking a little bit over there. That’s one thing Russ doesn’t really like. It kind of ticks him off a little bit.”

Later, Gibson had nothing but nice things to say about Westbrook.

“He put his stamp on the game,” Gibson said.

The Cavs are short-handed, playing without injured starters Anderson Varejao(notes) and Antawn Jamison(notes). They were also missing point guard Baron Davis(notes), who left the team a few days ago to be with family in Los Angeles following the death of his grandmother.

After scoring 10 in the first quarter, Durant was out as the Thunder, who have many more weapons than just him, opened a 20-point lead with little resistance from the Cavs.

Oklahoma City seemed to be going through the motions, and Cleveland seized a chance to cut into the lead. Parker’s 3-pointer in the final second of the quarter brought the Cavs within 50-38 at halftime, but Westbrook took matters into his own hands in the third.

“That’s what he does,” Brooks said. “He’s a terrific player that’s improving every day.”

Notes: Thunder F Kendrick Perkins(notes) hasn’t played since coming over in a deadline-day trade from Boston because of a sprained left knee. Perkins is close to making his debut. He went through a full practice Thursday. … Scott hopes Davis will rejoin the team on its upcoming West Coast trip. Cleveland visits the Clippers, Davis’ former team, on Saturday. Davis’ grandmother, Lela “Madea” Nicholson, died last week. Her funeral is Tuesday. … Cavs G/F Christian Eyenga(notes) needed four stitches to close a cut he got during practice Saturday.

“If us winning games puts us ahead of them, that’ll be great, but our thing is trying to keep this thing going,” Rose said.

Right now, the going is good.

Rose came on strong after a slow start to finish with 34 points, and Chicago ran away with its 12th win in 14 games, beating the struggling Atlanta Hawks 94-76 on Friday.

The Bulls prevailed on a night when Carlos Boozer(notes) sat out with a sprained left ankle thanks to a strong third quarter. Leading the way was Rose with 18 points in the period as the Bulls outscored Atlanta 24-10 to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 72-60 lead, and Chicago pulled within a half game of Eastern Conference leader Boston.

Luol Deng(notes) added 18 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. And he again drew high praise from coach Tom Thibodeau, who said, “He’s the glue to the team.”

Deng’s reaction?

“Coach saying that really means a lot to me,” he said.

Limited by injuries in recent seasons, Deng has played in all 64 games this year.

That run was in jeopardy after he suffered a bruised left thigh while take a knee from Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson(notes) on Wednesday. The Bulls won that game to clinch the Central division, but it was a costly victory.

Besides Deng’s bruise, Boozer limped off the court after an awkward landing on a late flagrant foul by Kwame Brown(notes) and he remains day to day. Thibodeau started Kurt Thomas(notes) instead of Taj Gibson(notes) in his place to keep an effective second unit intact, and the veteran grabbed 13 rebounds while helping contain Al Horford(notes) (six points) in his first appearance since Feb. 23.

Joakim Noah(notes) had 11 rebounds and Chicago outrebounded the Hawks 50-28 while sending Atlanta to its fourth straight loss.

Joe Johnson(notes) led the Hawks with 16 points. Josh Smith(notes) added 15 and Jamal Crawford(notes) scored 14 for Atlanta, which went cold in the third—its lowest scoring quarter this season—and remained winless since beating Chicago at home last week.

“We still have a lot more basketball left,” Johnson said. “We’ve just got to stay positive and get out of this little rut we’re in.”

Rose perked up in a big way, turning around what looked like another brutal performance against Atlanta. He hit just 2 of 11 shots in the first half after going 5 for 21 with just 12 points and six turnovers in the previous meeting.

But after Kirk Hinrich(notes) started the second half by stretching Atlanta’s lead to 52-48 with a jumper, Chicago’s All-Star point guard went to work in a big way as the Bulls reeled off 14 straight points.

“You got to figure he’s going to find a way to have an impact on the game and he definitely had it in the second half,” said Hinrich, the former Bulls player.

Rose scored 12 during that stretch, starting it with a 3-pointer and ending it with a driving layup that made it 62-52.

The Hawks, meanwhile, missed seven straight shots and went seven minutes without scoring before Crawford hit a 3 with 4:41 remaining. But the Bulls remained in control the rest of the way, with their defense tightening up and Rose going to the rim.

“I was trying to get myself going,” he said. “If my shot’s not falling, one thing to do is go to the hole.”

NOTES: The Hawks’ 26 points in the second half was one off its season low. … The 28 rebounds also tied a season low for Atlanta, while the Bulls’ 50 where one less than the season-high by an Atlanta opponent. … Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen will be on hand as the Bulls celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first championship at halftime of Saturday’s game against Utah. Also attending will be John Paxson, Horace Grant, Stacey King, Craig Hodges, Will Perdue, Scott Williams, Cliff Levingston, Dennis Hopson and assistant coach Johnny Bach. Former Bulls broadcaster Jim Durham will emcee the ceremony. … Grant got a nice ovation when he was shown seated at courtside before the start of the second quarter. … The Hawks had won eight of nine against Chicago.

Paul Pierce(notes) scored 23 points, Kevin Garnett(notes) added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Ray Allen(notes) hit the go-ahead jumper as the Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 89-83 on Sunday night for their fifth straight win.

“We got a nice little rhythm, truthfully. It really starts with our core group,” Pierce said. “At the end of the day we’re finding a way to win.”

The Celtics (46-15) held Milwaukee without a field goal in the final 3 1/2 minutes, proving they have no problem closing out games even with just nine players dressed. Boston remained three games up on Chicago atop the Eastern Conference and four games up over Miami with the Heat struggling to finish games.

“We made plays at the end of the game, more defensive than offensive,” Garnett said. “We had to get stops and make plays and we made them.”

With the game tied at 82, Boston’s three stars came through. Allen hit a 17-foot jumper, Garnett made an 11-foot fadeaway jumper while being heavily defended and Pierce converted a three-point play with 18 seconds left to seal it. Garnett also grabbed a big rebound and made a key block late.

“We’re definitely not where we want to be, but we’re grinding it out,” Pierce said.

Boston got 17 points from Nenad Krstic(notes) and 11 points from Jeff Green(notes), two of the Celtics’ five new players acquired in the last 10 days.

Brandon Jennings(notes) scored 23 points for the similarly short-handed Bucks, who have lost 12 of the last 16.

John Salmons(notes) hit a jumper and Carlos Delfino(notes) added a 28-footer to tie the game at 82-all with 3:36 left. But Allen answered with his jumper and the Celtics dug in on defense, forcing turnovers on two consecutive possessions.

Jennings, who finished 8 of 19 from the field, missed an open shot on the baseline with 56 seconds left and Garnett grabbed the rebound before making his contested shot that gave the Celtics an 86-82 lead.

Salmons hit a free throw that made it 86-83 with 38 seconds left after Allen was called for a foul before the ball was put in play and the Bucks retained possession. But Garnett swatted away Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s(notes) layup attempt and pumped his right arm as Rajon Rondo(notes) grabbed the rebound and was fouled.

“We knew the plays they were running,” Garnett said. “I let him go by and blocked it. We got the rebound and the game was pretty much over after that.”

On the ensuing inbounds play, Rondo found Pierce streaking to the basket. Pierce made an easy layup after a bad foul by Keyon Dooling(notes) and his free throw was the final margin.

“The whole game, we felt like we hung in there, we did a good job of hanging in there with them, but I feel like we shot ourselves in the foot, turning the ball over and not executing when we needed to at a crucial moment of the game,” Mbah a Moute said. “That really cost us.”

Mbah a Moute returned from missing two games with an illness to finish with a season-high 19 points and Salmons had 11 for the Bucks, who were missing Andrew Bogut(notes) (strained left side), Ersan Ilyasova(notes) (concussion) and Drew Gooden(notes) (left foot). Salmons just stared at the floor in the locker room with his knees iced, the look of frustration obvious after Milwaukee (23-38) reached the postseason last year and were expected to be at least a playoff contender.

Two nights after Milwaukee was outscored 31-15 by Phoenix in the third quarter on the way to a double-digit loss, it happened again with the Celtics. A 1-for-10 stretch by the lowest-scoring, worst-shooting team in the NBA allowed Boston to turn a six-point deficit into a 69-65 lead heading into the fourth.

“I kind of take the blame for the loss, missing the jump shot and a couple of turnovers down the stretch,” Jennings said.

Boston has a slew of injury problems of its own, leaving Jermaine O’Neal(notes) (left knee), Shaquille O’Neal(notes) (right heel), Delonte West(notes) (right ankle), Glen Davis(notes) (left knee) and Von Wafer(notes) (right calf) at home for its only stop in Milwaukee.

The Celtics signed guard Carlos Arroyo(notes) on Sunday, but he’ll join the team on Monday. Krstic was acquired on Feb. 24 at the trading deadline along with Green for Kendrick Perkins(notes) and Nate Robinson(notes).

The Celtics have also signed Troy Murphy(notes) and Sasha Pavlovic(notes) in the last 10 days.

So far, nothing has stopped Boston’s championship core from keeping up its torrid pace.

“I told our guys before the game, ‘We have two teams with a hundred injuries. They have starters out. We have our entire bench out.’ It was going to be a funky game and someone was going to have to win it. Let it be us,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We’re just doing it, you know? We’re just hanging in and winning games.”

Notes: Shaquille O’Neal turned 39 on Sunday. He hasn’t played since Feb. 1. … Davis missed his second game since straining the patella tendon on a dunk in a win over Phoenix.

Garnett scored 28 points with 11 rebounds to help the Celtics win 115-103 on Wednesday night and bounce back from a Jan. 28 loss in Phoenix that prompted Suns coach Alvin Gentry to say he had “lost a little respect” for Garnett.

“I play the game really hard. I play with my heart. I never go around making excuses about that, so who cares about what they’re talking about?” said Garnett, who picked up a technical foul with 17 seconds left in the game. “Alvin Gentry was asking me for tickets for the first round of the playoffs and I told him I’d hook him up. That’s what that was about.”

Paul Pierce(notes) scored 16 points with 13 rebounds—picking up a technical foul of his own—and Rajon Rondo(notes) scored 16 with 15 assists to snap Phoenix’s four-game winning streak. Rondo was also involved in some hijinks at the final buzzer when he decided to put up a 3-pointer while virtually everyone else was walking off the court.

Jared Dudley(notes) fouled him, forcing the referees to review the play, put time on the clock and send Rondo to the line for three meaningless free throws.

“It was an intense game, but it wasn’t,” Rondo said. “We had it under control the whole game.”

It was the first time the teams played since Garnett poked Channing Frye(notes) in the groin during an 88-71 Suns victory that left Gentry criticizing Garnett. That was Phoenix’s third straight victory over Boston.

The Celtics put an end to that quickly.

Garnett scored 12 points in the first quarter on Wednesday as they jumped to a 13-point lead, and they led by 29 in the second half before Phoenix scored the last nine points in the third quarter and the first nine of the fourth. But the Suns, who had won four straight, never again got closer than eight points.

“I think all our guys were” extra motivated, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “That’s what the explosion early was about. … I thought their bench, their coaches were talking, which I don’t think you should ever (do) if you have a suit and tie on and actually can’t play. I don’t think you should be doing a lot of talking to the players on the floor.”

Aaron Brooks(notes) scored 17 points, Dudley had 15 and fellow reserve Marcin Gortat(notes) had 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Suns played the last 17 minutes without Vince Carter(notes) and Frye, who banged heads and left the game.

Gentry said any talk of carry-over from the previous game was “making a big deal out of nothing.”

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s one game that we play, and he played great,” Gentry said. “You’ve got to give him credit. He played great defensively, and offensively, made everything going to the basket, made some jump shots. He’s tough to guard in those situations.”

The game was the Boston debut of the new-look Celtics, who acquired Jeff Green(notes) and Nenad Krstic(notes) at the trading deadline and added Troy Murphy(notes) earlier Wednesday.

Krstic had 13 points, Green scored six in 17 minutes and Murphy scored one point in 14 minutes.

But the defending Eastern Conference champions won for the sixth time in seven games and moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Miami Heat in the race for the best record in the East.

