Revitalized Celtics Win in Portland

Antoine Walker scored 28 points and Paul Pierce added 14 as the Boston Celtics held off the Portland Trail Blazers for an 85-81 victory Saturday night at Portland, Ore.

The Celtics have won nine of their last 11 games and 12 of 18 since Rick Pitino resigned as coach. They are one game ahead of Indiana in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rasheed Wallace scored 23 points for the Trail Blazers, who scored four quick points after Walker danced upcourt while celebrating a three-point basket that gave Boston an 82-75 lead with 2:58 left.

After the teams traded misses and the Trail Blazers were called for an illegal defense, Pierce made a jump shot with 35.3 seconds left that increased Boston’s lead to 84-81.

Portland took a timeout, but Damon Stoudamire’s layup wasn’t even close.

Portland’s shooting touch was off from the beginning as Arvydas Sabonis started one for five from the field and the Trail Blazers had racked up as many as fouls as points when Stacey Augmon picked up his second and the team’s fourth only 2:47 into the game. Pierce and Walker made three-pointers and Mark Blount had two quick baskets to give Boston a 17-8 lead.

Chicago 89, Miami 82--Ron Artest scored with 1:58 left and Khalid El-Amin made five free throws in the closing seconds to lead the Bulls at Chicago.

The Bulls, who went into the All-Star break mired in a franchise-record 16-game losing streak, have won two in a row. They hadn’t won successive games in almost a year.

Artest finished with 16 points and El-Amin had 11. Elton Brand had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Marcus Fizer added 11 rebounds for the Bulls.

Dallas 112, Washington 105--Michael Finley scored 26 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and 10 rebounds at Dallas as the Mavericks extended the Wizards’ losing streak to six games.

Steve Nash added 16 points and nine assists for the Mavericks, winners of five of their last seven.

Charlotte 103, Milwaukee 93--Jamal Mashburn scored 32 points and Baron Davis added 21, including a nearly full-court shot at the end of the third period, to lead the Hornets at Milwaukee.

Mashburn also had 10 rebounds and nine assists, barely missing a triple-double. He scored 18 of his points after halftime, including consecutive three-pointers to stop a Bucks’ comeback.

Ray Allen led the Bucks with 30 points and Glenn Robinson had 24.

Houston 92, Cleveland 80--Steve Francis scored 35 points and Cuttino Mobley had 26 for the Rockets at Houston.

Houston led, 58-57, with 1:57 left in the third period before Mobley and Francis each scored seven points in a 17-4 run that put the Rockets in control. Cleveland never threatened again as Houston won for the fifth time in six games.

Andre Miller scored 29 points to lead the Cavaliers, who have lost 10 in a row.

Atlanta 101, Seattle 94--Jason Terry scored 28 points and Dikembe Mutombo had 16 rebounds at Seattle as the Hawks ended their seven-game losing streak.

Atlanta’s Brevin Knight sat out nearly all of the first half after injuring his surgically reconstructed right knee on a collision early in the first quarter. He returned for the second half after receiving treatment.