BOSTON – Paul Pierce had 26 points, Jeff Green scored 14 of his 18 in the second half and the Boston Celtics overcame foul trouble and some erratic free throw shooting in a 94-86 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

Golden State guard Stephen Curry, coming off a 54-point performance Wednesday in a loss at New York, was held to 25 on 6-of-22 shooting.

Additional Photos

Boston’s Chris Wilcox jumps over Golden State’s Carl Landry as he battles Stephen Curry for the ball during Friday’s 94-86 victory at Boston. The Associated Press

Kevin Garnett pulled down 13 rebounds as the Celtics improved to 3-3 since the All-Star break despite playing much of the second half without their starting backcourt. Point guard Avery Bradley went to the bench early in the third quarter with his fifth foul and Courtney Lee picked up his fourth late in the third.

But the Celtics managed to pull ahead slowly in the fourth, taking a 13-point lead that was too much for the road-weary Warriors to overcome.

Golden State was able to keep it close most of the way by capitalizing on many Boston mistakes, including 9-of-16 free throw shooting in the first half.

Bradley picked up his third foul with 1:05 left in the second quarter, then two more in the first 3:59 of the third period. He fouled Curry for his fifth personal with 8:01 to go in the third and was quickly called back to the bench before Curry made both his free throws to put Golden State up 54-53.

Boston committed seven turnovers in the period, but finished it off on a 9-2 run and led 69-62 entering the final quarter.

The Celtics scored nine straight before Carl Landry’s putback ended a scoring drought that lasted nearly 4 minutes. The Warriors went without a point from Landry’s jumper that tied the score at 60 with 3:55 left in the third until Landry put back an offensive rebound with 3 seconds left.

KNICKS 96, WIZARDS 88: Even if New York was looking ahead to its game against the Miami Heat, Carmelo Anthony made sure his team still picked up a victory over Washington along the way.

Anthony scored 30 points, Raymond Felton added 23, J.R. Smith chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and some strong defense allowed the Knicks to beat the Wizards.

PACERS 93, RAPTORS 81: Paul George had 22 points and 10 rebounds, David West had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Indiana beat host Toronto.

Roy Hibbert returned from a one-game suspension to score 18 points as the Central Division leaders won for the sixth time in seven games.

Rudy Gay scored 21 points and Alan Anderson had 14 for the Raptors, who have lost three straight and four of five.

ROCKETS 118, MAGIC 110: James Harden had 24 points, and Chandler Parsons and Carlos Delfino added 21 apiece as Houston rallied in the fourth quarter for a win over host Orlando.

The Rockets stopped a two-game skid and ended a five-game losing streak to the Magic. Houston trailed by two late in the game, before using an 11-0 run to seize control.

The Rockets return home to host Dallas on Sunday as they try to stay in the Western Conference playoff picture.

CLIPPERS 105, CAVALIERS 89: Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, making a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Chris Paul had 15 assists as Los Angeles ran away in the final period for its first win in Cleveland since 2002.

Blake Griffin had 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Clippers, having their best season in franchise history, won their fourth in a row.

MAVERICKS 98, NETS 90: Dirk Nowitzki and former Nets guard Vince Carter each scored 20 points, and Dallas avoided another late collapse by holding off host Brooklyn.

HORNETS 100, PISTONS 95: Greivis Vasquez capped a 25-point, nine-assist performance by hitting a running floater off the backboard with 12 seconds left, and New Orleans beat Detroit to snap a two-game skid.

Vasquez’s final basket made it 98-95, and Rodney Stuckey missed a 3-point attempt that could have tied it in the final seconds.

HEAT 98, GRIZZLIES 91: Dwyane Wade scored 22 points, LeBron James shook off his worst shooting night of the season — 4 for 14 — to hit a key 3-pointer in the final half-minute, and Miami extended its winning streak to 13 games by beating Memphis.

SPURS 130, KINGS 102: DeJuan Blair scored 16 points off the bench to pace eight players in double figures, and San Antonio overcame the loss of Tony Parker to win at home against Sacramento Kings.

SUNS 92, HAWKS 87: Marcus Morris tied his career high with four 3-pointers in five attempts, and scored 16 points in his fifth game with host Phoenix, helping the Suns win their third in a row and snap Atlanta’s four-game winning streak.

Related Stories