The Suns got a scare when Frye and Carter banged heads with 4:53 left in the third quarter. Frye got up after a minute or two, but Carter stayed on the court longer and eventually walked off, rubbing his head and clearly unsteady on his feet.

The team said Frye had a bruised eye and Carter had a cut on his mouth. Neither returned.

Boston had an injury scare of its own when Glen “Big Baby” Davis hurt his left knee, which was already wrapped in a brace, jumping to dunk in the final minute. The team said he had a strained patella tendon; Davis said he would have an MRI on Thursday.

Garnett scored 12 points in the first quarter as the Celtics shot 60 percent — getting 18 points in the paint—and jumped to a 13-point lead. He had 18 at the half, when Boston led 62-42.

The Celtics led by as many as 29 in the quarter, and held a 91-63 lead with 2 minutes left in the quarter before Dudley hit back-to-back 3-pointers and then a pair of free throws. Gortat made one of two foul shots to end the quarter, then Phoenix scored the first nine points in the fourth to make it a 10-point game.

It was 93-85 when Rondo made a jumper and then assisted on Krstic’s layup to make it a 12-point game.

NOTES: Murphy signed earlier Wednesday. He is the first Murphy to wear the shamrock since Dick Murphy played seven games in the NBA’s inaugural season, 1946-47. … Pierce and Steve Nash(notes) are neck-and-neck for the top 10 all time in 3-pointers. Pierce did not make any in the game and finished with 1,550 in his career; Nash hit one and has 1,547. Ray Allen(notes) is the all-time leader; he was 4-for-6 on Wednesday and has 2,578. … Phoenix’s bench outscored its starters 63-40 and outscored Boston’s bench 63-23.

Through it all, they still had the ageless Ray Allen(notes), whose 25 points and clutch 23-footer down the stretch helped Boston escape with a 107-102 victory Monday night.

“It’s a privilege to be able to play with a guy like that,” teammate Paul Pierce(notes) said of Allen, who led five players in double figures before the Celtics (43-15) return home from a 3-1 trip.

“You watch him down the stretch, and it’s something beautiful.”

The game itself, Pierce said, was downright ugly, with 26 combined turnovers, and double technicals called on Kevin Garnett(notes) and Al Jefferson(notes) with 3:12 remaining.

“We just found a way to win,” said Pierce, who added 21 points, including a late 3-pointer and pair of free throws. “It wasn’t the prettiest win. But we’ll take it.”

Rajon Rondo(notes) added 18 points for Boston, including a 15-foot jumper with 24.1 seconds remaining that sealed the win.

The loss spoiled the home debut of new Jazz players Devin Harris(notes) and Derrick Favors(notes), who were acquired last week in the trade that sent All-Star point guard Deron Williams(notes) to New Jersey.

The Celtics made their own trade before the deadline last week, swapping centers with Oklahoma City (Kendrick Perkins(notes) for Nenad Krstic(notes)) and adding Jeff Green(notes) in place of Nate Robinson(notes).

“You get over that,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of the changes. “I thought our guys did. They’ve kind of moved forward.”

Jazz fans, meanwhile, were excited about a new era that saw Utah bid farewell to Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan and leading scorer Williams in a span of 13 days.

They greeted Harris with open arms, chasing after him on Sunday as he visited a local outdoor mall, and giving him the loudest ovation of any Jazz player during pre-game introductions Monday.

“It’s been a long time since I played in front of a crowd like this and it was exciting,” said Harris, who finished with 19 points and flashed speed in transition that kept the Jazz close.

“I had a little butterflies before the game, it being the first home game but I thought we really fed off the crowd. They hit some big shots in that first quarter, kind of gave us a knockout blow, but we responded and the crowd helped us with that.”

The home fans also got their first close look at rookie Favors.

“Hey, D-Will, thanks for the Favors,” read one sign in the arena.

Favors added nine points, four rebounds and a block in 15 minutes.

The Jazz (32-30) jumped out to a 10-2 lead only to see the Celtics go on 12-0 and 13-0 runs and lead by as many as 13 in the first quarter.

Jefferson, playing against the team that drafted him in 2004, helped bring them back. He finished with 28 points and a season-high 19 rebounds for Utah, capping a February to remember in which he averaged nearly 24 points and 9 rebounds and shot 55 percent from the field.

“He was a monster all night,” Harris said of Jefferson.

Pierce couldn’t argue.

“Al is developing into a helluva player,” Pierce said. “Pretty soon we’re going to see him in a lot of All-Star games.”

Jefferson might be happy to make the playoffs. Monday night at least had a playoff atmosphere.

“At one time, I didn’t know where we (were)—in Boston or Utah. There were a lot of Boston fans in the house,” Jefferson said. “But at the end of the game, I think they were all cheering for us.”

Players don’t like to accept moral victories, but the Jazz took something out of the loss.

“If we play the way we played tonight the next four, five games, we’re going to be OK,” Jefferson said of the Jazz, who entered the night just outside the Western Conference playoff picture.

Pierce felt the same way, even if the Jazz don’t have an All-Star player any more.

“They’ve got more than enough guys that are capable of getting the job done,” Pierce said.

The Jazz just can’t keep letting games slip away.

They have dropped six straight at home—the team’s worst home skid since 1982—and 16 of the last 21.

They are 1-5 under new head coach Ty Corbin and 1-2 since the trade.

“The effort was there,” Corbin said. “We’ll continue to build, and the guys will turn the corner a bit. But we need a little something good to happen to feel good about ourselves right now.”

Notes: Jazz reserve C Mehmet Okur(notes) is to meet with doctors Tuesday to detemine if he can begin working out with the team again following a three-week break because of a lower-back problem. Even if he is cleared, Okur still would start slowly with shooting and running. … Celtics reserve G Delonte West(notes) was inactive with a sprained ankle and likely won’t return until Friday. … Asked how high Favors was on Utah’s draft board last year, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor initially said no comment before adding, “But he was higher than (No.) 3.” … Harris stopped at Gateway Mall in downtown Salt Lake City on Sunday to celebrate his 28th birthday. “I had one guy actually park his car in the middle of the road and chase me down,” Harris said. “I was a little freaked out but it’s a good freaked out. It’s exciting.”

Sure, the newest Boston Celtics have plenty to learn about playing for a classic NBA franchise after getting out of Oklahoma City. They already know they’ll love playing alongside four All-Stars who take turns taking charge down the stretch.

Paul Pierce(notes) scored 24 points, Ray Allen(notes) added 22, and the Celtics rallied in the second half for their fourth victory in five games, 99-92 over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.

Kevin Garnett(notes) had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who began integrating Green and Krstic into their lineup after acquiring them from the Thunder on Thursday in an uncommonly wrenching trade for Kendrick Perkins(notes) and Nate Robinson(notes).

“There was a lot of emotion for us, just like when Kendrick left here,” Green said. “But when our cheers were louder than the Clippers’ cheers out there, that’s when you realize it’s amazing to be a part of something like this.”

Krstic had nine points, six rebounds and five fouls while starting at center, and Green added seven points and one rebound in 17 minutes as a reserve. Both players acknowledged tremendous cases of nerves mixed with eagerness to jump into the thick of a playoff stretch run.

“I’m so glad just to be on the court with these guys, and then to actually play and make a contribution,” Krstic said. “I think I did OK for the first game when I didn’t even have a practice.”

Although Rajon Rondo(notes) managed just two points while taking two shots and racking up 11 assists, the Celtics’ All-Stars didn’t need much backup against the Clippers. Boston made a 24-7 run spanning halftime and hung on down the stretch, with Pierce scoring 16 points in the second half.

The Celtics sleepwalked through portions of a loss in Denver on Thursday night, their emotions still churning immediately after the trade.

“Sometimes we know how to close them,” Pierce said. “It was great for their first day, because we really didn’t have a lot of stuff for them. It’s hard, because we only had a shootaround to prepare, so it’s going to take time … but the good thing about it is that we have 25 games left, and hopefully that’s enough time to implement them into what we’re trying to do, and tonight wasn’t a bad start.”

Randy Foye(notes) scored 32 points and Blake Griffin(notes) added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers in their first home game since Feb. 2 following an 11-game road trip. The Clippers had won nine straight home games before losing to Chicago right before leaving town for nearly four weeks.

The Clippers committed 21 turnovers in their 10th loss in 12 games, but at least they’re home after what’s thought to be the second-longest road trip in NBA history while the Grammys and All-Star weekend occupied Staples Center. The game also was Los Angeles’ fourth in five brutally difficult nights out of the All-Star break, including Friday night’s loss to the Lakers.

“It’s tough playing back-to-back games, especially against the two teams that we just played,” Griffin said after consecutive games against the defending conference champions. “We have good pieces. We’ve just got to get them out there all at the same time.”

While the Celtics had their newcomers in uniform, new Clippers Mo Williams(notes) and Jamario Moon(notes) still weren’t allowed to suit up while the club finishes up the paperwork after acquiring them from Cleveland for Baron Davis(notes), who apparently still hasn’t taken his physical for the Cavaliers. The Clippers also might get high-scoring guard Eric Gordon(notes) back from a wrist injury next week.

Chris Kaman(notes) had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, but the former All-Star center is limited to 25 minutes per game in his comeback from an ankle injury. Rookie Eric Bledsoe(notes) had another tough game while starting in Davis’ usual spot, scoring six points on 3-of-10 shooting with six assists.

“We’ve had our starters basically for three games the whole year due to injuries,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “The results aren’t what we want, but I see young guys getting experience which will pay off in the long run.”

NOTES: The Clippers are expecting Williams and Moon to be in uniform for Monday’s game at Sacramento, but they don’t know if the trade will be formalized in time for the players to practice with the team on Sunday. … Los Angeles led by 13 points in the first half before Boston’s rally spanning halftime, capped by a ferocious dunk by Garnett on an alley-oop pass from Rondo. … In the Celtics’ last visit to the Clippers on Dec. 27, 2009, Davis won it 92-90 with a fallaway jumper at the buzzer after Rondo missed two free throws in the final seconds.

Davis, 31, has two years and $29 million left on his contract after this season. He signed a five-year, $65 million contract with the Clippers in July 2008, intending to return to his hometown to play alongside Elton Brand.

Brand, however, passed on a chance to re-sign with the Clippers and instead joined the Philadelphia 76ers. Neither Davis nor the Clippers met expectations as Davis struggled for much of his first two seasons in Los Angeles. Clippers owner Donald Sterling even began heckling Davis early this season.

Davis’ play gradually improved and he’s averaging 12.8 points and seven assists this season.

The first-round pick the Clippers send the Cavaliers will end up being a lottery selection, but this year’s draft isn’t considered strong. The Clippers also already have six players age 22 and younger on their roster.

The trade also reunites Davis with Cavs coach Byron Scott. Scott coached Davis in New Orleans during the 2004-05 season, but the two often feuded, and Davis was eventually traded to the Golden State Warriors.

Williams, 28, has two years and $17 million left on his contract after this season. He came to the Cavaliers before the 2008-09 season as one of the top members of LeBron James’ supporting cast. Williams became an All-Star in 2009, and the Cavs finished with the league’s best record in his two seasons with James, but didn’t reach the NBA Finals.

After James joined the Miami Heat last summer, Williams said he briefly considered retiring. He is averaging 13.3 points and 7.1 assists this season but has played in only 36 games because of injuries.

The high draft pick the Cavs receive could help as they undertake a massive rebuilding project in the wake of James’ departure.

Wade tied a franchise record for most points in a first half with 31, and he finished with 41 to help the Heat defeat the Pacers 110-103 on Tuesday night.

James scored 27 points and Bosh added 22 points and eight rebounds for Miami. They combined for 19 of Miami’s 28 points in the final 12 minutes to help the Heat recover after squandering a 24-point lead.

“We’re one of the best fourth-quarter teams in the league,” Wade said. “With the caliber players that we have, especially myself and Chris and LeBron, we’re able to run the full-court offense, get good shots, high percentage shots.”

Wade also finished with 12 rebounds for the Heat.

