BOSTON — Kevin Garnett shut down Chris Bosh then suggested some musical accompaniment for Paul Pierce, the Celtics star none of the Raptors could stop.
“Y’all need to start playing some of that “Superman” theme music in the building when he’s going like that,” Garnett said after Pierce scored nine of his season-high 39 points in overtime to lead Boston to a 115-109 win over Toronto on Monday night.
“I’ll be Batman. I’ll be Robin,” he said while sitting next to Pierce at a post-game news conference. “I’ll be anybody you want me to be. I’ll be the garbage man. But this is Clark Kent right here.”
Clark Kent with one balky knee.
Pierce played 49 minutes despite coach Doc Rivers’ pre-game fears that the right knee he hurt in Sunday’s 94-88 win at Toronto might sideline him.
“There’s players who play the game. There’s players who absolutely love the game,” Rivers said. “Paul’s one of those `love’ guys. … He’s tough as nails.”
One day after Ray Allen’s 36 points carried Boston in Toronto, Pierce led a comeback from a 10-point deficit midway through the third quarter and carried the Celtics to their second straight win after four consecutive losses.
And he wasn’t overly tired.
“Actually, I feel pretty good,” Pierce said. “Could have played another quarter, I think.”
He hurt his knee Sunday in a collision with teammate Brian Scalabrine, who scored eight clutch points in the third quarter in place of injured center Kendrick Perkins.
“Hopefully, I don’t hit it again so it can kind of heal,” Pierce said. “Doc’s been around long enough to know that it takes a lot to keep me off the court.”
Pierce also had nine rebounds, while Garnett added 20 points and 12 rebounds and held Bosh to 1-of-4 shooting in 12 minutes of the fourth quarter and kept him from shooting in all five minutes of overtime.
“You work hard to get open, then he overplays you,” said Bosh, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds. “And then he has help behind him.”
Andrea Bargnani, whose 3-pointer with 1 second left sent the game into overtime tied at 93, led the Raptors with 23 points.
Bucks 97, Wizards 91
WASHINGTON — Michael Redd scored 29 points and Andrew Bogut added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee.
Trail Blazers 109, Bulls 95
CHICAGO — Travis Outlaw scored a season-high 33 points and Greg Oden had 17 points and 13 rebounds for Portland.
Jazz 120, Pacers 113
SALT LAKE CITY — Mehmet Okur scored a career-high 43 points and Utah held off a late rally.
Nets 103, Thunder 99 (OT)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Rookie Brook Lopez scored a career-high 31 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for New Jersey in the overtime win.
Knicks 101, Hornets 95
NEW ORLEANS — David Lee scored 24 points and New York ended a three-game losing streak.
Note
Curry sued by former driver
NEW ORLEANS — A man who worked as a driver for Eddy Curry is suing the New York Knicks center, alleging Curry owes him money, sexually harassed him and berated him with racist slurs.
“I’m shocked, really,” Curry said. “He approached my friends a while back, trying to get money. I just never, ever thought it would go past what it did, which was just idle threats, money-or-else kind of stuff.”
Dave Kuchinsky alleges in the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in New York that Curry owes him $93,000 in back pay and expenses.
Kuchinsky also accuses Curry of exposing himself and harassing the former driver, according to a story on the New York Post’s Web site.
Kuchinsky also said Curry referred to his Jewish heritage in a derogatory way and called him a “cracker,” “white slave,” and “white devil”.
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