Duncan Starts, Helps Finish Celtics, 103-87

Tim Duncan returned to the starting lineup and had 26 points and 15 rebounds Saturday night as San Antonio defeated Boston, 103-87, at San Antonio.

Manu Ginobili added 26 points in 24 minutes for the Spurs.

After sitting out nine games because of a left knee injury, Duncan came off the bench for the first time in his NBA career in the Spurs’ 106-86 victory over the Timberwolves on Thursday. He had 22 points on six of 15 shooting and 10 rebounds in that game.

Back in his customary starting slot at power forward, he made 10 of 13 from the field and all six of his free throws while leading a defense that limited Boston to 34 second-half points.

“I kind of got rolling there in the third quarter,” said Duncan, who made all four of his attempts in the quarter. “All around, a pretty decent game.”

The Celtics, who trailed by four at halftime, tied the score at 57 on a jump shot by Paul Pierce with 9:48 remaining in the third quarter.

“They tried to put us away in the first half. We fought back,” said Pierce, who led Boston with 18 points. “They just wore us down as the game went on.”

Tony Parker then made an 18-foot jump shot and Duncan had a breakaway dunk off a steal.

Phoenix 123, Milwaukee 111 -- Amare Stoudemire scored 27 points and the Suns reached a season high in points and broke a five-game home losing streak.

The victory was the Suns’ 16th in a row at home over the slumping Bucks. Overall, the Suns have won only seven of their last 27 games, while Milwaukee has lost seven of eight.

Portland 92, Orlando 73 -- Derek Anderson scored 24 points and Theo Ratliff added 14 points and six blocked shots to lead the Trail Blazers to victory at Portland, Ore.

The Magic were without All-Star swingman Tracy McGrady, who left the team to attend his great-grandmother’s funeral.

Memphis 99, Indiana 95 -- James Posey scored 16 points, including seven in the final two minutes, to lead the Grizzlies past the Pacers at Memphis, Tenn.

Posey’s three-point play with 1:29 remaining came late in a 12-0 run that gave the Grizzlies a 97-90 lead. The Pacers were led by Jermaine O’Neal with 28 points.

Chicago 87, New York 81 -- Jamal Crawford made a baseline jump shot with 3.6 seconds left, completing a 25-point effort and securing the Bulls’ victory at Chicago.

Kurt Thomas paced the Knicks with 17 points. New York, which dropped half a game behind Miami for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, played without injured guard Allan Houston and lost Tim Thomas because of a groin strain after the first quarter.

Utah 87, Atlanta 81 -- Andrei Kirilenko and Raja Bell each scored 18 points at Atlanta and the Jazz won for the fifth time in seven games. Utah won its second in a row to move into a tie with Denver for the eighth and final Western Conference spot. The Nuggets, who own the tiebreaker, were idle and play today at Minnesota.

Miami 101, Philadelphia 69 -- Dwyane Wade and Eddie Jones scored 17 points apiece at Miami to lead the Heat to their fourth consecutive victory and seventh in eight games. The 76ers have lost four in a row.