The Tribune

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) -- Paul Pierce scored 20 points, Ray Allen had 12 in the third quarter and the Boston Celtics avenged a disappointing loss to Cleveland two days earlier by barely holding off the Cavaliers 93-90 on Tuesday night. The Celtics, who blew an 11-point lead at home Sunday in the final four minutes and lost by one, led by 22 late in the third quarter. However, the Cavs rallied again behind rookie Kyrie Irving and got within two on his twisting layup with 1:18 left. But Kevin Garnett dropped in a short jumper that bounced high off the rim and Pierce made two free throws with 2.6 seconds left as the Celtics avoided further embarrassment. Irving scored 21 points and Anderson Varejao added 20 and a career-high 20 rebounds for Cleveland. The Celtics were again without All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, whose injured right wrist kept him out of his seventh straight game. The Celtics improved to 5-2 without him. It wasn't easy. Allen went scoreless in the first half, but helped orchestrate Boston's Rondo-less offense with five assists. However, after halftime, the NBA's career leader in 3-pointers got himself going. Allen scored six points in the opening three minutes and then hit two straight 3-pointers, the second one an apparent dagger that put the Celtics ahead 75-53. Boston entered the fourth leading by 16 -- a comfortable margin. Or so the Celtics thought. The Cavs weren't done. With Varejao outworking Boston's big men underneath and Irving taking control, the Cavaliers stormed back and were within 78-71 when Alonzo Gee drained a 3-pointer that sent Cleveland's crowd into a frenzy. Pierce and Garnett restored order and put the Celtics up by 11, but the Cavs kept fighting and were within four when Irving scored on a layup eerily similar to the game-winner he dropped at Boston Garden in the closing seconds to win Sunday's game. On Boston's next trip, Garnett hit the game's biggest bucket. His shot caromed off the rim and halfway up the backboard before dropping in, giving the Celtics, who looked and played tight down the stretch, some breathing room. Cleveland couldn't quite finish the job this time, and Irving's 3-pointer from the corner at the final horn ended a frantic fourth quarter. Rondo hasn't played since getting hurt against Toronto on Jan. 18, but he's nearing a return. He traveled with the team, a strong sign he'll be back sometime soon. Boston opens a five-game homestand Wednesday against the Raptors and will host the New York Knicks on Friday. "Him being on the road means he wanted to work with the team," coach Doc Rivers said. "With us, when you see a guy on the road, it means he's really close." Rivers felt his team had let up on Sunday, when the Cavs closed the game with a 12-0 run. "They thought they could squeeze out the game," Rivers said of the Celtics. "All of a sudden, Cleveland got excited. We couldn't turn them off. There was a lot of frustration. That's good to see. I like that." Rivers didn't like what he witnessed in the final 12 minutes as his team again became complacent. This time, the team with shamrock logo got a little lucky. Joe Johnson scores 30 as Hawks beat Raptors TORONTO (AP) -- Joe Johnson needed just three quarters to match his season high with 30 points, Tracy McGrady scored 15 against his former team and the Atlanta Hawks recorded their sixth consecutive victory over the Raptors, beating Toronto 100-77 on Tuesday night. Atlanta's leading scorer, Johnson has averaged 30 points in his past four games against Toronto. Jeff Teague, Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia each scored 10 points as the Hawks won their third straight. Jerryd Bayless scored 14 points for the Raptors, who lost their third in a row at home game. Toronto has gone 5-9 in playing a league-high 14 road games, but is just 2-6 at home. Ed Davis had 11 points and matched a season high with 11 rebounds, while Gary Forbes scored 10 points for Toronto. The Hawks, who have won five of their past six in Toronto, wrapped up their most successful five-game road swing in more than four decades. Atlanta lost at San Antonio but won at Milwaukee, Detroit and New Orleans on this trip, its best performance since going 5-0 on a five-game trip from Dec. 8-14, 1968. The Hawks have had 16 five-game road swings since. The Hawks, who have won 12 of 15 overall, host Memphis on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game homestand. Johnson had 12 points in the first quarter, giving Atlanta a 23-18 lead after one. He scored 12 more in the second as the hot-shooting Hawks made 14 of 21 field-goal attempts, taking a 56-37 lead into the half. Johnson ended the third with a pull-up jumper to make it 77-60, then took the rest of the night off. Anthony returns, Knicks rout Pistons to end slide NEW YORK (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points in his return to the lineup, Landry Fields added 16 of his 18 in a flawless first half, and the New York Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 113-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. Tyson Chandler had 17 points and Amare Stoudemire 15 for the Knicks, whose slumbering offense awoke in just their second victory in 11 games. They shot 60 per cent from the field -- amazingly the first time they bettered 50 per cent all season -- and fell just a point short of matching their highest-scoring effort. Anthony had missed two straight games because of injuries to his ankle, wrist and thumb, finally shutting it down after shooting just 31.7 percent in six games since he was hurt. But he drove easily and shot well after deciding shortly before the game he was ready to go, going 9 of 14 from the field and handing out six assists. Jonas Jerebko scored 15 points and Greg Monroe had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons, who lost their sixth straight and are struggling to even be competitive while playing without Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Will Bynum. Fields, who has played better lately after struggling early, made all six shots in the first half, including four 3-pointers. The Knicks made 23 of 35 shots (65.7 per cent) in the first half, going 6 of 8 behind the arc, and kept it up the rest of the night. The Knicks have been in a season-long shooting slump, coming into the game 29th in the NBA in field-goal percentage at 41.4 per cent. But they've shredded the Pistons twice, dunking 13 times in a 103-80 victory on Jan. 7 in Detroit.