Dwight Howard scored 24 points, Rashard Lewis added 22 and the Orlando Magic dealt the Boston Celtics their first loss of the NBA season, 104-102 on Sunday.
Paul Pierce missed an off-balance jumper with time running out that could have forced overtime. Pierce finished with 28 points.
Two nights after surviving a challenge with a 92-91 win over Miami, the Celtics (8-1) lost despite shooting 53.3 percent from the field. The Magic countered by hitting 33-of-65 shots (50.8 percent).
AP
Orlando was up by as much as 20, but Boston chipped away in the third and fourth quarters. Mounting several small runs, the Celtics finally claimed their first lead -- 88-87 -- halfway through the fourth on consecutive 3s by Eddie House and James Posey.
Allen had 19 for Boston and Rajon Rondo scored 18, while Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Warriors 106, Raptors 100
At Toronto, Stephen Jackson scored 17 points, Andris Biedrins had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Golden State won their second straight after opening the season with six consecutive losses.
Baron Davis had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Kelenna Azubuike scored 16 points and Al Harrington added 10 for Golden State, which saw all five starters reach double figures scoring.
T.J. Ford scored 29 points for the Raptors, who have won just twice in six tries at home this season. Ford added eight assists and six rebounds.
Andrea Bargnani scored 12 points and Chris Bosh had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto.
Kings 105, Pistons 95
At Sacramento, California, Beno Udrih had 23 points and six assists to help Sacramento beat Detroit.
Udrih, a late preseason cut by San Antonio who came to the Kings as a backup, has quickly become a starter. He showed why against the Pistons, making 9 of 13 shots and all five of his free throws attempts and fueling a strong second half by the Kings.
Kevin Martin had 19 points and eight rebounds for the Kings, who won their second-straight game. Ron Artest scored 16, Brad Miller had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Mikki Moore added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Tayshaun Prince scored 19 points for the Pistons, who have now lost two-straight games. Rasheed Wallace had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Rip Hamilton scored 17 and Chauncey Billups contributed 14 points and nine assists.
Lakers 106, Bulls 78
At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 18 points in the third quarter, five Los Angeles reserves finished in double figures and the Lakers beat Chicago for their third-straight victory.
Los Angeles blew the game open by scoring 18 straight points to finish the third quarter and start the fourth for an 81-60 lead with 9:45 remaining.
The Bulls weren't closer than 15 points after that, and wound up losing by their biggest margin ever to the Lakers. The previous record margin was 27 points in 1968.
Andrew Bynum had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers; Jordan Farmar added 14 points and a career-high eight assists; Chris Mihm and Vladimir Radmanovic scored 11 points each and Luke Walton added 10.
Ben Gordon scored 20 points and Andres Nocioni had 14 points and six rebounds for the Bulls.
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