The National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics trounced the Phoenix Suns 117-97 Wednesday.
Kevin Garnett scored 30 points to help Boston snap a two-game losing streak. Teammate Paul Pierce scored 27 points - 12 of them in the fourth quarter.
Amare Stoudamire scored 32 points for Phoenix, which has now lost two consecutive games and is in sixth place in the competitive Western Conference playoff standings.
Meanwhile, David West hit a long jumpshot with less than a second left in regulation to lead the New Orleans Hornets' to a 100-99 win over the Cavaliers. The Hornets remain in first place in the Western Conference.
Wednesday's other NBA winners include Charlotte, Atlanta, Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Houston, San Antonio, Washington and Sacramento.
The Charlotte Bobcats upset the Los Angeles Lakers 108-95. The Atlanta Hawks downed the Milwaukee Bucks 115-96. The Toronto Pistons beat the Detroit Pistons 89-82. The New York Knicks enjoyed a 103-96 overtime win over the Miami Heat in a matchup of two of the worst teams in the league. The Philadelphia 76ers routed the Chicago Bulls 121-99 to improve their playoff chances. The New Jersey Nets beat the Indiana Pacers 124-117. The Houston Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwovles 97-86. The San Antonio Spurs enjoyed a 97-88 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers to extend their winning streak to five games. The Washington Wizards downed the Seattle Super Sonics 104-99, and the Los Angeles Kings eked out a 107-106 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
