Celtics beat Bulls

Paul Pierce scored 22 points and Kevin Garnett added 16 and eight rebounds before the Celtics starters sat out the fourth quarter Friday night in a 116-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls at Boston, the Celtics’ seventh consecutive win.

Kendrick Perkins had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which started the fourth quarter with a garbage-time lineup of Brian Scalabrine, P.J. Brown, Eddie House, James Posey and Tony Allen. Newly signed backup point guard Sam Cassell did not dress for the game or he would surely have been on the court, too.

Boston, which won its 10th consecutive home game, led by 12 after one quarter and 20 after two. It was 88-68 late in the third when the subs opened a 26-point advantage.

But Chicago took advantage of sloppy passing to score seven straight points, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers put point guard Rajon Rondo back in. Brown, who was making his 2007-08 debut, got a breather after he grabbed six rebounds in 6 minutes.

Even against the Celtics’ second- and third-string players, though, Chicago never threatened.

Ben Gordon scored 20 and Joakim Noah had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, who missed a chance to move into a tie with New Jersey for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Bobcats 108, Hawks 93: At Charlotte, N.C., Raymond Felton had 23 points and 11 assists, Matt Carroll scored 21 points and the new-look Bobcats continued their surprising turnaround with a win over Atlanta.

Warriors 134, Heat 99: At Miami, Stephen Jackson scored 22 points, Al Harrington added 17, Baron Davis had 15 points and 10 assists and Golden State eased past severely shorthanded Miami, handing the Heat their biggest loss of a dismal season.

•Miami’s Alexander Johnson sat out the game after the NBA suspended him because of a flagrant foul earlier in the week.

Wizards 110, Raptors 106 (OT): At Toronto, Antawn Jamison had 25 points and 16 rebounds to lead Washington to an overtime victory over the Raptors.

Pistons 101, Knicks 97: At New York, Tayshaun Prince bounced back from a horrendous game in his last trip to Madison Square Garden, scoring 28 points and leading Detroit to victory over the Knicks. Former Eastern Washington University star Rodney Stuckey added 13 for the Pistons.

Hornets 107, Nets 96: At New Orleans, Chris Paul had 25 points and 16 assists, and the Hornets won their third straight game, beating New Jersey.

Trail Blazers 103, Bucks 101: At Milwaukee, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 29 points, including a 13-foot jumper with 2.4 seconds remaining, to rally Portland to victory over the Bucks.

Jazz 126, Suns 118: At Phoenix, Carlos Boozer scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, including a tough 8-foot bank shot with 31.1 seconds to play, and Utah handed the Suns their third consecutive home loss.

Timberwolves 111, Kings 103: At Sacramento, Calif., Al Jefferson had 21 points and 13 rebounds to help Minnesota snap a five-game losing streak with a victory over the slumping Kings.

Lakers 119, Clippers 82: At Los Angeles, Derek Fisher scored 17 points, Kobe Bryant had 16 and the Lakers went on a 3-point shooting spree in the second half in the rout of the Clippers.

Nuggets 109, Spurs 96: At Denver, Allen Iverson scored 29 points despite spraining his right ring finger in the first half and the Nuggets snapped San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak with a statement win over the Spurs.