INQUIRER Sports

BOSTON?The Boston Celtics opened a yawning 5? game gap over Toronto atop the NBA?s Atlantic Division with a 116-103 win over the Raptors on Friday.

Ray Allen scored 20 points for Boston while Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins had 18 apiece.

The Celtics won three in a row for the first time since opening the season with six straight victories.

Toronto?s Chris Bosh had 20 points and 13 rebounds.

In Indianapolis, Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 113-92 rout of Indiana.

Nowitzki, who entered the night sixth in the NBA at 26.9 points per game, made 10 of 14 field goals and 11 of 13 free throws. Jason Terry scored 17 for the Mavericks, winners of five straight road games.

Indiana?s Danny Granger, who missed the previous game with a sprained knee ligament, finished with 20 points.

In Portland, Oregon, the Memphis Grizzlies withstood a second-half rally to hold off the Trail Blazers, 106-96.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Gerald Wallace had 31 points and 14 rebounds while outplaying LeBron James and leading the Bobcats past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 94-87.

The surprising Bobcats won their third straight game following a seven-game losing streak, mostly thanks to Wallace, who beat James in numerous 1-on-1 matchups in the post.

The Cavaliers looked disjointed in Shaquille O?Neal?s return from a shoulder injury. O?Neal missed five of his first seven shots and finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Cleveland fell to 6-4 when he plays and 5-1 when he?s out.

In Philadelphia, Jamal Crawford scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 100-86 victory over the 76ers.

Mike Bibby added 21 for the Hawks, who responded with a road win a day after struggling in a loss to Orlando.

In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant had 33 points and 12 rebounds to power the Thunder past the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-90.

In Houston, Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess recorded double-doubles as the San Antonio Spurs grounded the Rockets, 92-84.

Duncan had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and McDyess added 15 and 14.

In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 50 points as the Nuggets edged the New York Knicks in a thriller, 128-125.

In Miami, the Washington Wizards defeated the Heat for the first time in seven tries,

94-84.

In Minneapolis, Phoenix sent Minnesota to its 15th straight loss with a 120-95 beating.

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Chris Kaman scored 26 points and Baron Davis added 25 to help Los Angeles top Detroit, 104-96.

In Sacramento, California, New Jersey lost to Sacramento, 109-96, dropping its 16th straight game to open the season and moving within one of matching the worst start in NBA history. AP