Celts can take the Heat

The game was on the line and Paul Pierce was left alone to shoot. That left Miami coach Stan Van Gundy angry at his slumping team.

Pierce hit the 20-footer with nine seconds left, then the Celtics made a strong defensive stand and plunged the Heat deeper into their worst stretch of the season with a 101-99 win Friday night.

“We weren’t anywhere near Paul Pierce off the pick and roll on the last,” Van Gundy said. “That, to me, is unfathomable.”

The player that hurt Miami the most and kept Boston close with 13 fourth-quarter points was 20-year-old rookie Al Jefferson, drafted by the Celtics out of high school. He finished with 19 points. Pierce led Boston with 22.

The Celtics won despite blowing a 17-point first-half lead, overcoming a 34-point performance from Shaquille O’Neal.

Nets 101, Raptors 90: Vince Carter ignored the boos of his former fans and scored 39 points in his first game in Toronto since being traded, and New Jersey kept its playoff hopes alive by coming back from a 14-point halftime deficit for a victory over the Raptors.

76ers 90, Pacers 86: Allen Iverson scored 16 fourth-quarter points and rallied visiting Philadelphia to a critical victory over Indiana. Iverson finished with 43 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

Wizards 119, Cavaliers 111: At Washington, D.C., Lebron James’ one-man show was no match for the one-two-three punch of Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison, and the result was a victory for Washington, further imperiling Cleveland’s postseason hopes. Arenas led the Wizards with 33 points.

Suns 98, Clippers 91: At Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire had 24 points and 17 rebounds – nine of them on the offensive end – and Phoenix earned the second 60-victory season in franchise history with a win over Los Angeles.

Kings 115, Lakers 106: At Los Angeles, Mike Bibby led six players in double figures with 26 points as Sacramento defeated Los Angeles for its fourth straight victory. Cuttino Mobley added 23 points and 10 assists, Maurice Evans scored 16, Kenny Thomas 15 and Corliss Williamson 11. Peja Stojakovic had 14 points before leaving in the first quarter with a strained left groin.

Nuggets 111, Grizzlies 102: Nene Hilario took over late and finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds to help Denver to its 10th straight win, this one over visiting Memphis, which must wait at least another day to clinch a playoff spot.

Timberwolves 100, Jazz 84: At Salt Lake City, Kevin Garnett had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Minnesota stayed alive in the Western Conference playoff race with a win over Utah.

Pistons 99, Bucks 73: At Auburn Hills, Mich., on a night when no starter played more than 30 minutes, the Pistons’ reserves combined for 62 points as Detroit routed Milwaukee for its season-best ninth straight win.

Bulls 117, Magic 77: Rookies Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni each scored 17 points to lead Chicago to a victory over visiting Orlando.

Warriors 108, Trail Blazers 88: At Oakland, Calif., Mike Dunleavy scored 20 points, Baron Davis added 19 and Golden State snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Portland as Damon Stoudamire attempted an NBA-record 21 3-point shots.

Hornets manipulated attendance figures

The New Orleans Hornets were able to inflate attendance figures by reselling tickets originally bought at huge discounts for the owner’s charity account.

Documents obtained by the Associated Press show that hundreds of tickets were charged to owner George Shinn’s charity account on March 9 for $5 apiece, and those same tickets were resold at full price – up to $41 – for the sold-out April 2 home matchup against Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat.

The Hornets’ books did not reflect that those tickets were resold. Rather, the transactions were recorded as purchases of previously unsold tickets for different seats and for other games, thereby boosting paid attendance numbers for games at which many seats were empty.

Hornets officials said reselling already purchased tickets for high-demand games, then reflecting those purchases as something else to balance the books, is common practice in the NBA.