Ron Artest's 15 points weren't enough in his Sacramento debut and the Boston Celtics got 18 points from Paul Pierce to win 84-74 Friday night, beating the Kings for just the second time in 12 attempts.
Artest wore out his welcome in Indiana and was traded to Sacramento for Peja Stojakovic on Wednesday in an attempt to turn around the Kings' sinking season. Although Artest provided a spark -- scoring seven of the team's first 15 points -- Sacramento fizzled in the fourth quarter and made under 31 percent of its shots overall in its worst shooting night of the season.
The Celtics had their own debut: Wally Szczerbiak made his first appearance since being acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Ricky Davis as part of a seven-player trade. He scored 10 points in 24 minutes; Michael Olowokandi, who also came over in the deal, did not play.
Artest went 1-for-5 from the field in the fourth and the Kings made just four baskets -- on 18 shots -- in the final quarter. Sacramento did not make a basket for 7:19 down the stretch as the Celtics turned a three-point game into a 12-point lead.
Artest was 5-for-14 from the floor overall and 3-for-7 from 3-point range. He had six rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Boston's Kendrick Perkins had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Raef LaFrentz had 12 and 10.
Cavaliers 93, Pacers 89
At Indianapolis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas made 12 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter and finished with 27 points to lead Cleveland past Indiana.
Ilgauskas also had six rebounds and LeBron James had 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Indiana's newest player, Peja Stojakovic, was with the team but did not suit up. He arrived in Indianapolis on Friday after being traded from the Sacramento Kings for Ron Artest.
Indiana rookie Danny Granger had career highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds and reserve Fred Jones added 20 points for the Pacers.
Suns 110, Hawks 106
At Atlanta, Boris Diaw scored 25 points in his first game in Atlanta since he was traded, leading the Phoenix over Atlanta for its second straight win.
Diaw, who was a forgotten backup for the Hawks before he was traded to Phoenix last summer, added eight rebounds and five assists.
Steve Nash had 22 points and nine assists for Phoenix. Shawn Marion had 15 points and Barbosa added 14.
Joe Johnson scored 27 points but couldn't keep Atlanta from its eighth loss in its last 10 games. Lue had 17 and Harrington added 16 for the Hawks.
Knicks 97, Magic 94
At New York, Eddy Curry had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and New York beat Orlando to snap a six-game losing streak.
Jamal Crawford added 21 points and Channing Frye 18, sparking a strong effort by the Knicks' reserves. Qyntel Woods scored 11 in his first start of the season.
The Knicks avoided their second seven-game skid of the season -- they lost seven in a row in December. Orlando had won its last five and was looking for its first six-game winning streak since March 2002.
Steve Francis scored a season-high 36 points for the Magic.
Heat 91, Bobcats 85
At Charlotte, North Carolina, Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points and Antoine Walker scored 12 of his 15 in the final quarter to lead Miami to a win over Charlotte.
Miami, playing without guards Dwyane Wade and Jason Williams, trailed for most of the game and were barely able to stick with the undermanned Bobcats.
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