Earl Boykins

Doc Rivers steered his team back on course while gaining a measure of revenge on his old squad, and the Boston Celtics ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Magic, 117-101, Monday night at Orlando, Fla. The Magic fired Rivers a year ago, after four-plus seasons, when the team started 1-10. But he insisted Monday's game wasn't personal. "For me, I just kept it on the guys," Rivers said. "It couldn't be about me. It had to be about the players, and the players answered tonight."

at New York 106, New Jersey 97: Larry Hughes scored 16 of his 25 points in the third quarter, and the Knicks sent the Nets back to their losing ways. Al Harrington had 26 points and 14 rebounds for New York, which won for the third time in four games. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 26 points for New Jersey, which had defeated Charlotte on Friday night for its first victory after an NBA-record 18 consecutive losses to begin the season. Miami 115, at Sacramento 102: Dwyane Wade had 34 points and 10 assists for the Heat, which never trailed.

at Atlanta 100, Boston 91: Joe Johnson scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the Hawks beat Boston to complete their first season sweep of the Celtics in 11 years. Cleveland 94, at Indiana 73: LeBron James finished with 22 points, a season-high 13 assists and nine rebounds, the third time in five games that he missed a triple-double by a single rebound. Chicago 108, at New Orleans 106 (OT): Luol Deng scored 26 points, including a putback with 0.2 of a second left in regulation to force overtime.

Corliss Williamson finally joined the Toronto Raptors with NBA approval of a trade that sends Doug Christie to the Sacramento Kings. The deal was made Aug. 11, but wasn't finalized until the NBA considered the salary-cap ramifications involving Williamson's contract. Williamson, 26, entering the final season of a two-year, $7.5-million contract, averaged 10.3 points last season. Christie, 30, averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds last season.

Jason Williams made an 18-foot jumper to halt a late rally as the Memphis Grizzlies held on after opening a big early lead and beat the Clippers, 121-113, Sunday. None of the Clippers' starters played after the first quarter Memphis scored 41 points to open a 17-point lead, yet the Clippers made a game of it down the stretch behind reserves Darius Miles, Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins. Playing well for the second consecutive game in the exhibition season, Williams finished with 23 points.

Clipper guard Corey Maggette drove toward the basket early in the third quarter Tuesday, drew a foul and hit the floor with a thud that reverberated around America West Arena. The Clippers gasped. Maggette, already nursing a sore knee, made one of two free throws, then made a quick exit. He suffered a hip pointer and a bruised elbow from his crash landing and did not play again in the Clippers' 96-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Maggette joined an expanding list of wounded Clippers.

Making adjustments on the run will be a growing challenge for Clippers as the season goes on. Opponents will have a chance to break down their tendencies, thanks to advance scouting. For Coach Alvin Gentry and his staff, this will not be easy because of the Clippers' inexperience. "We have simplified things a lot more than we would have liked to [already]," Gentry said. "We've cut down on the plays that we run. . . . We have to keep things simple until we get a feel of what is going on."

It may be difficult to accept, but the Clippers are not the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA. Making only 26.5% of their attempts from behind the arc ranks them 27th of 29 teams. Center Sean Rooks leads the Clippers in three-point shooting, but that's because he made his only attempt. Of the players who are looked on to make perimeter shots, Eric Piatkowski, the franchise's all-time three-point leader, is making 35.9% of his shots and Corey Maggette is knocking down 33.

Clipper point guard Jeff McInnis missed the morning shoot-around and did not start Monday's game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center. Earl Boykins took his spot, making his first start of the season. "It angers me," Coach Alvin Gentry said when asked about the latest in a string of incidents this season. "It disappoints me. It's all about being a part of a team. I think it's happening too often.

Anthony Taylor scored 22 points and Wally Szczerbiak added 18 as Miami of Ohio won its second game for its ailing coach with a 64-59 victory over Kent in a Mid-American Conference semifinal Tuesday night. The seventh-seeded RedHawks (16-11) will meet fourth-seeded Eastern Michigan in Wednesday night's championship game. Eastern got 35 points from Earl Boykins and 31 from Derrick Dial in a dramatic 93-92 overtime victory over top-seeded Ball State.