Celtic Duo Lead Rally Past 76ers

Antoine Walker didn’t let a sore knee affect his shooting.

Walker scored 33 points, including the winning three-point basket in the final minute, and Paul Pierce had 40, leading the Boston Celtics to a 100-99 comeback victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Boston, which trailed by 23 early in the third quarter, has won four in a row.

“Walker has a pretty sore knee so my response was to play him [46] minutes,” Celtic Coach Jim O’Brien said. “I told him it would keep warm that way.”

Allen Iverson had 29 points, and Eric Snow added 17 for the 76ers, who have lost eight of 10.

Walker’s three-point basket with 30 seconds left gave the Celtics a one-point lead. The 76ers had three chances to win it in the final seconds, but Aaron McKie missed a shot and Snow missed two, including a 19-footer before the buzzer.

Boston played without two starters, center Tony Battie and guard Tony Delk. Battie missed his fourth straight game because of a sore right knee. Delk sat out because a sprained left ankle.

“We’re a resilient group,” Pierce said. “We never give up. Most teams down 20 against a team like Philly wouldn’t come back. You’ve got to bury us in a grave to stop up from coming back.”

Washington 89, Denver 74 -- Michael Jordan scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, keying a decisive 15-4 run to help the Wizards win at Washington.

Before Jordan’s fourth-quarter surge, the Wizards counted on Larry Hughes for their offense. Hughes scored 20 points and sparked a 21-6 third-quarter run during which he gave Washington its first lead with 6:06 left in the third.

Utah 106, New Jersey 103 -- Karl Malone forced overtime on a field goal with less than a second remaining in regulation, finishing with 24 points, and John Stockton added a season-high 25 points, including eight in overtime, as the Jazz won at Salt Lake City. The Nets had a chance to force a second overtime, but Jason Kidd missed a three-point attempt just before the buzzer.

San Antonio 87, Houston 82 -- Tim Duncan scored 32 points and converted a tiebreaking three-point play in the final minute to help the Spurs win at San Antonio.

New York 72, Miami 65 -- The Knicks won at New York as the teams matched the NBA record for fewest combined points in a first half with 57. It was the Heat’s seventh consecutive road loss.

Portland 99, Memphis 87 -- Jeff McInnis scored 15 points off the bench for the Trail Blazers at Memphis, Tenn., handing the Grizzlies their sixth loss in seven games.

Sacramento 102, Golden State 80 -- Peja Stojakovic scored 11 of his 16 points in the third quarter and the Kings pulled away to win at Oakland for their 13th straight win over the Warriors.

Chicago 115, Atlanta 102 -- Jalen Rose scored a season-high 37 points and Marcus Fizer added 24 to help the Bulls win at Atlanta and end a 19-game road losing streak.

Minnesota 89, Toronto 81 -- Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 15 rebounds and the Timberwolves held on at Minneapolis despite a late 16-5 run by the Raptors that almost erased a 21-point fourth-quarter lead.

New Orleans 114, Phoenix 102 -- David Wesley scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, including two of his five three-point field goals, to help the Hornets win at New Orleans.

Detroit 88, Indiana 78 -- Ben Wallace had a 14 points and 15 rebounds to help Detroit take control with a 9-0 run and an 82-73 lead with 1:29 remaining at Auburn Hills, Mich.