“It was amazing,” James said. “That’s part of the reason why he’s D-Wade. We saw him get going early and we just kept giving him the ball. It was an unbelievable first quarter and an unbelievable first half in itself.”

Miami held Indiana to 6-for-23 shooting in the fourth quarter.

“Our fourth-quarter defense is tremendous,” James said. “When it’s winning time, we know how to get stops.”

Roy Hibbert(notes) scored 18 points and Tyler Hansbrough(notes) added 16 for the Pacers. Indiana has won seven of nine under interim coach Frank Vogel, with both losses coming against the Heat.

Miami led 41-17 late in the first quarter, but Indiana rallied and led early in the fourth quarter.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Vogel said. “This is what I’m talking about when I talk about smashmouth basketball, blood and guts, never quitting. All heart, all hustle.”

None of those things were enough.

James threw the ball off the backboard, caught it with one hand and dunked to give Miami a 93-91 lead with 6 minutes to play. James converted a basket in close over the 7-foot-2 Hibbert, then scored on a tip-in to push Miami’s lead to 99-94, and the Heat led the rest of the way.

Wade dominated Mike Dunleavy for 16 points in the first 5:05 of the game. When Vogel finally switched the matchup and brought in rookie Paul George(notes), Wade splashed a jumper in George’s face seconds after he entered. Wade finished the period with 22 points, the most he has scored in a quarter this season. One of his baskets was a jumper from behind the backboard.

Miami led 41-19 at the end of the quarter. It was the most points the Heat have scored in a quarter and their highest point differential in a quarter this season.

The Pacers went to their bench and flipped the script. Led by Hansbrough, the Pacers shot 64 percent in the second quarter. Indiana outscored the Heat 35-17 in the period and trailed 58-54 at halftime.

“We got smacked in the mouth pretty hard, repeatedly,” Hibbert said. “First quarter was pretty tough. I didn’t think we were all tuned in together, ready to play, but the second unit came out—they really got us back in the game.”

Miami wasn’t pleased with the second quarter.

“For us, it’s about that one quarter that we have, in the first, second, or the third, which we have mental lapses,” he said. “We have to figure that out.”

Miami led 64-58 when George made a 3-pointer. Collison stole the inbounds pass, and Danny Granger(notes) made a 3-pointer to tie it with 8:33 left in the third quarter. The Pacers took a 73-68 lead when George made three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-pointer with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

Miami regained the lead with a 6-0 run, and the advantage seesawed through the rest of the quarter. Hansbrough hit a mid-range jumper as time expired in the third quarter to give the Pacers an 83-82 lead.

Indiana gained confidence during the close call.

“The rest of the season, we’re coming,” Hibbert said. “We’re not backing down. We’re not having any lackadaisical games. We’re on the prowl. We’re hungry.”

Notes: Miami shot 71 percent in the first quarter and outrebounded the Pacers 15-6. … Pacers G Brandon Rush(notes) returned after missing 10 straight games with a sprained right ankle. … Miami C Erick Dampier(notes) was called for a technical foul with 1:05 left in the 2nd quarter. … Indiana had its fifth sellout of the season. … Indiana has scored at least 100 points in every game since Vogel took over.

Boston’s pass-first point guard drove aggressively to the hoop and scored 26 points to lead the Celtics to a 91-80 win on Sunday.

“He totally dominated us,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said, “got where he wanted to go anytime he wanted to go.”

With Rondo scoring 11 points, the Celtics extended a 46-43 halftime lead to 70-61 after the third quarter. They led by eight to 16 points the rest of the way.

Paul Pierce(notes) had 18 points and Kevin Garnett(notes) scored 16 for the Celtics, who improved to 23-4 at home. Dwight Howard(notes) had 28 points—only six in the second half—and 13 rebounds for the Magic, who lost for the fifth time in eight games despite playing tight defense on Pierce and Ray Allen(notes).

“They didn’t leave Ray or Paul’s body. I tried to be aggressive,” Rondo said. “The lane just opened up a lot more even though Dwight was down there.”

The Celtics rallied after a scary injury to backup guard Marquis Daniels(notes) with 11:01 left in the second quarter. He was taken off the court on a stretcher after a collision with Gilbert Arenas(notes) and Orlando ahead 24-17.

Dr. Brian McKeon, the Celtics’ team physician, said Daniels bruised his spinal cord. Danny Ainge, the team’s president of basketball operations, said Daniels had full function and, as a best case, would miss one to two months.

The injury helped the Celtics “a lot,” Rondo said. “It’s crazy to say you have to wait for something to happen to get a boost. That’s how it is.”

Boston led by three at halftime and stretched that to 70-55 with 3:36 left in the third quarter. At that point, the Celtics had made 9 of their 10 shots in the period while the Magic had hit just 4 of 18.

“I just could not find anything for us to run to get a decent shot,” Van Gundy said.

Orlando scored the last six points of the third quarter, cutting the lead to 70-61, but the Celtics came right back with a 7-2 run to go ahead 77-63.

“I thought Rondo took the third over,” Garnett said. “In the second half, we had a lot more energy emotionally.”

Allen made 2 of 4 3-point attempts and moved within three of the NBA record of 2,560 made 3-pointers held by Reggie Miller. Allen can improve on his total of 2,557 at Charlotte on Monday night.

The Magic made just 3 of 24 shots from 3-point range after entering the game ranked ninth in the NBA with a 36.8 percentage. They’ve taken and made the most 3-pointers in the league.

“If their 3-point game is going, they’re going to be tough to beat,” Pierce said. “We feel like Dwight couldn’t beat us by himself.”

Overall, the Magic took 30 more shots (32 for 93, 34.4 percent) than the Celtics (30 for 63, 47.6 percent) but made just two more. Ryan Anderson(notes) had 12 points for the Magic, but Gilbert Arenas was scoreless on seven shots and Hedo Turkoglu(notes) went 1 for 10 with 4 points.

“If we’re going to come in on the road and play the Boston Celtics you’ve got to have guys playing at a very high level,” Van Gundy said. “We didn’t have a single perimeter guy have a good game.”

Leading by three at halftime, Boston took control by scoring the first seven points of the third quarter, taking a 53-43 lead. Pierce began the spurt with a 15-footer, Garnett added a baseline jumper and Allen hit his second 3-pointer of the game.

Jason Richardson(notes) followed with a 3-pointer for the Magic before Rondo made two free throws and Pierce sank a layup for a 57-46 lead with 8:23 left in the quarter.

It was 65-55 before the Celtics ended the quarter with five straight points — a 3-pointer by Rondo and a layup by Garnett.

“The Miami Heat and Boston are rolling right now,” Howard said of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. “We’re going to be OK. We’ve got things we’ve got to work on.”

The Magic had raced to a 12-2 lead before the Celtics took their first lead 41-40 with 1:01 left in the half on two free throws by Garnett.

Boston’s Glen Davis(notes) bruised his head and Orlando’s Jameer Nelson(notes) was kicked in the ribs when they collided under the Magic’s basket with 3:57 left in the first quarter. Both left the game but returned in the second quarter.

Notes: Orlando F Brandon Bass(notes) missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. … Boston C Shaquille O’Neal(notes) missed his second straight game, and is expected to sit out at least one more, with a sore right leg. … Orlando’s Howard, Nelson and Earl Clark(notes) received technical fouls in the first half. The Celtics had none for the game. … The teams also met in Boston on Super Bowl Sunday last year with Orlando winning 96-89. … Rondo had seven assists and six turnovers.

The Ravens then committed two more turnovers in the third quarter, each one giving the ball to Pittsburgh within striking distance of the end zone.

It was all too much to take for Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis(notes) and his proud, overworked defense.

“I’ve said it time and time again: The No. 1 thing you cannot do is turn the ball over,” Lewis said in the stoic Baltimore locker room. “That will never change in this business. Ever.

Bidding to reach the AFC championship game for the second time in three years, the Ravens had their hopes crushed in a 31-24 defeat Saturday. After bolting to a 21-7 halftime lead, Baltimore’s season ended under the weight of an assortment of miscues that included dropped passes, untimely penalties and, most of all, turnovers.

In the third quarter the Ravens allowed Pittsburgh to start three drives inside the Baltimore 26.

“When you play the way we did in the first half and then you go into the second half and as soon as you start the game you give the ball away, it’s too much of a momentum swing,” Lewis said. “They’re already at home, they’ve already got things going their way, and you turn the ball over three, four times in our end of the field? We’re good, but to overcome all of that is harsh on my defense. I wouldn’t put that on my defense because we played our hearts out today.”

It was the third time in three tries Baltimore has lost a playoff game in Pittsburgh, but this one was different than the rest.

The Ravens led by 14 points when Rice lost his grip on the football—the most surprising miscue in the dreadful third quarter.

Rice had carried the ball 331 times and caught 73 passes this season without fumbling when he slipped out of the backfield to catch a pass from Joe Flacco(notes). Hit in the middle of the field by safety Ryan Clark(notes), Rice lost the ball.

“I’m not sure who hit it out or whatever. But that’s totally my fault. I can take that,” Rice said. “I’m not a fumbler, but in a situation like that I’ve got to be more careful. I was just trying to make a play.”

The Steelers scored to make it 21-14, which started a run of 17 straight points.

“They made some big plays and got back into the game score-wise and momentum-wise,” said center Matt Birk(notes), whose early snap on a second-down play led to a fumble by Flacco.

The Ravens managed to tie it on a field goal with 3:54 left, but that only delayed the seemingly inevitable conclusion.

Ben Roethlisberger(notes) completed a 58-yard pass to Antonio Brown(notes) on a third-and-19 in the closing minutes when the Ravens opted to go with a three-man rush. That play put the ball at the Baltimore 4.

After Pittsburgh scored a touchdown to make it 31-24, T.J. Houshmandzadeh(notes) dropped a fourth-down pass from Flacco, ending the season for Baltimore (13-5).

“When the game was on the line, I want my number to be called and it was. And I didn’t catch it,” Houshmandzadeh said. “That’s the moral of the story, the outcome of the game.”

Despite getting off to a slow start, the Ravens scored 21 consecutive points to take a 14-point lead at halftime.

Then Rice fumbled. That got the crowd back in the game, and after Pittsburgh scored, the volume increased after Flacco was sacked on first down.

It got worse. Much worse.

After an exchange of punts, Clark intercepted Flacco and took it to the Baltimore 25. That set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Hines Ward(notes), tying the game at 21.

The Ravens went the entire third quarter without a first down.

In the fourth quarter, an apparent punt return for a touchdown by Lardarius Webb(notes) was called back because of a holding penalty on Marcus Smith.

Minutes later, Anquan Boldin(notes) dropped a pass in the end zone. So instead of taking a 28-24 lead, Baltimore had to settle for a field goal and a tie.

It typified the entire second half.

“It’s a shock when it’s over,” tackle Marshal Yanda(notes) said. “It hits you like a sledgehammer.”

At the outset, it appeared this game was going to be different—and not in a good way—for the Ravens. Baltimore allowed only one touchdown in each of its previous two games, but Pittsburgh went the distance on its opening possession to take a 7-0 lead.

With the aid of a 37-yard pass interference penalty against Josh Wilson(notes), who protested the call, the Steelers covered 80 yards in surprisingly easy fashion.

And then, just as quickly, things started going Baltimore’s way.

Until the third quarter.

“That’s a veteran team over there, and we didn’t put them away,” said linebacker Terrell Suggs(notes), who had three sacks. We’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves. They didn’t make those mistakes, so they get to go home and play in the AFC championship game and contend for a Super Bowl. We go to the couch.”

Durant scored 36 points, Russell Westbrook(notes) added 32 in his fourth career triple-double and the Thunder fought off the Orlando Magic 125-124 Thursday night to stay unbeaten in nationally televised games this season.

Oklahoma City has beaten Chicago, Boston, Denver, Dallas and Orlando once and Portland twice on national TV and plays another marquee game Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Everybody gets up, I guess, for playing on TV. It’s always fun,” said Durant, who is averaging 32.8 points on national TV this season—4.5 points higher than his NBA-leading average. “We only had two or three last year, so to have as many as we have now is a blessing and we just try to have a good showing.”

