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 Allen erupted for 12 of his 33 points in overtime, including his seventh 3-pointer of the game with 2.6 seconds remaining, lifting the visiting Celtics Sunday to a dramatic 98-95 victory.

 After the Raptors knotted the score at 95-all on TJ Ford's 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left in the extra five-minute session, the Celtics called a timeout to draw up the final play.

 Allen received the inbound pass from Paul Pierce and buried the wide-open game-winner from deep in the left corner.

 "That is exactly how we drew it up," said Allen, who was acquired in a draft day trade with Seattle in June. "Paul caught me wide open and KG (Kevin Garnett) set a great pick and I got a good shot. It was a great play."

   Garnett scored 10 of his 23 points in overtime to go along with 13 rebounds for the Celtics (2-0) while Pierce finished with 13 points.

 "We knew that it was not going to be an easy game," Garnett said. "TJ Ford got some big shots down the stretch, but Ray hit the biggest shot of the night."

   Prior to the tip-off, assistant Tom Thibodeau stepped in for Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, who left for Chicago after receiving word that his father, Grady, 76, had died.

 "Our thoughts are with Doc, and so that makes it special that we were able to win for him," Thibodeau said.

 Ford carried the reigning Atlantic Division champion Raptors (2-1) with a career-high 32 points while Chris Bosh finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

 "I knew it was going to be a night where I had to put up a lot of shots because they weren't leaving our shooters," Ford said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win until Ray hit that three."

   Elsewhere:

LA Clippers 115, Seattle SuperSonics 101

   Corey Maggette scored 27 points and Tim Thomas added 11 of his 20 in the fourth quarter as the Clippers (2-0) kept the visiting Sonics winless this season.

 Rookie phenom Kevin Durant scored 24 points to pace the Sonics, who dropped to 0-3 for the first time since 1985-86.

New York Knicks 97, Minnesota Timberwolves 93

   Jamal Crawford scored 10 of his 24 points in the final quarter to lead six players in double figures in the Knicks' first season home opening victory in six seasons.

 Stephon Marbury had 17 points for the Knicks (1-1) while Zach Randolph finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

 Ryan Gomes led the Timberwolves (0-2) with 19 points while Al Jefferson had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Charlotte Bobcats 90, Miami Heat 88

   Jason Richardson scored 29 points, and the visiting Bobcats improved to 2-0 for the first time in their four-year existence despite blowing a 16-point fourth-quarter lead.

 Udonis Haslem led the Heat (0-3) with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Shaquille O'Neal added 17 points.

Detroit Pistons 92, Atlanta Hawks 91

   Chauncey Billups scored 22 points, including the game-winning free throw with 1.7 seconds left, lifting the Pistons (3-0) to a win in their season home-opener.

 Joe Johnson led the Hawks (1-1) with 23 points and Marvin Williams added 22.

New Orleans Hornets 93, Denver Nuggets 88

   Chris Paul sank three free throws in the final half-minute to cap a 15-point, 11-assist, eight-rebound effort as the visiting Hornets handed the Nuggets their first loss of the season.

 David West led the Hornets (3-0) with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

 Allen Iverson paced the Nuggets (2-1) with 23 point. Carmelo Anthony added 20 points, and Marcus Camby grabbed 21 rebounds for the second-straight contest.

Phoenix Suns 103, Cleveland Cavaliers 92

   Steve Nash scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half and handed out 10 assists, rallying the short-handed Suns over the visiting Cavaliers.

 Shawn Marion had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns (2-1) while Frenchman Boris Diaw added 16 points in place of All-Star centre Amare Stoudemire, who sat out the game with soreness in his surgically repaired right knee.

 LeBron James scored 27 points for the Cavaliers (1-2), who led by 12 in the first half. Drew Gooden had 22 points and 14 rebounds while Zydrunas Ilgauskas finished with 22 points and 13 boards.

LA Lakers 119, Utah Jazz 109

   Kobe Bryant scored 33 points, and Derek Fisher added 15 of his 19 in the second half against his former team, helping the host Lakers to their second impressive victory over a division champion.

 Andrew Bynum tallied 11 of his 15 points in the final frame and grabbed nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minute while fellow reserve Jordan Farmar contributed 12 points for the Lakers (2-1), who crushed Pacific Division champion Phoenix 119-98 on Friday night.

 Deron Williams led the defending Northwest Division Jazz (2-1) with 26 points, and Carlos Boozer added 23 points and 12 rebounds.

DPA