Paul Pierce sank a jump shot with half a second to play as the Boston Celtics dealt Atlanta their first defeat of the National Basketball Association season on Wednesday.
The reigning NBA champion Celtics emerged with a dramatic 103-102 victory over the Hawks.
Pierce had hit two free throws to give the Celtics a two-point lead with 21 seconds remaining.
PHOTO: EPA
On the next possession, Joe Johnson sank a three-point shot from the right wing to give the Hawks a 102-101 lead with 7.4 seconds left, setting the stage for Pierce’s heroics.
Pierce scored 34 points and Kevin Garnett added 25 and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who eliminated Atlanta in seven games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season.
Johnson scored 28 points for Atlanta, whose 6-0 start to the season was their best since they won 11 straight to start the 1997-98 campaign.
Kevin Garnett added 25 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, who improved to 8-1.
It was Boston’s eighth straight home win over Atlanta, including all four in their first-round playoff series last season.
ROCKETS 94, SUNS 82
In Phoenix, Tracy McGrady snapped out of a slump to score 22 of his 27 points in the second half as Houston downed Phoenix.
The defeat tarnished a scoring landmark for Shaquille O’Neal, as the Suns center moved past John Havlicek and into 10th on the NBA’s career points list. McGrady, 1-for-16 shooting in his previous two games, made 9 of 14 shots in the second half as the Rockets used a tough defense to dominate the Suns in a match that featured a skirmish that resulted in two ejections and seven technical fouls.
Also on Wednesday it was:
• Lakers 93, Hornets 86
• Trail Blazers 104, Heat 96
• Knicks 132, Grizzlies 103
• Wizards 95, Jazz 87
• 76ers 106, Raptors 96
• Magic 109, Thunder 92
• Pacers 98, Nets 87
• Bucks 82, Spurs 78
• Kings 103, Clippers 98
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