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Paul Pierce scored 26 points, newcomers Kevin Garnett had 23 points and 13 rebounds while Ray Allen finished with 22 points as the unbeaten Celtics (3-0) rocked the visiting Nuggets 119-92.

 "Not a lot to complain about tonight," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers after watching his club shoot a torrid 64.5 per cent from the floor. "We came out ready to play and we played well."

   Despite their second straight lopsided home victory, the Celtics think they can play better.

 "We're just scratching the surface of where we can be," Pierce said. "I look up and see a lot of positives, but we're by far nowhere near where we want to be. But we're scratching and getting better every day."

   Allen Iverson led the Nuggets (2-3) with 22 points, but Carmelo Anthony was held to just 11.

 "From the start, they jumped right on us and they were able to take care of business," Iverson. "You have a couple of games like this throughout the year that you have to deal with and we are just glad it's early rather than late in the season."

   Playing unselfishly, Boston came out of the gate fast and never let up against the Nuggets, who dropped a 119-112 decision in New York on Tuesday.

 Ahead 38-22 after one, the lead ballooned to 77-38 by halftime as the Celtics shot a blistering 72 per cent from the field (31-of-43) behind Pierce's 20 points while Garnett and Allen added 14 and 13, respectively.

 "We knew the Nuggets played last night and were a little tired, so we wanted to establish an early tempo," Pierce said. "We got the early lead and never looked back."

   With the shell-shocked Nuggets offering little resistance, the Celtics continued the onslaught as the gap swelled to 91-50 on Garnett's dunk late in the third quarter before coasting to the emphatic victory.

 Elsewhere    Utah Jazz 103, Cleveland Cavaliers 101    Speedy Deron Williams drove the length of the court and scooped in a driving layup with 1.3 seconds remaining, lifting the Jazz to the dramatic home court victory over the Cavaliers.

 LeBron James who led the Cavaliers with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists for his 13th career triple double, buried a 3-pointer with six seconds left to knot the score at 101-apiece before Williams hit the game-winner.

 Paul Millsap led the Jazz (3-2) with a career-high 24 points while Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 12 rebounds.

 LA Clippers 104, Indiana Pacers 89    In a battle of unbeaten teams, Sam Cassell scored 11 of his 35 points in the pivotal third quarter, while Chris Kaman had 15 points and pulled down an NBA-season-high 22 rebounds as the visiting Clippers improved to 4-0 - their best start in 22 seasons.

 Danny Granger led the Pacers (4-1) with 16 points.

 Philadelphia 76ers 94, Charlotte Bobcats 63    Andre Iguodala scored 19 points and Willie Green had 14 as the host Sixers battered the short-handed Bobcats in the wire-to-wire home win.

 Matt Carroll scored 15 points for the Bobcats (2-2) who played without starting point guard Raymond Felton (sprained left knee).

 Atlanta Hawks 105, Phoenix Suns 96    Josh Smith scored 22 points and Marvin Williams had 20 points and 12 rebounds, carrying the host Hawks over the short-handed Suns.

 Steve Nash had 34 points and 11 assists while Shawn Marion finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds for the visiting Suns (3-2) who played their third consecutive contest without All-Star Amare Stoudemire (right knee soreness).

 Orlando Magic 105, Toronto Raptors 96    Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu had 24 points and a career-high 15 rebounds while Rashard Lewis also scored 24 points as the visiting Magic (4-1) tripped the Raptors.

 Chris Bosh led the Raptors (2-3) with 26 points.

 San Antonio Spurs 88, Miami Heat 78    Argentine Manu Ginobili scored 12 of his 25 points in the third period, and Frenchman Tony Parker had 23 as the host Spurs (4-1) kept the Heat winless this season.

 Shaquille O'Neal led the struggling Heat (0-4) with 17 points.

 Memphis Grizzlies 105, Seattle SuperSonics 98    Rudy Gay scored 25 points and Kyle Lowry hit the game-clinching 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, giving the Grizzlies (1-3) their first win of the season while sending the winless Sonics to their worst start in 38 years.

 Chris Wilcox led the Sonics (0-5) with 21 points and rookie sensation Kevin Durant finished with 17 points.

 Portland Trail Blazers 93, New Orleans Hornets 90    Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack scored 20 points apiece as the Trail Blazers (1-3) won their first game of the season, while handing the visiting Hornets their first loss.

 David West had 34 points and 17 rebounds while Chris Paul added 18 points and 12 assists for the Hornets (4-1), who entered the game with their best start in franchise history.

DPA