BOSTON – Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Ray Allen had nine of his 14 in the final quarter Friday night to lift the Boston Celtics to a 91-89 victory against the struggling New York Knicks.

Kevin Garnett finished with 15 points and eight boards for the Celtics, who won for the seventh time in eight games.

Carmelo Anthony scored 26, Tyson Chandler had 20 with 11 rebounds, and Amare Stoudemire had 16 with 11 rebounds for the Knicks.

New York lost for the 11th time in 13 games.

Garnett grabbed his 10,000th career defensive rebound early in the second quarter, becoming the third player in NBA history to reach that mark. He’s behind a former Celtic, Robert Parish (10,117), and Karl Malone (11,406).

Boston point guard Rajon Rondo returned after missing the previous eight games with a right wrist injury but was ineffective, scoring just seven points and coming up with seven assists.

After Iman Shumpert’s jumper from the right corner closed the score to 85-83, Allen nailed a 3 from the right wing.

Following a put-back by Chandler, Allen caught the ball in the right corner, drove the baseline and hit a left-hander that rolled in, giving the Celtics a 90-85 lead with just under two minutes left.

HEAT 99, 76ERS 79: Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and LeBron James had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Miami at Philadelphia.

RAPTORS 106, WIZARDS 89: Leandro Barbosa shook off flulike symptoms to score 19 points, Amir Johnson had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Toronto won at home.

MAGIC 102, CAVALIERS 94: Dwight Howard scored 19 points, had 16 rebounds and blocked eight shots as Orlando won at home.

PISTONS 88, BUCKS 80: Rookie Brandon Knight scored a season-high 26 points at Auburn Hills, Mich., to help Detroit snap a seven-game losing streak.

TIMBERWOLVES 108, NETS 105: Luke Ridnour made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:23 left, Nikola Pekovic scored a career-high 27 points, and Minnesota won at Newark, N.J.

ROCKETS 99, SUNS 81: Kevin Martin scored 16 points, Kyle Lowry had eight rebounds and nine assists, and Houston won at home.

THUNDER 101, GRIZZLIES 94: Kevin Durant scored 36 points and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer in the final minute as Oklahoma City won at home.

PACERS 98, MAVERICKS 87: Paul George hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 30 points as Indiana won at Dallas for the first time in eight years.

NOTES

Center Greg Oden underwent an arthroscopic procedure to remove debris from his right knee, his fourth surgery since Portland selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft. New Orleans decided to reactivate 7-foot center Chris Kaman, who had been excused from team activities since last week while the club sought to trade him.

Orlando forward Glen Davis was suspended for two games for conduct detrimental to the team, stemming from a verbal altercation with Coach Stan Van Gundy. The Los Angeles Clippers and free agent Kenyon Martin agreed to a one-year deal, returning the veteran forward to the NBA after a brief stint in China.

The Dallas owner, Mark Cuban, and Coach Rick Carlisle were fined by the NBA after they became upset with the officiating Wednesday night during a 95-86 loss to Oklahoma City.