Westbrook also had 13 assists and 10 rebounds in Oklahoma City’s highest-scoring game of the season. It was the second straight game the Thunder set a season high for points in regulation, and this time they even surpassed their output in a triple-overtime win against New Jersey.

Oklahoma City went 7 for 14 from 3-point range, hitting at least 50 percent for only the sixth time in 40 games this season.

“We just couldn’t stop them at all, but particularly Durant and Westbrook,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “They’re great players, they average 50 between them, but we gave them 68.”

Dwight Howard(notes) led Orlando with 39 points and 18 rebounds, and J.J. Redick(notes) made four 3-pointers and scored 18 points while leading a failed fourth-quarter comeback. The Magic, who had been surging following those blockbuster trades that overhauled the roster, lost their second straight after a nine-game winning streak.

Van Gundy criticized his team for playing slow in a 92-89 overtime loss at New Orleans on Wednesday, then Orlando couldn’t slow the Thunder in the second half of a back-to-back for both teams.

“Last night, it was our offense was awful and tonight we couldn’t stop them at all,” Van Gundy said.

Jeff Green(notes) whirled and connected on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the left wing to provide the Thunder a little bit of cushion after Orlando had whittled a 12-point deficit down to 111-110 midway through the fourth quarter.

Redick went 3 for 3 from 3-point range during the Magic’s 14-5 run, and Howard’s hook shot inside got Orlando within one with 4:46 to play. After Westbrook missed a pair of free throws, Jameer Nelson(notes) missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key that would’ve put Orlando in front.

Instead, Durant hit a 3 at the other end and Green followed a few possessions later with his desperation 3 that made it 119-112 with 2:51 remaining.

“When you’re playing against a team like Orlando, they’re going to keep attacking and they have great shooters, so you’ve just got to make play after play,” Green said. “We did that tonight.”

Durant scored Oklahoma City’s final six points as Orlando got within two three times in the final minute. He hit all four of his free throws and a tricky leaner over Hedo Turkoglu(notes) from the left side with 8.1 seconds left after the Thunder had drained the shot clock.

Jason Richardson(notes) hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to provide the final margin and finished with 19 points. Orlando never led.

“Obviously, our defense was bad, but we’re just playing out of a hole every night,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t like that trend. Whether we have to make changes in that lineup or something, but those guys—we’re just always in a hole now and that’s not good.”

Nenad Krstic(notes) led a strong start by Oklahoma City and wound up with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Krstic had nine of his rebounds, matching his best total for a game this season, while powering Oklahoma City to an early 15-4 edge on the boards that translated into the scoring column, too. He set up Green’s 3-pointer, earned two free throws on a putback try and tipped in another shot during a 16-5 run that provided Oklahoma City with a 22-10 lead.

After missing 10 of its first 13 shots, Orlando got back into the game with strong 3-point shooting led by Ryan Anderson(notes) and Gilbert Arenas(notes). The bench duo combined to go 5 for 10 from 3-point range as the Magic cut the deficit down to two before trailing 64-60 at halftime.

Oklahoma City then teamed Westbrook and fellow point guard Eric Maynor(notes) together in the backcourt late in the third quarter and started expanding on a five-point lead. Thabo Sefolosha(notes) hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter, then hit a jumper to start the fourth that put the Thunder up 98-86.

Oklahoma City shot 56.4 percent, its second-best mark this season.

“The shots are falling for us now. We’re starting to connect on a lot of opportunities that we have,” Green said. “The thing I don’t like is the way we’re allowing the other team to score.”

NOTES: Howard led all Eastern Conference players in early All-Star voting returns released Thursday, with more than 1.5 million votes. Durant is second in the West, and first among forwards, with 1.27 million. … There’s a belief among some in the NBA that the Skirvin Hilton, where the Magic stayed, is haunted. “What haunts me are guys like Kevin Durant,” Van Gundy said. “So, I would say this building is haunted because of guys like him, as are most of the buildings in the NBA. I haven’t run into a haunted hotel, just haunted arenas.” … Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops sat courtside in Oklahoma City’s eighth straight sellout crowd, and its 18th in 21 games this season.

Durant scored 28 of his 40 points after halftime, Russell Westbrook(notes) added 22 points and 11 assists, and the Thunder avenged a loss at Memphis earlier this week by beating the Grizzlies 109-100 on Saturday night.

Durant eclipsed 40 points for the second time in two weeks, hitting a pair of free throws and then a jumper from the left elbow after Memphis had pulled within two in the final 2 minutes. That started a string of nine straight points for Oklahoma City to put away the game.

“I don’t know if I should classify this as an ugly game, but it was a physical game and every possession was very critical and important because both teams were giving everything they had,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

“At this time, you have to battle. You have to win these games.”

Zach Randolph(notes) had 27 points and 16 rebounds—including nine on the offensive end—and Rudy Gay(notes) scored 20 for the Grizzlies. Memphis beat Oklahoma City 110-105 on Tuesday night in Tennessee but held a lead for only 46 seconds during the third quarter in the rematch.

“Our guys played really hard and gave it all they had,” said coach Lionel Hollins, whose Grizzlies were denied their second four-game winning streak of the season. “We just did not have enough to get it done tonight.”

After trailing almost the entire night, Memphis got within two points on five separate occasions in the final 6 minutes. Yet the Grizzlies never got the chance to take a shot to forge a tie or take the lead, as Oklahoma City’s players took turns providing an answer each time.

Nick Collison(notes) dunked, Westbrook hit a jumper, Collison made two free throws, Durant dropped in a floater and then Durant hit two foul shots. Then finally, the Thunder were able to put it away with a series of defensive stops.

“It was kind of a grind-it-out game. We never really seemed to get a real run going but we were able to keep them down pretty much the whole game,” Collison said. “We just kind of kept them at arm’s length and then pulled away at the end.

“It was a kind of workmanlike effort. Sometimes it’s good to get those and we’ll definitely take a win.”

Randolph had 31 points and 16 rebounds in the first meeting, when the Grizzlies had an 11-rebound advantage and a 12-3 edge in offense rebounds.

This time, Oklahoma City outrebounded the Grizzlies 47-40 despite being outscored 60-38 in the paint.

“Zach Randolph is a monster down there and he played well tonight, but I think that we made it a little tougher on him,” Durant said. “We didn’t give him those easy baskets like he got last game and he had to work for everything.

“He’s an All-Star, so you know he’s going to make tough shots and he did tonight.”

The only other 40-point game this season by Durant, last year’s NBA scoring champion and the current scoring leader, came in a 44-point outing against Denver on Christmas night. He went 13 for 24 from the field and added 13 free throws, eight rebounds and four assists.

After Oklahoma City had let a 12-point lead slip away, Durant led the way as the Thunder restored their lead with a 14-4 run late in the third quarter. Durant dunked with two hands, hit a fadeaway jumper and then made a 3-pointer from the left wing before Westbrook’s two free throws made it 81-71.

Memphis stayed right in the thick of it with O.J. Mayo’s(notes) dunk and Sam Young’s(notes) reverse layup at the end of the third, and Darrell Arthur’s(notes) jumper to begin the fourth quarter cut the deficit to four.

But the Grizzlies couldn’t get over the hump again.

“There are games like this,” Arthur said. “We had a game last night and it just seemed like we were winded at times. That is no excuse. We are supposed to come out and play to win. We did not do that tonight.”

NOTES: Memphis rookie and Oklahoma City native Xavier Henry(notes) missed his seventh straight game with a sore right knee. … A new NBA commercial shows Durant sitting with high-school teammates, who included the Grizzlies’ Greivis Vasquez(notes). In it, a man tells Durant he’ll someday play for the Oklahoma City Thunder (who didn’t exist at the time). “It’s footage of me from high school, but that guy wasn’t there,” Durant said. “He wasn’t there that day. I had a dream about something like that. It wasn’t that exact thing, but I had a dream about something like that and it was cool that they brought that to life.” … Memphis was 1 for 15 on 3-pointers. Mayo made the Grizzlies’ last attempt with 24 seconds left in the game.

“We’ve got to take a long look at ourselves,” John Abraham(notes) said.

Drew Brees(notes) threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham(notes) with less than 3 1/2 minutes remaining, and the defending Super Bowl champs clinched their return to the postseason with a 17-14 victory over Atlanta on Monday night.

New Orleans (11-4) snapped the Falcons’ eight-game winning streak and stopped them from wrapping up the NFC South and home field all the way up to the Super Bowl.

If the teams meet again in the playoffs, a distinct possibility, the Saints know they are capable of winning even at the Georgia Dome—a huge psychological boost in late December.

“Here we are, having won seven of eight,” Brees said. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re playing on the road or at home. We’re battle-tested.”

OK, so all is not lost for Atlanta (12-3). Far from it. The Falcons merely need to beat Carolina (2-13) at home on the final week of the season to wrap up their first NFC South title since 2004 and the top seed in the conference.

But this one stung.

Atlanta had a chance on the national stage to silence all those skeptics who wondered if the team with the best record was truly the NFC’s best team.

Not on this night.

The Falcons had two crucial fumbles, breaking a streak of seven straight games without coughing the ball up. Matt Ryan’s(notes) two favorite receivers were effectively shut down. Roddy White(notes) scored the only touchdown for the offense but was held to three catches for 43 yards. Tony Gonzalez(notes) managed just two receptions for 12 yards.

“We forced them to do some things they didn’t want to do,” New Orleans safety Roman Harper(notes) said. “We made them play left-handed. We disrupted their timing.”

The Saints won even though Brees threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, the first of which was returned 26 yards for a touchdown by defensive end Chauncey Davis(notes), giving Atlanta its first lead of the night. Abraham also picked off a pass after New Orleans’ apparent go-ahead touchdown was ruined by a false-start penalty.

Through it all, the Saints persevered. Brees completed six straight passes on a 13-play, 90-yard drive that won it, capped by a quick slant to Graham.

“That’s part of it,” Brees said. “It’s the ebb and flow of the game. Sometimes you have a clean pocket. Sometimes they’re getting after you.

“In the end, we found a way to win.”

Brees completed 35 of 49 passes for 302 yards, easily winning the duel with Ryan (15 of 29 for 148 yards) on a night when both teams struggled to run the ball effectively.

“It starts with the confidence (Brees) has in himself and the confidence the players have in him,” coach Sean Payton said. “When he’s under center, we’re always in the game.”

New Orleans especially enjoyed getting the best of White, who stirred up hard feelings last week with a series of inflammatory tweets, including one that referred to Hurricane Katrina.

“We didn’t execute. We didn’t do anything we needed to do,” White said. “Our defense played well. They got those turnovers. They got us good field position, and we just didn’t get the job done.”

Even though Brees made two huge mistakes, the Falcons were lamenting all the times he got away with a dip here, a step there.

“We can’t keep getting close,” Abraham said. “It’s not enough, especially with a guy like (Brees). He’s not going to just go down. If you get close like that, he’s still looking at his receivers. He’s third-and-short, he’s third-and-long, we’ve got him right where we want him and he’s completing passes for first down.”

All around, the Falcons didn’t play their typically clean game.

An errant snap by Todd McClure(notes) out of the shotgun was recovered by New Orleans, setting up Pierre Thomas’(notes) 2-yard touchdown run that gave the Saints a 10-0 lead.

Ryan connected with White on a 7-yard touchdown pass that made it 10-7 at halftime, but Atlanta squandered another chance when Michael Turner(notes) fumbled the ball away on second-and-goal at the 1. It was his first fumble of the season.

“It wasn’t anything they did,” he said. “I just lost control, and that’s something I can’t do. I’ll make sure it won’t happen again.”

The Falcons lost for only the fourth time at home in Mike Smith’s(notes) three years as coach.

“We don’t want to feel this way the rest of the season,” Ryan said. “We’re going to work hard to make sure we don’t.”

Ray Allen(notes) knew otherwise, and so did the referees.

Amare Stoudemire’s(notes) 3-pointer came just after the final buzzer, giving the Boston Celtics a thrilling 118-116 victory Wednesday night and their 11th straight win.

“It was great basketball. It was a great Eastside barnyard knockdown, backyard scuffle, if you will,” Boston’s Kevin Garnett(notes) said. “Good basketball, though.”

