New York — The Celtics did to New York what the Knicks used to do to their opponents shut them down in the fourth quarter.
Paul Pierce scored 28 points and contributed to a strong defensive effort that led Boston to a come-from-behind 90-81 victory over the Knicks on Saturday night.
Pierce, Eric Williams and rookie Joe Johnson caused trouble all night for Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell, bottling up the Knicks' two primary scorers.
The Celtics outscored New York 29-12 in the fourth quarter, holding the Knicks to 2-for-18 shooting from the field.
"I thought we played outstanding defense," Boston coach Jim O'Brien said. "We tried to make sure their touches were further away from the basket than normal, so we double-teamed them until they were about 17 or 18 feet away.
"When they are that far away, it allows you to play good one-on-one defense, so I felt that scheme worked," O'Brien said.
Antoine Walker scored 22 points, Tony Battie had 13 and Johnson 11.
Spurs 105, Mavericks 103
Dallas Terry Porter hit two free throws with 5.1 seconds left, giving San Antonio a victory over Dallas. Dallas trailed 103-95 when Tim Duncan, who had 29 points and 17 rebounds, fouled out with 1:49 left.
Kings 118, Suns 112
Phoenix Chris Webber scored 22 of his 35 points in the second half as Sacramento withstood a fourth-quarter rally to beat Phoenix for its sixth straight win. Peja Stojakovic added 25 points and Doug Christie had 20 for the Kings.
Pacers 81, Rockets 79
Houston Jermaine O'Neal scored 28 points, including three in the final 39 seconds, to lead Indiana over Houston.
Magic 118, Warriors 109
Orlando, Fla. Reserve Troy Hudson scored a season-high 26 points, hitting four of Orlando's 13 3-pointers in the Magic's victory over Golden State. Orlando won for the fourth time in five games while Golden State has dropped four in a row.
Jazz 113, Bulls 111, OT
Chicago John Stockton made three free throws in the final 42 seconds of overtime, and Karl Malone scored 32 points as Utah held off Chicago. Donyell Marshall added 25, including two of Utah's first three baskets in overtime.
Timberwolves 112, Hawks 96
Atlanta Wally Szczerbiak scored 23 points and Kevin Garnett added 22 points and 14 rebounds as Minnesota beat Atlanta for its fourth straight victory. Minnesota dominated the inside game, outrebounding the Hawks 56-34 and outscoring them 48-36 in the paint.
Pistons 101, Cavaliers 91
Auburn Hills, Mich. Jerry Stackhouse scored 22 of his game-high 29 points in the second half as Detroit won for just the second time in 11 games.
Nets 89, Hornets 80
Charlotte, N.C. Jason Collins had 18 points and 12 rebounds, both career highs, and fellow rookie Richard Jefferson added 16 points.
Blazers 96, 76ers 88
Portland, Ore. Rasheed Wallace scored 30 points and Damon Stoudamire had 19 points and 11 assists as Portland shot 65 percent in the fourth quarter to beat Philadelphia.
Clippers 86, Bucks 83
Los Angeles Jeff McInnis hit a tiebreaking three-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining and Lamar Odom scored seven of his 18 points in the final five minutes.
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