NEW YORK — Paul Pierce carried the Celtics all game while the rest of the Big Three struggled.

So when it came time for the winning shot, of course Pierce would take it.

That's what the New York Knicks seemed to think, anyway.

Instead, Pierce swung it to a wide-open Kevin Garnett, whose jumper beat the overtime buzzer to give Boston a 107-105 victory yesterday.

"I knew they were going to sort of follow Paul and he's going to draw a lot of attention," Garnett said, "and I just had to make the shot."

Garnett hadn't made many, going 4 of 15 in what he said was an average to below-average performance. Yet Pierce suggested the final play to coach Doc Rivers and it worked perfectly.

"He's that type of player," Pierce said. "You're talking about a Hall of Fame player. He's missed millions of shots. ... (But) he really stepped up big for our team when we needed it."

Pierce scored a season-high 33 points, and had all of Boston's points in overtime until the final play. Two Knicks followed him, leaving Garnett alone at the top of the key for his 19-footer.

"I am expecting Pierce to try and make a move and pull up," said David Lee, one of the defenders who followed Pierce. "Good play by them and it's just unfortunate to lose a game like this."

Garnett and Ray Allen had miserable shooting efforts, but Rajon Rondo finished with 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds as Boston won for the second time in five games.

Reserve Al Harrington scored 30 points and Lee had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks.

Suns 117, Pistons 91: Amare Stoudemire scored 21 points and Steve Nash 20 as host Phoenix improved to 11-3, tying Atlanta and Orlando for the best record of the season. Charlie Villanueva and rookie DaJuan Summers each scored 13 for Detroit, which lost its fifth in a row.

Magic 104, Raptors 96: Vince Carter scored 24 points, Dwight Howard had 17 points and 12 rebounds and visiting Orlando won its fifth straight. Chris Bosh scored 22 points for Toronto, which has lost four of five.

Lakers 101, Thunder 85: Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, including an astonishing shot from the baseline in which his momentum carried him out of bounds after he released the ball, to lift host Los Angeles. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 19 points.

Heat 102, Hornets 101: Dwyane Wade had 31 points, and Udonis Haslem hit a jumper with 15.4 seconds left to lift host Miami. Marcus Thornton led New Orleans with 24 points.

Bobcats 104, Pacers 88: Nazr Mohammed scored 18 points, Boris Diaw added 17 and host Charlotte snapped a seven-game losing streak. Dahntay Jones scored 19 points and Danny Granger 18 for Indiana, which has lost three straight following a five-game winning streak.