Pierce made a tiebreaking jumper with 0.4 seconds left to win it. The Knicks’ eight-game winning streak is over, but a dormant rivalry might be back.

“We definitely earned our respect,” Stoudemire said. “I guarantee you right now Boston respects us. We’re no slouch. We’re ready to play every night. Boston knows it.”

Pierce’s late jumper proved to be enough for the Celetics after a video replay of Stoudemire’s shot showed the ball was clearly still in his hands as time expired.

“The Knicks are playing great basketball, can’t take anything away from them, and I actually thought Amare’s shot counted,” Pierce said. “I would have been stunned there for a minute, especially after all the theatrics, so I’m glad we got the win.”

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

Stoudemire tied a season high with 39 points, extending his franchise-record streak to nine straight 30-point games. But the Knicks were denied the victory they crave over a top team.

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

Allen scored 26 points and Garnett had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, enjoying their fifth winning streak of 10 games or more since their Big Three came together before the 2007-08 season.

Raymond Felton(notes) had 26 points and 14 assists, Danilo Gallinari(notes) scored 20 points and Wilson Chandler(notes) had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for just the second time in their last 15 games.

Most of those victories came during a soft part of the schedule, leaving the Knicks needing a victory over an established NBA power to prove doubters they were back, despite their 16-10 record.

The Celtics just wouldn’t let it happen.

Stoudemire’s dunk snapped a 94-all tie with 8:05 left, and the Knicks stayed ahead until Garnett made two free throws with 1:29 remaining. Felton was late getting back after landing hard on a missed drive and the Celtics swung the ball around to Allen, whose 3-pointer gave Boston a 116-113 lead with 1:02 to play.

Gallinari answered with a three-point play and the Knicks got the ball back after the Celtics threw it away trying to find Allen, but Stoudemire’s shot from the lane rolled out.

Pierce ran the clock down and created enough space to make his shot over Stoudemire, who had picked him up on a switch. After a timeout, the Knicks inbounded the ball to Stoudemire behind the arc, and the Madison Square Garden crowd that was standing for most of the final minutes roared when his shot went through.

But the referees had ruled it came too late, and with the Celtics standing behind them as they watched it again on video, they saw their judgment was correct.

“When I seen that shot, it was like he went to a natural shooting rhythm and just seemed like he took a little bit more time,” Allen said. “And that goes back to our possession when P hit the shot, taking as much time off the clock that we could, because imagine if they had .8 on the clock or .9 on the clock, that would have been a different story.”

The Knicks were seeking their first nine-game winning streak since winning 15 in a row from March 1-April 2, 1994. But the Celtics, showing their huge advantage in late-game experience, scored 67 points in the second half.

“Very disappointing,” Chandler said. “We had the game all the way until the last minutes of the game. We got to give our hats off to them because they’re a veteran team. They’ve done it in and out, won championships.”

With the Knicks off to their best start since the mid-1990s, this one had a big-game feel that’s been missing at Madison Square Garden—especially when Spike Lee danced out onto the floor at halftime and slapped five with fellow front-row fans after Felton banked in a running 3-pointer just in front of them to give the Knicks a 58-51 lead.

Stoudemire had to work hard to extend his streak in Sunday’s 129-125 victory over Denver, but this one came easily. He was more than halfway there by the time the first quarter was over, and surpassed 30 points in the final minute of the third.

With Shaquille O’Neal(notes) and Jermaine O’Neal(notes) both on the bench with injuries, the Celtics used Turkish rookie Semih Erden(notes) and then Glen “Big Baby” Davis on Stoudemire, and neither could contain him. Stoudemire was 7 of 10 for 17 points in the first quarter, Chandler scored 10, and the Knicks led 32-24.

Gallinari was 0 for 10 from the field in his first six quarters against Boston this season, then broke out with a huge third quarter. He scored 11 in the period, highlighted by a driving reverse dunk, and the Knicks led 90-83 after Felton made all three free throws when Pierce inexplicably fouled him with 0.1 seconds left.

Notes: Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo(notes) was helped off with an ankle injury in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. He later returned and finished the game, but Pierce didn’t think Rondo would be available Thursday against Atlanta. … Doc Rivers got his 300th victory as Celtics coach, improving to 300-216 in his six seasons with Boston. He’s fourth on their wins list and needs eight to tie K.C. Jones for third. … Stoudemire’s streak is the longest in one season since Kobe Bryant(notes) had nine 30-point games in a row at the end of the 2005-06 season. … Donald Trump did MSG Network’s Q & A segment at halftime and didn’t rule out a run for president in 2012 or competing on Dancing With The Stars.

A knockout punch? Pretty much. The basket came during a second-half spurt that turned a close game into another romp for the Miami Heat. They trailed early and waited until the end of the third quarter to make their move, winning by double figures for the ninth game in a row by beating New Orleans 96-84.

Dwyane Wade(notes) scored 32 points, topping 30 for the third consecutive game, and Chris Bosh(notes) added 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Heat blew the game open with an 18-2 spurt that put them up 94-77.

“This was for us one of the most gratifying wins, because it was a grind-out game,” Wade said. “We were able to stick to it until our time finally came.”

Wade had an especially efficient night: 8 for 13 from the field and 14 of 17 from the free-throw line. James had 20 points and seven assists for Miami, back home after a four-game road sweep.

“They do the same thing every night,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “Nobody can stop them.”

While the Heat roll, New Orleans continues to struggle. With a loss for the second day in a row, the Hornets fell to 3-9 since an 11-1 start. They haven’t scored 100 points since Nov. 19, a stretch of 13 games.

“We need to get a win so we could see how it feels,” said Chris Paul(notes), who managed only 11 points. David West(notes) had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who went 1 for 13 from 3-point range.

The teams split the season series. New Orleans beat the Heat 96-93 on Nov. 5.

“I think they have figured each other out,” West said. “They are jelling, playing well together, sharing the ball.”

Miami is the sixth team in NBA history to win nine straight games by at least 10 points or more. And James has had a hand in two of those runs— Cleveland was the last team to do it, between Nov. 22 and Dec. 9, 2008.

The 2007-08 Boston Celtics also won nine straight by double figures. The Heat have won nine in a row since Nov. 29, when they shook a slump during which they had lost four of five.

The Heat are having fun during their run. With the victory secure and five minutes left, James slashed into the lane and passed the ball from one hand to the other behind his back—a classic junior-high move that brought a roar. Then he shot and missed, and fans groaned.

James’ banked runner made the score 82-75, the Heat’s biggest lead to that point. The Hornets then wilted under Miami’s defensive pressure, committing five turnovers in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter as the Heat pulled away.

“We put a string of stops together,” Bosh said. “That’s what’s most important for us. Once we do that, we get into the open court and get more easy buckets.”

Miami’s most jaw-dropping play was a basket by James, who found himself pinned against the baseline with the shot clock about to expire, whirled and launched a jumper from behind the backboard that went swish.

“It’s just trick shots we do at practice, just messing around,” James said. “You still feel confident about it going in.”

Wade, miffed about taking a hard foul from Jarrett Jack(notes), scored 20 points in the second quarter, a Heat record for the period.

“He plays good angry. When he gets that edge to him, he’s really good,” Bosh said. “It’s nice to watch it when you have the same jersey. I’ve been on the other side plenty of times, and it’s not cool. It’s cool now.”

Only three teams—the 2007-08 Houston Rockets, 2003-04 New Jersey Nets and 1946-47 Washington Capitols—have won 10 straight by at least 10 points, and the Heat will try to match the NBA record Wednesday.

Their opponent for that one? Cleveland, a team Miami beat by 28 points earlier this month in James’ much-awaited return to the city he scorned by signing with the Heat this past summer. James scored 38 points in Miami’s blowout win at the arena he called home for his first seven NBA seasons.

Notes: The Heat improved to 15-2 when leading after the first quarter. … The winning streak matches their longest under coach Erik Spoelstra. … Wade is shooting 61 percent this month. Before the game, he was named Eastern Conference player of week. … The Heat surpassed last year’s December win total. They went 7-7 that month and are 8-0 this month. … The Hornets had won eight of the past 10 meetings with Miami. … The Heat had been 0-3 against the Southwest Division.

BALTIMORE – They looked doomed. It was over. And as Sunday night drew late, desperation filled the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive huddle.

“Somebody make a play!” the players shouted.

Then Troy Polamalu(notes) did.

This is the great thing about the NFL. In a game that is supposed to be about team and sacrifice, there are a precious few players who can make magic happen when there’s nothing else to grasp. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco(notes) never saw Polamalu flying around his offensive line as he stepped back to throw a second-down pass with just 3:22 left in a game the Ravens seemed sure to win. Then everything happened too fast: Polamalu’s hands crashed down on Flacco’s arm, the ball bounded away and Pittsburgh’s LaMarr Woodley(notes) ran the other way, toward Baltimore’s goal line cradling victory in his arms.

The Steelers laughed. Polamalu again. Same old Troy

“Does it surprise you?” asked Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel(notes), his eyes wide, an untamed beard spilling down his chin. “Well, no it doesn’t surprise us either.”

So here we are in December and once again it’s Pittsburgh pulling ahead in the AFC North, wrestling a victory it never should have had from a team that might be better. But somehow names on a roster never matter as long as there’s that one rare player who always happens to be at the right place at the most dire instance to change everything.

Looking back, when Pittsburgh’s 13-10 victory over Baltimore is dissected, it will all seem so simple. The Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau called for an all-out blitz, a cover zero, the players said had been installed just a few days before. It was a blitz that looked devastating in practice but just because something new looks good when the players are wearing shorts and no shoulder pads doesn’t mean it will work in the middle of a game, especially one like Sunday’s.

Not only did it work, the Ravens were so befuddled trying to figure out who to block they somehow ignored Polamalu, which – of course – turned out to be a big mistake.

“No shock to us it was No. 43,” Keisel said.

This is something coach Mike Tomlin talks about with his team. He tells them in their meetings, at practice, that the best players “have to make plays.”

Sunday, in addition to Polamalu, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger(notes) carried them as well. For it was also Roethlisberger who quickly lined up the Steelers on a fourth-and-1 in the third quarter and drew the Ravens into a neutral zone infraction and a first down, keeping alive a march that led to a field goal. And it too was Roethlisberger who, about to be sacked by Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs(notes), managed to fling the ball out of bounds, two plays before he fired the game-winning touchdown pass.

If anyone still doesn’t understand why the Steelers stuck with Roethlisberger after last spring’s barroom debacle in Georgia and the ugly Georgia Bureau of Investigation report, it was because of plays like this, of the wins he can deliver when his foot is aching and his nose has been broken. Likewise, it should be clear now that Polamalu’s knee injuries last season had more than anything to do with why the Steelers stumbled just months after winning the Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh can not afford to lose either player.

Which is why as Sunday turned into Monday and the Steelers’ locker room cleared completely of players until only one locker stall still had clothes lingering on a rack beneath a wooden etching of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, the team waited for Troy Polamalu. He had been in the training room, letting the doctors tend to his aching body, only to emerge nearly an hour after the game in a pair of sweatpants, hobbling like a man 50 years older, heading for the shower.

Tomlin, dressed in a suit, ready for the plane, walked into the locker room and noticed a group of reporters standing near Polamalu’s locker and began to laugh.

“Y’all waiting for Troy washing his hair?” Tomlin asked.

Then he turned back, toward the showers and yelled into the steam:

“Troy, you in there washing your hair? I won’t leave you baby. Take your time.”

The coach, presented with a victory he couldn’t have expected, was giddy. Earlier, back when the win was still fresh, he stood outside the locker room clapping his hands, congratulating his players when two Baltimore police officers appeared holding an obviously drunk Steelers fan in a Woodley jersey. The police could not lead the man away until the Steelers had cleared the corridor, which was a bonanza to the man who screamed and smiled even as the officers clutched his handcuffed wrists.

Tomlin grinned, walked over to the man and said: “Be cool buddy. I don’t want to see you locked up.”

Not that it mattered, Polamalu and the rest of the joyous Steelers soon came walking down the corridor. The fan was thrilled.

