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April 1, 2007

Celtics 98, Cavaliers 96

BOSTON (AP) — With LeBron James and Paul Pierce sitting out, Delonte West made two free throws with 1.9 seconds left and the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-96 on Sunday night.

It was 96-all in the closing seconds when West fell to the ground as he drove to the basket while he was guarded by Anderson Varejao. Cleveland called a timeout after the foul shots, and Damon Jones got off an open 3-point attempt from the right side, but it bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Gerald Green tied a career high with 25 points, Al Jefferson had 24 and Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and nine rebounds for Boston. Larry Hughes scored 24 points and Varejao had 12 points with eight rebounds for the Cavaliers.

James, who scored 39 points in the Cavaliers’ victory Saturday over Chicago, was diagnosed with right knee tendinitis. The Cavaliers dropped to 3-1 without him in the lineup and fell 3 1/2 games behind Detroit in the race for the best record in the Eastern Conference; the Pistons beat Miami 94-88 earlier Sunday.

James was scheduled to travel to Minnesota with the team and be re-evaluated Monday.

“It’s just general soreness,” Cleveland spokeswoman Amanda Mercado said before the game. “Nothing’s wrong. He’s just resting.”

Pierce missed his second consecutive game with a left elbow injury and a variety of other ailments that have him considering whether to shut it down for the season. The Celtics’ only race is for the best chance at Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in the NBA lottery.

Pierce, who played 52 minutes, 51 seconds in the Celtics’ game Wednesday against Orlando, worked out on the court Sunday afternoon and was available for the game, but coach Doc Rivers said he would not play.

“This is not going to be a Willis Reed moment tonight,” Rivers said. “I can guarantee that.”

The Celtics scored the first nine points of the game and led 28-14 before Eric Snow sank a long 2-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter. Cleveland scored 16 of the first 20 points in the second to tie it, but couldn’t take the lead.

By the end of the third, the lead was back to double-digits.

Notes: Pierce watched the first half in street clothes, but he changed into a uniform for a halftime shoot for a TV pilot. ... The stars weren’t the only ones in sick bay: Lucky, the Celtics mascot, hurt his left arm during a second-half rollerblading stunt. A sub worked the fourth quarter. ... Sasha Pavlovic had 17 points and Snow had eight assists for the Cavaliers. Ryan Gomes scored 17 points for Boston.

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 9:48 PM to Celtics | Permalink

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