Boston ? The Phoenix Suns ended their road trip with their fourth victory in five games and another reminder that big leads can fade quickly.

They led by 21 points at halftime, then weathered a 33-point second half by Paul Pierce for a 102-94 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Just three days earlier, the Suns lost to Cleveland by seven after leading by nine at intermission.

“A 20-point lead to us is like a 10-point lead for everybody else,” coach Mike D’Antoni said of his Pacific Division leaders. “The game is just not over.”

Phoenix is the NBA’s highest scoring team, but only five teams have allowed more points per game than the Suns, who couldn’t stop Pierce in the second half.

He finished with 40 points after deciding to be more assertive, but the closest Boston came in the second half was 80-78 with 9:06 left in the game.

Boston's Paul Pierce, right, drives past Shawn Marion of Phoenix. Pierce scored 40 points, but the Suns defeated the Celtics, 102-94, Wednesday night in Boston.

“I wasn’t as aggressive as I should have been” while Phoenix built a 59-38 halftime lead, Pierce said. “There’s no moral victories. We gave ourselves chances, but you can’t let yourself get down that much and expect to win.”

Still, the Suns were impressed.

“He’s one of those players in the class of LeBron James, Kobe (Bryant), Steve Nash,” D’Antoni said. “You’re not going to stop him. You can’t do it.”

The Suns’ scoring was more balanced with Shawn Marion’s 21 points leading seven players in double figures.

Raja Bell scored 18 points, and Nash had 13 points with eight assists.

Cavaliers 91, Nets 85

Cleveland – LeBron James capped his seventh career triple-double when he rushed Jason Kidd into a miss and grabbed the rebound in the final minute as Cleveland won its seventh straight. James scored 26 points – 22 in the second half – and added 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Drew Gooden had 18 points.

Hawks 102, Bobcats 92

Charlotte, N.C. – Al Harrington scored 19 points to lead Atlanta over Charlotte, extending its franchise-record losing streak to 13 games.

Clippers 106, Magic 94

Orlando, Fla. – Elton Brand had 35 points and nine rebounds, and Sam Cassell added 26 points as Los Angeles beat Orlando. Brand hit 12 of 22 shots.

Rockets 86, Bucks 84

Houston – Tracy McGrady scored 22 points, Yao Ming added 21, and Houston overcame an early 13-point deficit.

Pistons 90, Timberwolves 74

Auburn Hills, Mich. – Richard Hamilton scored 21 points, and Tayshaun Prince added 20 as Detroit avoided its first losing streak of the season. The Pistons (38-6) had an 11-game winning streak snapped Tuesday in New Jersey.

Mavericks 81, Grizzlies 80

Memphis, Tenn. – Dirk Nowitzki made two free throws with 7.2 seconds left, his only points of the fourth quarter, and Dallas overcame a 10-point deficit to beat Memphis for its 10th straight victory.

Jazz 103, Nuggets 90

Salt Lake City – Andrei Kirilenko had 21 points, five blocks and five assists, and Utah extended first-place Denver’s losing streak to four.

Hornets 100, Bulls 95

Oklahoma City – Chris Paul scored 11 of his 25 points in the final five minutes, leading New Orleans past Chicago. Kirk Hinrich scored 20 for the Bulls.

Spurs 86, Blazers 82

Portland, Ore. – Tim Duncan had 14 points and 17 rebounds, and San Antonio won its fifth straight. Manu Ginobili had 22 points, and Tony Parker added 20 for the Spurs.

Sonics 111, Warriors 107

Seattle – Ray Allen scored 32 points, and Rashard Lewis added 26, leading Seattle over Golden State. The Warriors shot only 2-for-21 in the third quarter – getting baskets by Derek Fisher and Baron Davis – and Golden State had a season-low nine points in the period to fall behind 85-71.

Raptors 117, Wizards 112

Toronto – Chris Bosh had 33 points and 13 rebounds, Mike James made two three-pointers in the final minute, and Toronto held off Washington.

Pacers 105, Lakers 79

Indianapolis – Peja Stojakovic had 26 points and 13 rebounds in his home debut, and Indiana beat Los Angeles to snap a six-game losing streak.