Later, long after he showered, Polamalu would say none of what happened on the field was anything special, that his play was more fortunate than anything and the result of a great call from LeBeau – ignoring, of course, the fact the players had been shouting frantically: “Somebody make a play!”

He shrugged and dressed slowly.

He said he was sure the Ravens were going to run the ball on the play in which he saved the night and first place for Pittsburgh.

“Coach LeBeau was a step ahead,” said Polamalu who is always three steps ahead of everybody else.

Johnson did not speak with Goodell, but left a message. Johnson said that Goodell called back and left a voicemail while the Texans were preparing to practice on Monday night.

“I just think that was something that I needed to do, just to communicate with him and let him know my side,” Johnson said. “I’ll give him a call back and whenever we get a chance, we’ll talk.”

Neither player was suspended after they slugged it out in the fourth quarter of Houston’s 20-0 victory.

Finnegan set off the brawl by jabbing at Johnson’s neck and face mask at the line of scrimmage. Johnson ripped off Finnegan’s helmet and landed at least two punches to Finnegan’s head and neck. The two spun each other, and Finnegan tore off Johnson’s helmet before players and referees intervened.

Houston (5-6) plays at Philadelphia (7-4) on Thursday night, and Johnson said he was relieved to learn that he’d be allowed to play.

“That’s something I have been thinking about ever since the incident happened,” Johnson said. “I’m happy that I’m not suspended. At the same time, I’m not happy about my actions.”

When asked if he would appeal the fine, Johnson said “probably not.”

“Just looking at it, I mean, what can I say?” Johnson said. “There’s not really anything I can say, or tell them.”

Finnegan did not speak to reporters after Sunday’s game, but talked about it Monday on his weekly radio show. Finnegan said Johnson “snapped,” and added that if he had punched Johnson, the NFL likely would have suspended him.

“This is the NFL, not the NHL, and it’s a higher standard,” Finnegan said. “That’s the NHL. They fight. They get penalized for that. The NFL, it’s not even heard of … you do that, you’re suspended. Hands down. That’s what I’ve been taught.

“I guess he got his money’s worth.”

This was the second time they scuffled during a game. Last season, Johnson was fined $7,500 for taking Finnegan to the ground by the face mask.

Finnegan plans to appeal the fine for Sunday’s brawl. He told TitanInsider late Monday that Johnson went into “sheer rage” and that he still doesn’t quite understand why the receiver reacted by throwing three punches at him.

“That’s the crazy part, because I felt like the game was going pretty good, other than the fact that he probably had that built up over last year’s time,” Finnegan said.

Finnegan also told the Web site he didn’t think he deserved a suspension or a fine.

“I didn’t throw a punch. It’s not a fineable offense,” he said. “There’s nothing I did that I felt like was a fineable offense. Maybe a flag for quick-jamming him and hitting him in the face mask. But there’s no way that I thought that that would ever be a suspension.”

Johnson wouldn’t say if he was surprised that Finnegan wasn’t suspended. The Titans (5-6) play Jacksonville (6-5) on Sunday.

“He can say what he wants to say,” Johnson said. “I’m not going to keep talking about him. He’s just looking for attention, so I’m not worried about that.”

Finnegan was fined for personal fouls in three consecutive games earlier this season and was warned by the league after the third incident to watch his behavior after the whistle.

Johnson, meanwhile, has built a clean-cut, soft-spoken image in eight seasons. He doesn’t think the ugly incident will change that.

“I think anybody who really knows me, I don’t think I’ve damaged my reputation,” he said. “I can say that you can only take so much from a person before you explode.”

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said he never expected Johnson to be suspended.

“I didn’t think that would happen,” he said. “I think the league does a great job of evaluating every situation. Andre’s reputation as a player and a person speaks for itself.”

Johnson has been inundated with calls and text messages since the fight, and said he was “tired of talking about it.” He attended Sunday night’s Houston Rockets game with fullback Vonta Leach(notes) and got a standing ovation when he was introduced during a timeout.

“I couldn’t do anything but laugh,” Johnson said. “At the same time, it just shows the fans were still behind me, and still showing support, so I really appreciated it.”

Titans coach Jeff Fisher, co-chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, spoke with league officials earlier Monday. Fisher said in his opinion Finnegan didn’t throw a punch, but did get Johnson’s face mask.

“I have very strong opinions about the fact I think he should not be suspended,” Fisher said of Finnegan. “As far as what the league decides to do, that’s a league decision.

“It’s an unfortunate thing that happens. You’ve got two very talented, good football players competing, and it’s just very unfortunate. It’s not good for our game and I’m just disappointed that type of thing happens on the playing field.”

AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker contributed from Nashville, Tenn.

Not anymore.

“That’s no longer an excuse for us,” said Utah center Al Jefferson(notes), who held his own (20 points, eight rebounds) against big men Pau Gasol(notes) and Lamar Odom(notes) as the Jazz rallied from a 19-point deficit Friday night to upset the two-time defending champions 102-96.

“We went against all odds. It was just amazing, man. I’m overwhelmed. I’ve never experienced something like this before and to be a part of it meant a lot to me.”

The Jazz made the league take notice earlier this month when they rallied from double-digit deficits in five straight games, including road wins against Miami and Orlando.

This win, on the heels of an 18-point victory over New Orleans on Wednesday, gave the Jazz (12-5) even more confidence.

“It proved that we can play with the best of them,” Jefferson said.

They certainly showed they can rebound with the best.

Entering Friday’s game, the Jazz ranked 25th in the league in rebounding. After the first quarter, the Lakers (13-3) held a 13-5 advantage on the boards as they jumped to a 33-17 lead.

When it was over, the Jazz had a 42-38 rebounding edge and their fourth straight victory—against a team that had swept them out of the playoffs last season in the Western Conference semifinals.

Deron Williams(notes) led the Jazz with 29 points, with a key 3-pointer and steal in the final 76 seconds, and Andrei Kirilenko(notes) grabbed two big rebounds down the stretch as Utah held on for the win before a sellout crowd at Energy Solutions Arena.

“I haven’t beat the Lakers in probably six years (actually since his rookie season in March 2005),” said Jefferson, acquired in an offseason trade with lowly Minnesota. “It felt like a playoff game … We fought back. We didn’t give up.”

While much of the pregame talk was about the big men and how the Lakers still held an advantage in height and length, the shortest players on the court came up huge for Utah.

Ronnie Price(notes) and Earl Watson(notes), at 6-foot-2 and 6-1, respectively, ignited an 11-0 run to pull the Jazz to 39-32 after Los Angeles had taken a 19-point lead.

Price started the run with a running one-handed slam on a pass from Watson— a dunk Jefferson rated as “10.”

Watson and Price then hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Paul Millsap(notes) followed with a three-point play off a nice pass underneath from Watson. Watson, who had a season-high eight points, would take it the length of the court to pull Utah to 39-32 with 6:08 remaining.

“We just feed off each other,” Price said.

And the starters feed off the energy generated by Utah’s second unit.

“The second unit once again was big for us,” Jefferson said. “They brought the energy back. Then our captain, our leader (Williams), that boy is something special. That’s all I can say about him. He brought us home.”

Utah players said no one panicked when the Jazz fell down 19.

And no one panicked after Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 14 straight points for Los Angeles to put the Lakers up 96-91 with 2:12 left.

“Our coach did a great job of making an adjustment, doubling Kobe, getting the ball out of his hands,” Williams said. “Once we did that, the rest of the team got stagnant because they were kind of counting on him to carry them home.”

Bryant, who was 5 of 15 at one point, finished with 31 points. Gasol added 21 points and 11 rebounds.

“They are a great team,” said Bryant, who before the game called Williams the best point guard in the league. “They got a lot of talent. They play that way all the time. You can take the softest player in the league and put him on the Jazz and he’ll turn into a tough guy.”

Where does that toughness start?

Williams pointed to his heart.

“It’s just attitude that we have,” said Williams, who had his ninth double-double of the season. “The second group does a good job of coming in and getting after people and it rubs off on everybody.”

If only the Jazz can survive the first few quarters, he said they’re as good as anybody.

NOTES: Lakers coach Phil Jackson offered an apology of sorts Friday to Stan Van Gundy over comments made recently in which he stated Pat Riley could replace Erik Spoelstra as the Heat’s coach if the team’s performance did not improve. He called it the “Van Gundy situation.” “Stan felt he had to stay something. Unfortunately he got defensive. I didn’t mean to do that. I should apologize (because) I do not know the situation.”…The Lakers used Thanksgiving’s off day for a 20-minute “turkey trot” scrimmage, minus Bryant and Gasol, with the team’s physical therapists officiating. “It was like a rugby game out there for a while,” Jackson said, noting the “big” team won for only the second time. …The Lakers shot 68.4 percent in the first quarter and have now outscored the Jazz 188-134 in the first quarters of the past six games. …The Lakers shot only 26.7 percent from the 3-point line, their worst of the season.

Brady threw a season-high four touchdown passes, all in the second half, and the New England Patriots routed the Detroit Lions 45-24 on Thursday after trailing by 11 late in the second quarter.

“We showed some resiliency, coming out in the second half and playing the way we did when the crowd was into it,” Brady said.

Following Brady’s brief news conference, the former Michigan star jogged out of Ford Field—limping slightly up a steep ramp—hugged Robert Kraft and got into an idling limo with the team owner behind a police escort.

New England (9-2) remained tied with the the AFC East rival New York Jets— who beat Cincinnati 26-10 on Thursday night—for the NFL’s best record, setting up a showdown at home Dec. 6.

“I don’t think we’re at where we need to be at,” Brady said. “But this is a tough group.”

No one in the red, white and blue is tougher than Brady.

After taking a ton of shots early in the game, the three-time Super Bowl winner and two-time MVP bounced back to complete 21 of 27 passes for 341 yards with no interceptions, giving him a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 for the second time in his career.

“He’s like a surgeon,” Detroit center Dominic Raiola(notes) said.

Brady threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Deion Branch(notes) early in the fourth quarter after connecting with him on a 79-yarder to tie it at 24. Wes Welker’s(notes) second TD reception sealed the victory with 6:42 left, putting the Patriots ahead by two TDs and making their double-digit deficit a distant memory.

“When you outscore a team 35-7 in the second half, a lot of things have to go right,” New England coach Bill Belichick said.

The Lions (2-9) are used to things going wrong, especially on Thanksgiving.

Detroit has lost a franchise-record seven straight games—by an average of nearly 23 points—in its annual showcase.

“This one is really tough because we gave everybody so much hope,” Raiola said. “We were up 14-3, Ford Field was going crazy and then boom, boom, boom.”

Brady became the first to have a perfect passer rating this season with a minimum of five attempts, according to STATS LLC. His first perfect game was Oct. 21, 2007, when he threw a career-high six TD passes in a victory over Miami.

“If we give him time, there’s nothing he can’t do,” guard Logan Mankins(notes) said. “He’s going to find the guy that’s open, and he’s going to get them the ball. The rest is up to us.”

Brady had plenty of help with Welker and Branch through the air and BenJarvus Green-Ellis(notes) on the ground.

Green-Ellis ran for two TDs, matching a career high. His second one capped the scoring with 3:14 left and led to several pushing and shoving matches with the frustrated Lions.

Shaun Hill(notes) was 27 of 46 for 285 yards with one TD—to Calvin Johnson(notes) at the end of the first quarter that put the Lions up 7-3—and two interceptions to rookie cornerback Devin McCourty(notes).

Maurice Morris(notes) ran for two TDs, matching his total in two seasons in Detroit. Morris’ first score put Detroit ahead 14-3 with 5:58 left in the first half.

Green-Ellis’ 15-yard TD pulled the Patriots within four with 45 seconds left in the second quarter, then they allowed Detroit to drive for a lead-padding field goal to end the first half.

The Lions looked as if they finally might put together a good showing on Thanksgiving, forcing New England to punt on its first drive of the second half.

But Detroit began to fall apart when Hill underthrew Johnson on the ensuing possession and McCourty picked off the pass and returned it 23 yards to set up Brady’s tying pass to Welker.

