Walker, Davis guide Celtics to triumph as Payton returns

Antoine Walker is doing his best to take full advantage of his second chance with the Boston Celtics.

Walker and Ricky Davis each scored 18 points, and Gary Payton added 10 in his return to Boston’s lineup Friday night, leading the Celtics to a 104-84 victory over the expansion Charlotte Bobcats at Boston.

Marcus Banks scored 13 points, Mark Blount had 11, and Delonte West added 11 points and eight assists for Boston, 4-0 since Walker returned to the team last week in a trade with Atlanta.

Payton, who re-signed Friday after being waived by Atlanta on Tuesday, played 21 minutes.

Payton scored six points during a 13-5 run late in the second quarter that gave Boston a 56-41 lead.

Heat 104, Kings 83: At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and Miami made Alonzo Mourning’s formal homecoming a good one, getting double-digit scoring from all five starters en route to defeating Sacramento. Shaquille O’Neal had 18 points, giving him 23,177 for his career and tying him with Adrian Dantley for 17th in NBA history. Mourning played the final 3:37 and finished with four points and four rebounds.

Pacers 106, Trail Blazers 97: At Portland, Ore., Reggie Miller and Stephen Jackson scored 24 points each, and Indiana spoiled Portland coach Kevin Pritchard’s debut. Shareef Abdur-Rahim led Portland with 27 points.

Grizzlies 86, Raptors 75: At Memphis, Tenn., Shane Battier scored 12 of his career-high 33 points in the fourth quarter to help Memphis rally for coach Mike Fratello’s 600th career victory and beat Toronto.

Hornets 92, Jazz 85: At New Orleans, J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown each scored 14 points to help New Orleans snap Utah’s three-game winning streak. Jackson Vroman scored a career-high 12 points and had nine rebounds, and Chris Andersen added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets .

Timberwolves 103, Bucks 97: At Minneapolis, Wally Szczerbiak scored 28 points, Kevin Garnett added 25 and Anthony Carter had a season-high 13 assists for Minnesota, which beat Milwaukee. Michael Redd had 24 points and seven rebounds for the Bucks.

Sixers 98, Cavaliers 89: At Philadelphia, Chris Webber had his best performance in four games with Philadelphia, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the 76ers’ victory over Cleveland. LeBron James led Cleveland with 34 points.

Magic 111, Knicks 89: At Orlando, Fla., Grant Hill scored 29 points and rookie Dwight Howard added 20 points and 15 rebounds to help Orlando snap New York’s three-game winning streak.

Warriors 103, Wizards 90: At Washington, Jason Richardson scored 16 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, and also had eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks as Golden State beat Washington. Troy Murphy added 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Warriors.

Spurs 102, Bulls 99: At San Antonio, Tim Duncan made an 18-foot jumper with 38 seconds left to break a tie, and Manu Ginobili added four late free throws to help San Antonio beat Chicago. Duncan finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds.

Lakers 108, Mavericks 103: At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 40 points in the final 2:15, Caron Butler had 20 points and Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over Dallas. Lamar Odom added 18 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles.

Around the league

Toronto placed forward Eric Williams on the injured list with a sprained right calf and activated forward Pape Sow. … Memphis put Bonzi Wells on the injured list with a slightly herniated disc. Wells is expected to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks. The Grizzlies also activated Andre Emmett, who had been on the injured list since Jan. 25 with a sprained ankle. … Jermaine O’Neal was placed on the injured list by Indiana, one day after he sprained his shoulder in a game at Denver. O’Neal has a subluxated sprain of the right shoulder and will miss at least five games. The Pacers also waived forward Michael Curry and signed veteran free agent forward Dale Davis. … The Detroit Pistons reacquired center Elden Campbell, who was traded away in January then waived by Utah and New Jersey.