Celtics 118, Knicks 116
Paul Pierce’s 15-footer with 0.4 seconds left gave the Boston Celtics a thrilling 118-116 victory over the host New York Knicks in a matchup of two of the NBA’s hottest teams Wednesday night.
Pierce scored 32 points, giving Boston (20-4) its 11th straight victory. Amare Stoudemire scored 39 points for New York (16-10), which had its eight-game winning streak snapped.
Following Pierce’s basket, Stoudemire took an inbounds pass and buried a 3-pointer which would have given the Knicks the win. But officials went to the instant replay and ruled the shot came after the final buzzer.
Stoudemire spent some time on the bench in the first half getting treatment for a sore neck but still had 23 first-half points. He has scored over 30 points in a team-record nine straight games.
New York led by 11 points in the first quarter and grabbed a 58-51 halftime edge following a long 3-pointer just before the buzzer by Raymond Felton, who scored 26 points.
Ray Allen hit several big shots to lead the Celtics’ comeback and finished with 26 points.
Boston center Shaquille O’Neal missed his third straight game because of a sore right calf. Jermaine O’Neal and Kendrick Perkins are also with out with knee injuries.