“That was a big play by Devin that really swung the game,” Belichick said.

Detroit recovered, going ahead midway through the third quarter, but the lead didn’t last long.

Brady found Branch, who was wide open, and he ran circles around Alphonso Smith(notes) on the 79-yard scoring play 22 seconds later.

Branch beat Smith on his next TD with 13:45 left in the game, sending the cornerback to the bench in a move that was made much too late to help the Lions.

“I just want to apologize to my teammates because they played so hard,” Smith said. “I feel as if I was the catalyst for this loss. I also want to apologize to this organization and the fans.”

NOTES: Patriots RB Danny Woodhead(notes) has reportedly signed a contract extension, but he refused to confirm it. “I’m very happy to be here,” Woodhead said three times when asked about the deal. … Lions DT Ndamukong Suh(notes) had a sack, giving him eight to break the team rookie record set by Tracy Scroggins in 1992. … Belichick has 172 victories, moving past Joe Gibbs(notes) for 11th place on the NFL list. Belichick also joined Tom Landry as the only ones with at least 10 straight winning seasons with the same team since the 1970 merger. … The Lions were the last team in the league to give up a TD pass to Brady, who made his NFL debut against them in 2000 and won a start against them in 2006. … Brady has a career record of 120-36, including the playoffs, as a starter since 2001. The Lions are 35-120 since that season.

That meant trouble for a Seattle team that was already struggling to stop teams from piling up yards in the air.

Brees became the Saints’ all-time completions leader while throwing for four touchdowns in New Orleans’ 34-19 win over the Seahawks on Sunday.

“Their offense and Drew Brees did what they were famous for—threw the heck out of the football,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “They played a great game on offense. We couldn’t slow them down when we needed to.”

Brees was 29 of 42 for 382 yards and completed his 1,850th pass as a Saint in the second quarter to break a record held by Archie Manning since 1982.

Brees hit Marques Colston(notes) and Robert Meachem(notes) twice each for TDs to keep the defending champion Saints (7-3) one game behind NFC South leader Atlanta.

“Today we played at times as well as we’ve played all season,” Brees said. “That’s gets you excited because you feel like, man, we’re knocking at the door. Just imagine if we can continue to kind of get all the weapons back.”

Brees shredded the Seahawks (5-5) without the benefit of having Reggie Bush(notes), Pierre Thomas(notes) and tight end Jeremy Shockey(notes) in the lineup. Yet he still managed to complete passes to 10 different receivers, including rookie tight end Jimmy Graham(notes), who made five catches for 72 yards.

Certainly, New Orleans seems to be regaining its Super Bowl form, having won three straight and four of five, with all victories in that stretch coming by double digits.

“We are on the cusp,” Brees said. “We had some weapons last year, but I think we have some guys emerging now that we really have a lot of places that we can spread this ball around.”

Seattle came in ranked 28th in the NFL in pass defense, allowing 272.2 yards per game through the air. It didn’t help when the Seahawks’ best defensive back, Marcus Trufant(notes), took a shot on the helmet from running back Chris Ivory’s knee and left the game with a concussion. He was replaced by rookie Walter Thurmond(notes).

Brees’ accuracy helped the Saints go 11 of 15 on third downs. He eclipsed 300 yards by the third quarter, marking the 35th time as a Saint, which extended his own franchise mark.

Now in his fifth season in New Orleans, Brees owns numerous franchise passing records, including TDs with 144, but still has another significant one that he’ll probably surpass this season. Manning’s 21,734 yards passing remains a club record, but Brees is less than 500 yards behind at 21,267.

“It means we throw the ball a lot more than they did” when Manning played, Brees said, laughing. “Obviously, it’s a huge honor to be in that category with guys like Archie.”

Matt Hasselbeck(notes) was 32 of 44 for 366 yards, the most allowed by New Orleans’ top-ranked passing defense this season, but Seattle had trouble getting in the end zone. The Seahawks lost two fumbles and had four drives end with field goals by Olindo Mare(notes).

“It’s really tough when you are playing against a great player like Drew Brees,” Hasselbeck said. “Obviously he was real hot today and when a guy like that is making plays and throwing touchdowns like he did and keeping drives alive, well, it’s really hard to win.”

The Saints entered the game allowing about 166 yards passing per game. Hasselbeck’s scrambling ran Saints pass rushers ragged, and the Seattle quarterback had little trouble throwing downfield.

He connected with Mike Williams six times for 109 yards, including a 68-yarder to the Saints 10, which set up the game’s first points on a field goal. Hasselbeck hit Ben Obomanu(notes) five times for 87 yards, including one 42-yard gain and a short TD.

But settling for field goals and Marshawn Lynch’s(notes) two fumbles while trying to fight for extra yards made it tough for Seattle to keep pace.

Roman Harper(notes) stripped Lynch and recovered his first turnover, while Scott Shanle(notes) got the strip and recovery on the second.

The Saints played their eighth straight game without Bush, who has been out since breaking a bone in his lower right leg in Week 2 at San Francisco. He worked out on the field before the game, but the Saints decided to make him a late scratch, meaning he wouldn’t get to play against his old college coach.

Saints coach Sean Payton said he could come back against Dallas on Thanksgiving. The Saints did fine on the ground anyway, with Ivory rushing for 99 yards and scoring New Orleans’ first TD on a dive over the pile.

Colston finished with eight catches for 113 yards. Meachem had three receptions for 50 yards, the longest going for a 32-yard score in the third quarter for Brees’ last TD passing.

Notes: Carroll said Williams had a left foot injury that prevented him from playing late in the game, but he was not sure how serious it was. … Brees has at least one TD in 24 straight games, including last season’s playoffs. He has 55 TDs during that span. … All five of Seattle’s losses have been by double digits, with the others coming by 17, 17, 30 and 34 points, but the Seahawks still lead the NFC West.

Riding a four-game losing streak, they were facing angry fans and the league’s top-ranked rushing team while also dealing with star linebacker D.J. Williams’(notes) drunken driving arrest that had him stewing on the sideline to start the game Sunday.

“We didn’t flinch at all,” Mario Haggan(notes) said. “We love D.J. Everybody makes mistakes. I make them. I don’t know a person who doesn’t

“It didn’t affect us at all. Did it look like it?”

Not in the least.

Haggan, Knowshon Moreno(notes) and Kyle Orton(notes) all had career days as the Broncos steamrolled the Kansas City Chiefs 49-29. The only time the Broncos scored more was in 1963, when they put up 50 on the San Diego Chargers, and they could have topped that but eschewed a makable field goal late in the game.

That didn’t prevent Chiefs coach Todd Haley from refusing to shake Broncos boss Josh McDaniels’ hand afterward.

McDaniels seemed perplexed when Haley wagged his finger in his face and appeared to scold him before quickly turning away.

In his postgame interview, Haley didn’t directly answer a question about the exchange. He talked about how his players continued to play hard when the game got out of reach and “sometimes you see indicators” of where the opponent “thinks the game is.”

Orton threw a career-high four touchdown passes and was hardly touched behind a refurbished line that opened up the holes for the Broncos to do their best imitation of the Chiefs’ NFL-leading ground game in a rout of the AFC West leaders.

“We didn’t hurt ourselves, first and foremost,” Orton said. “We’ve just been plagued by penalties and turnovers and bad football.”

Not on this day.

Moreno topped 100 yards for the first time in his 1 1/2 seasons in the NFL, gaining 106 yards on 22 carries and catching three passes for 50 yards and a TD as the Broncos (3-6) kept alive their thin hopes of getting back into the playoff race by handing the Chiefs (5-4) their second straight loss.

The Broncos stuffed the Chiefs’ vaunted ground game by jumping out to a 35-0 lead behind a trio of touchdown passes from Orton, a 1-yard run by Tim Tebow(notes) and a 75-yard fumble return for a TD by linebacker Jason Hunter(notes).

Tebow also threw his first NFL pass, a 3-yard TD toss to fullback Spencer Larsen(notes).

“I think we caught them off-guard,” Tebow said.

Ahead 35-10 at halftime, the Broncos kept the Chiefs from turning to their two-headed monster of a ground game as Jamaal Charles(notes) was held to 41 yards and Thomas Jones(notes) managed just 3. The Chiefs entered averaging 180 yards rushing, 113 more than Denver, which ranked last in the league.

On this day, the Broncos rushed for 153 yards and the Chiefs 51.

“We had to answer back and we didn’t answer back,” Charles said.

The Broncos benefited from their bye week to get several starters back from injuries, including right tackle Ryan Harris(notes) (ankle), whose return allowed rookie Zane Beadles(notes) to go back to left guard, finally giving Denver the offensive line it envisioned in training camp.

“Ryan brings a physical attitude, just a real nasty demeanor,” Orton said. “I know I feed off it. I think the backs fed off it and I think the whole offensive line likes it.”

The Broncos controlled the clock and the game thanks to a fast start that stunned both the Chiefs and the crowd that was dotted by thousands of empty seats in the first game at Invesco Field since Oakland’s 45-point shellacking of Denver three weeks ago.

Orton, who spent the bye week nursing a sore shoulder courtesy of San Francisco linebacker Manny Lawson(notes), took advantage of Denver’s big lead to stay upright for a change and also capitalized on the absence of safeties Kendrick Lewis(notes) and Jon McGraw(notes) to pick apart the Chiefs for 296 yards.

“Clean pants the whole game for me. I didn’t get hit, I didn’t get tackled,” Orton said, smiling. “The running backs had holes. It was great.”

Shut out in the first quarter of every game since Sept. 19, the Broncos exploded for three first-quarter touchdowns and never looked back.

Haggan, who had four career sacks in his eight NFL seasons, collected three sacks in the first half. He stripped the ball from Matt Cassel(notes) on his third one, and Hunter scooped it up for the long TD.

“I wasn’t going to let anyone catch me,” Hunter said after rumbling for more yards on that one play than the Chiefs managed all afternoon.

Trailing big, the Chiefs had no choice but to air it out and Cassel threw for a career-high 469 yards on 33-of-53 passing. He hit Dwayne Bowe(notes) for two touchdowns. Reaching the end zone for a team record-tying fifth straight game, Bowe finished with a career-high 13 catches for 186 yards.

“We’re 5-4 now,” Chiefs center Casey Wiegmann(notes) said. “We blew a game in Houston. We blew a game in Oakland. We could be way out in front, but it’s not what it is. We’re tied for the AFC West (with the Raiders) and we have work to do.”

Williams wasn’t in a celebrating mood like his teammates were after getting fined, stripped of his captaincy and replaced by Wesley Woodyard(notes) to start the game following his DUI arrest that could also land him in the commissioner’s doghouse.

Williams, who made a tackle on his first play but finished with just two stops, turned to a cadre of reporters who had waited for him to get dressed and scowled, “I’m not talking!”

Later, Williams tweeted: “I just wanna say thank u to all the broncos fans that have had my back during this time, even though the true facts aren’t out I should of never put myself in that situation..thank u again”

Notes: The Chiefs’ record for most points allowed is 54, vs. Buffalo in ’08. … Broncos S Renaldo Hill(notes) injured his neck.

In a spectacular performance before a delighted crowd of 41,734 at Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao cemented his claim to being the best boxer in the world by dominating the bigger but slower Margarito almost from the opening bell.

Pacquiao won round after round, opening a cut on Margarito’s cheek and closing his right eye.

The punches came quickly, and they came often. Margarito was plenty game as he tried to stalk Pacquiao around the ring, but every time he got close Pacquiao would land a four- or five-punch combination that snapped his head back and stopped him in his tracks

The beating was so thorough that the congressman from the Philippines turned to referee Laurence Cole several times in the 11th round, imploring him to stop the fight. It went on, though, even though Margarito had no chance to win.

“I can’t believe that I beat someone this big and this strong,” Pacquiao said. “It’s hard. I really do my best to win the fight.”

Pacquiao moved up in weight yet again to take on Margarito, a natural welterweight with a reputation for ruggedness in the ring. And rugged he was, though he took a beating all night long at the hands of a faster and seemingly more powerful opponent.

“There was no way I was gong to quit. I’m a Mexican, we fight until the end,” Margarito said.

