Ron Artest committed his eighth flagrant foul of the season just five seconds after tipoff, then scored 18 points as the Indiana Pacers cruised to a 102-72 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Artest now faces a likely two-game suspension.
The Pacers desperately needed the win, only their third in the last 16 games. They finished the season series against Boston tied 2-2 and remained in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Reggie Miller scored 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter and Artest added seven as the Pacers opened a 16-point edge.
Trail Blazers 94, Rockets 83
In Portland, Oregon, Derek Anderson had 21 points and seven assists, and Zach Randolph added 14 points as Portland beat Houston to win five of its last seven games.
The Rockets were again without coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who was resting in Houston after doctors discovered a cancerous tumor on his bladder lining.
The Blazers led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but briefly lost the lead in the third quarter. The Rockets closed to 61-59 on Eddie Griffin's 3-pointer, then went up 62-61 on Cuttino Mobley's layup and free throw.
But the Blazers quickly regained the lead, and Anderson's 3-pointer at the buzzer made it 72-66. Portland never trailed again.
Raptors 87, Hawks 86
In Toronto, Vince Carter made two free throws in the final 3.7 seconds as Toronto ended a six-game losing streak with a win over Atlanta.
Carter finished with 27 points for the Raptors, who played their first home game after a 0-5 road trip.
Atlanta's Ira Newble fouled Carter as he threw up a desperation hook shot. The shot missed badly, but Carter made his free throws, giving Toronto a 87-86 lead. Shareef Abdur-Rahim couldn't get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded.
Jason Terry had a team-high 23 points for the Hawks. Abdur-Rahim had 22.
Magic 109, Heat 93
In Orlando, Florida, Tracy McGrady scored 21 of his 36 points in the second half and Orlando made 12 3-pointers to beat Miami.
McGrady also had nine assists and six rebounds for the Magic, who beat the Heat for the third time this season. Pat Garrity and Gordan Giricek added 18 points each.
Miami lost its fourth straight game and seventh in eight games. Rookie Caron Butler had 20 points and Brian Grant added 17.
McGrady had just three points in the first 19 minutes, but scored 10 straight in a 1:40 span to give the Magic a 50-43 lead with 3:18 left in the second quarter. Orlando built the margin to 88-76 by the end of the third quarter before putting the game away with a 15-4 run to start the fourth.
Bucks 104, Nets 85
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, rookie Marcus Haislip scored six of his 12 points in a 15-2 run to open the fourth quarter that put Milwaukee in control as the Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak.
Gary Payton scored 23 and Sam Cassell had 22 for the Bucks, who held the Nets to 12 points in the final 12 minutes.
Milwaukee opened a half-game lead over Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards in the race for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Kenyon Martin had 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets, who ran out of gas in the fourth quarter while playing their second game in as many nights against a team that hadn't played since Sunday.
Grizzlies 128, Cavaliers 101
In Memphis, Tennessee, Pau Gasol scored 28 points, and Jason Williams added 16 points and 16 assists as Memphis beat Cleveland.
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