Indiana Pacers fall flat in loss to Celtics - Louisville Courier-Journal

Paul Pierce scored 24 points to help the Boston Celtics beat the host Indiana Pacers 86-72 on Saturday night.

Ray Allen added 19 points, Kevin Garnett scored 15 and Rajon Rondo had 12 assists for the Celtics. Boston snapped a two-game skid and remained ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Danny Granger scored 20 points for Indiana.

The Pacers had won four in a row and had scored more than 100 points in five consecutive games, but they matched their lowest point total of the season against Boston. Indiana shot 35 percent from the field, made just 5 of 22 3-pointers and committed 19 turnovers.

The possible first-round playoff opponents split their season series, winning two games apiece.

• Hawks 116, Bobcats 96: Joe Johnson scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and eight Atlanta players scored in double digits in the road victory.

The Hawks broke open the game in the third quarter by shooting 17 of 23 from the field while scoring a season-high 38 points.

• Grizzlies 94, Mavericks 89: Rudy Gay scored 25 points, Zach Randolph added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Memphis built a big early lead and held on at home.

Memphis moved two games ahead of Dallas for fifth place in the Western Conference, also claiming the head-to-head tiebreaker by winning the season series 2-1.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 17 points and eight rebounds.

• Hornets 99, Timberwolves 90: Jason Smith had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, leading host New Orleans over Minnesota, which lost its fifth straight.

Other news

• Magic: Stan Van Gundy said that he wants to return as the Orlando Magic’s coach next season.

“I don’t have a scenario in my head where I wouldn’t,” Van Gundy told the Orlando Sentinel when asked whether he wants to return.

“They’re going to have to make decisions. But I’m a basketball coach and I know this: I don’t want to go anywhere else. I mean, I love Orlando, and this is where I want to be. And I want to coach.”

On Thursday, in response to a direct question, Van Gundy told reporters that “the top” of the Magic organization’s management told him, perhaps before the regular season started, that Dwight Howard wants him to be fired. Howard has denied that he wants Van Gundy fired.

• Bulls: After practicing fully again Saturday, Chicago guard Derrick Rose said he’s “more than likely” returning from his groin injury today to face the Knicks in New York.

Coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t commit to that fully but said Rose is “very close” and that the Bulls are optimistic about today.