Pacquiao won every round on one scorecard, 120-108, and was ahead 119-109 and 118-110 on the other two. The Associated Press had it a 120-108 shutout.

“We didn’t lose a round,” said Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach. “I wish they would have stopped the fight.”

That almost happened, but Cole allowed it to go on even as Margarito kept taking such a beating that he went directly to a hospital afterward for treatment of his cuts. There wasn’t any way Margarito was going to win the fight, but he could still see out of one eye and wanted to continue.

“I told the referee, `Look at his eyes, look at his cuts,”’ Pacquiao said. “I did not want to damage him permanently. That’s not what boxing is about.”

Ringside punch stats reflected Pacquiao’s dominance, showing him landing 474 punches to 229 for Margarito. But it wasn’t just the sheer volume of punches, but the power in which they came at almost every angle.

Roach predicted before the fight that Pacquiao would carve Margarito apart because he was simply much too quick for his opponent. He did just that, starting from the first round when he landed an early flurry up the middle that seemed to set the tone for the fight.

It wasn’t entirely easy, though. Pacquiao said Margarito hurt him in the middle rounds with shots to the head and the body, though he was unable to land more than one of two punches at a time. When he did manage to land, more often than not Pacquiao was there to fire right back with volleys of his own that found their mark almost every time.

“Manny is the best fighter in the world,” said Margarito’s trainer, Robert Garcia. “He is just too fast—very, very quick.”

While there was no controversy in the ring, there was a dispute in the dressing room before the fight when a member of Pacquiao’s camp saw a weight-loss supplement in Margarito’s gear and demanded his blood be tested immediately for possible banned substances. Texas boxing officials ruled that would not be necessary, and the fight went on.

Roach also made sure he was in the dressing room to watch the hands of Margarito, who is still banned in California for a hand wrapping scandal, get wrapped. But it was Margarito’s corner who demanded Roach also rewrap his fighter’s hands in a display of gamemanship.

Once the fight started it didn’t matter. Pacquiao landed some big left hands early, cutting Margarito beneath the right eye and causing it to swell. By the middle of the fight he couldn’t see out of that eye and his left eye began closing, too.

The fight was for the WBC 154-pound title even though the contract weight was 150 pounds. Margarito weighed 150 at Friday’s weigh-in, but was 165 on the unofficial HBO scale before the fight while Pacquiao, who had been 144.6, was 148 pounds.

Pacquiao also gave away 4 1/2 inches in height and was at a six-inch reach disadvantage, but that didn’t matter either.

Pacquiao earned a guaranteed $15 million, though he is likely to make millions more on his cut of the television revenues. He planned to give a concert at Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and then return to his political duties in the Philippines.

“I have another job after this,” Pacquiao said. “I’m going back to the Philippines to do my other job and be a public servant.”

After so many years of first-round busts, Matthew Stafford(notes), Calvin Johnson(notes) and latest top pick Ndamukong Suh(notes) have the Lions believing they are on the road to respectability.

Stafford threw four touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 10-yarder to Johnson with 3:12 left, and Suh helped the Lions score nine more points in a 14-second span for a 37-25 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

“You expect to hit on those players,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “We have some guys that are big-time players.”

The Redskins big-name player Donovan McNabb(notes), meanwhile, was benched for the final two possessions. Coach Mike Shanahan said Rex Grossman(notes) was more comfortable with the team’s 2-minute offense.

“I thought that was the best scenario for us to win,” Shanahan insisted.

The move backfired.

Grossman fumbled on his first play, Suh scooped up the football and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. The No. 2 pick in this year’s draft also had two sacks in a three-play span.

“He’s one of the best in the game,” teammate Kyle Vanden Bosch(notes) said.

Stafford and Johnson are pretty good, too.

The Lions have invested as much as $142 million in Stafford—the No. 1 overall pick last year—and Johnson—the No. 2 pick two years ago—to lead the franchise’s turnaround.

“There’s a lot of bank involved in that connection,” Schwartz said.

It paid off against the Redskins, helping Detroit (2-5) match the number of wins it had the previous two years.

Stafford, playing for the first time since Week 1 when his right shoulder was separated, was 26 of 45 for 212 yards with an interception to go with his four TDs.

Johnson had nine catches for 101 yards and a career-high three scores.

“He’s incredible,” Stafford said.

McNabb, a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback, meanwhile, has his lowest rating since 1999 when Philadelphia drafted him No. 2 overall and he started six games.

The Redskins (4-4) made a bold move in April, giving up draft picks to acquire him from the Eagles, and the results have been mixed at best.

Washington had 25-20 lead with 4:40 left when Alphonso Smith(notes) stepped in front of McNabb’s pass at the Redskins 41 to set up the go-ahead TD.

McNabb, who was 17 of 30 for 210 yards with a TD and an interception, refused to criticize Shanahan’s decision.

“You have to be a professional,” he said. “There’s a long season ahead of us.”

McNabb watched the end of the game from the sideline with a baseball cap, getting benched for just the second time in his career. The other time was two years ago against Baltimore, when he was playing for Philadelphia.

“You just have to learn from it and move on,” McNabb said. “I did it then, and I’ll do it now.”

Shanahan said McNabb is still the team’s starting quarterback. If that is still true in two weeks after a bye, McNabb will get another chance against his former team when the Redskins host the Eagles in a Monday night game.

McNabb started the game without running back Clinton Portis(notes), then lost Ryan Torain(notes) in the first half with a hamstring injury.

Rookie Keiland Williams(notes) scored a go-ahead TD early in the fourth quarter and Brandon Banks(notes) returned a kickoff 96 yards to put the Redskins ahead again midway through the quarter, but not even the NFL’s hottest cornerback could stop Stafford and Johnson.

DeAngelo Hall(notes) did get the best of the matchup early in the game—leaping in front of Johnson for an interception in the end zone—but Johnson ended up being very productive.

Hall, who tied the NFL record with four interceptions last week, is the first player since the Chiefs’ Albert Lewis in 1985 to record at least five interceptions over a two-game span.

The Lions had a balanced offense with Kevin Smith(notes) and Jahvid Best(notes) combining for 99 yards rushing and Suh-led defense that made McNabb uncomfortable from a stumbling start to a benching finish.

After a sluggish and scoreless first quarter, long returns set up the first touchdown for both teams.

Detroit’s Stefan Logan(notes) brought a punt back 71 yards and Johnson caught a pass and dragged Hall about 5 yards for a TD.

Banks returned the ensuing kick to the Lions 46 and McNabb took advantage with a 36-yard run and a 6-yard pass to Torain to make it 7-all.

Banks returned another kickoff for a score that was negated by a penalty. That was one of many mistakes—including jumping offsides on an attempted field goal that allowed Detroit to score a TD—that ended up haunting the Redskins.

“We still have a good football team,” linebacker London Fletcher(notes) said. “We’re not in a panic-type mode.”

Notes: Lions SS C.C. Brown(notes) and LB Isaiah Ekejiuba(notes) had knee injuries. … Redskins S Chris Horton(notes) (knee) left the game and Chris Cooley(notes) (back) played through an injury. … The Lions didn’t have a sellout for the first time this season, blacking out the game on local TV. … Fletcher played in his 200th game in a row. … Stafford has played 12 times and missed 11 games because of injuries.

Rashard Mendenhall ran 50 yards for a touchdown 2:35 into overtime and the Steelers overcame a shaky start by replacement quarterback Dennis Dixon and a missed field goal attempt late in regulation to beat the Atlanta Falcons 15-9 on Sunday.

"We've got to prepare for those type of games (without Roethlisberger)," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "We'll take a win any way we can get it, anyhow we can get it."

Mendenhall carried 22 times for 120 yards. A Steelers defense that was the NFL's best two seasons ago before slipping a year ago held Atlanta (0-1) to 58 yards rushing - former All-Pro Michael Turner gained 42 yards - and three Matt Bryant field goals.

"In the run game, you've got to be patient," said Mendenhall, who cut to his right, found the open field and took it in despite stumbling near the 10 on his game-winner. "You wait all day for something like that to open up. The run game, you've got to stick with it and stick with it.

The insurance was obtained through Lloyd’s of London, which did not reveal what must be done to Polamalu’s hair for anyone to collect on the policy.

At nearly three-feet long, Polamalu’s hair has been targeted by an opposing NFL player at least once—the Chiefs’ Larry Johnson(notes) tackled Polamalu by the hair during a 49-yard interception return in a 2006 game.

Polamalu, a five-time Pro Bowl player, wears his hair long as a tribute to his Samoan heritage.

All things considered, Tiger has to be pleased with Barclays

By Shane Bacon

This can't be easy for Tiger Woods. Smiling, and waving and chipping in front of the crowds, and then heading back to his rental house knowing that yes, life this week and for the weeks to come will be totally different.

On Tuesday, Tiger announced on his website that he and his wife Elin would be divorcing, an announcement that shocked few but still rattled the shaken world of Mr. Woods. He then had to go out on Thursday and play in these FedEx Cup playoffs that initially seemed tailor-made for Tiger, but are now just a struggle to make it to the next week.

But he went out on Thursday with a 65, and then couldn't find that same magic on Friday and Saturday. It's been typical of Tiger this season to get us thinking he found his game again only to struggle as the event lingered on. But this week was different. On Saturday Tiger made a triple-bogey on his opening hole, which basically cost him any shot at the title at Ridgewood, but he bounced back with three birdies on his back nine to salvage the round. Then, on Sunday, Tiger closed with a really tidy 67 that included just 27 putts.

If things stay the way they are right now, Tiger will card his first top-10 since the U.S. Open, and first non-major top-10 of the season. What Tiger is looking for right now is glimpses, and it seemed this week he had a lot of them.

He yelled at shots to be right. He rolled in lengthy par putts like the Tiger of 2000. He hit 78 percent of his fairways, the best of anyone in the field, and he was one bad hole away from seriously competing.

By Trey Kerby

If you've never read David Halberstam's "Playing for Keeps" or Sam Smith's "The Jordan Rules" — both about the 1990s Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, duh, and both essential — then you might not know how much Michael Jordan hated Scottie Pippen early in their careers.

Jordan realized Pippen's immense talent, maybe even before Pippen did, and seeing Scottie's inability to mold and develop those game-changing skills infuriated Jordan. He saw Pippen as mentally weak, soft and basically a disappointment. Then Scottie Pippen became one of the best players in the NBA, the Bulls won titles and Jordan accepted Pippen as a legit superstar, forming a bond the two would have through the rest of their lives. That's a YertNotes version of the Jordan and Pippen saga, but that's the gist of it and you're the one who didn't read two of the best basketball books ever written. Deal with it.

[Video: A look back at Scottie Pippen's career]

Anyhow, now that we're all hip to the history behind the greatest duo of the 1990s, we can talk about how cool it is that Jordan will be giving the introduction speech for Pippen's Hall of Fame induction this Friday. Hint: it's George Clooney cool.

From NBA.com's perilously named Adam Fluck:

"I can't think of a better person to do it," said Pippen on Monday. "Michael is someone I shared my career with, accomplishing most of what I have accomplished thus far. He was a great teammate, teacher and admirer. I'm excited to have an opportunity to be the first person that he has presented into the Hall of Fame. I figure if anyone deserves to be on the stage with me, it's him." [...]

Pippen said Jordan was "thrilled and overwhelmed" by the invitation. [...]

"I had other guys that I thought about, but Michael was by far the obvious choice and an easy one for me to make," said Pippen.

So perfect, you guys. Like Scottie said, it's "by far the obvious choice" and an "easy one," but it's still the right one. So happy.

President Barack Obama welcomed the Super Bowl champions on Monday in an East Room ceremony where he congratulated the players, owner and coaches. He said the team lifted up “the hopes and the dreams of a shattered city” in the wake of the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.

The Saints electrified their city and fans by beating the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17, in February.

Obama acknowledged being a Chicago Bears fan but said New Orleans has a unique relationship with its football team after the Saints’ Super Bowl win.

Obama also talked about the latest disaster to hit the Gulf, the BP oil spill. He expressed optimism that the battle to stop the flowing of the oil is just about over.