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Pierce nets 32 and Boston Celtics end sorry losing streak

The Boston Celtics ended their franchise-record losing streak at 18 games on Wednesday, getting 32 points from Paul Pierce and 21 from Gerald Green to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-97.

The crowd gave the Celtics a standing ovation for the final minute as they picked up their first victory since Jan. 5, winning just two of 24 games that Pierce was out with foot and elbow injuries. The NBA's most decorated franchise long ago broke the team record of 13 straight losses and seemed destined for the league record of 24 (23 in one season).

After the Bucks, Boston was headed on a five-game, seven-day road trip against teams that promised a tougher test than Milwaukee.

But, with a half-filled house winnowed by the winter's first big snowstorm, the Celtics took advantage of the Bucks' woes and rallied from a 15-point, second-quarter deficit to take the lead.

Mo Williams scored 31, Charlie Bell had 24 and Brian Skinner scored 13 with 11 rebounds for Milwaukee.

Wizards 92, 76ers 85

At Philiadelphia, Gilbert Arenas finished with 22 points despite another poor shooting performance, and Washington took a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and held on to beat Philadelphia for its second win in six games.

Arenas extended a run of bad shooting with an 8-for-26 performance heading into the All-Star break.

Caron Butler scored 16, Darius Songaila added 12 and Andray Blatche had 11 points.

In other games, it was: Spurs 90, Pistons 81; Raptors 120, Nets 109; Pacers 114, Grizzlies 104; Bobcats 100, Bulls 85; Magic 103, Trail Blazers 91; Timberwolves 99, Nuggets 94; Hornets 110, Kings 93; Jazz 99, Cavaliers 98; SuperSonics 114, Suns 90; Warriors 120, Knicks 101; Hawks 96, Clippers 93.
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