Chauncey Billups hit two free throws with a tenth of a second left to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 87-85 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

The loss was Boston's first at home this season having won its first 12 home games, its most since a club-record 17 by the 1957-58 squad.

The Celtics had matched the best-ever season start of the 1963-64 team that eventually won the National Basketball Association title.

The Pistons held off a late Boston rally and won the game when Billups converted his free throws after being fouled by Tony Allen.

"It was playoff-intense, pretty aggressive out there," Detroit coach Flip Saunders told reporters. "I would say, by far, it was the most aggressive game this season, with all five guys going against each other.

"It got a little bit chippy, so it was a little bit of a playoff-like atmosphere."

In other NBA games, it was: Magic 97, Rockets 92; Kings 102, Bucks 89; Mavericks 108, Suns 105; Hawks 117, Heat 111 (in overtime); Knicks 108, Cavaliers 90; Grizzlies 88, Spurs 85; Warriors 111, Timberwolves 98; Trail Blazers 101, Raptors 96; Bulls 95, Wizards 84; Pacers 102, 76ers 85; Bobcats 98, Jazz 92; and Hornets 107, SuperSonics 93.

In Boston, Detroit led 85-79 with 3:34 to play but Eddie House and Ray Allen hit three-pointers to tie the game. The score was level until the final seconds, when Paul Pierce missed a fadeaway that would have given Boston the lead.

Rasheed Wallace grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with 1.7 seconds left. On the inbound, Allen fouled Billups, leading to the winning free throws.

Billups had a game-high 28 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and added eight assists. Richard Hamilton added 21 points and Wallace nine points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons.

Kevin Garnett led Boston with 26 points and 12 rebounds and Ray Allen added 24 points. Despite being the losing team, Boston had 49 percent possession to Detroit's 40 percent.

"It's a good lesson for our guys," Boston coach Doc Rivers said.

Detroit (18-7), the Central Division leaders, won its third successive game.

In Houston, Dwight Howard had 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks and Orlando took advantage of Tracy McGrady's absence in the second half to beat Houston.

Yao Ming scored 19 on 7-for-18 shooting and had 17 rebounds in the first matchup of the season between two of the game's best centers.

Rafer Alston and Bonzi Wells added 17 points apiece for Houston, which cut Orlando's lead to one with a late rally before losing for the sixth time in nine games.

McGrady left with a sore left knee at halftime after going 1-for-10 from the field in the first half. He bruised the knee in Saturday's loss to Dallas.

In Milwaukee, Ron Artest scored 26 points and had eight assists to help Sacramento beat Milwaukee and finish 3-2 on its five-game road trip.

Beno Udrih, signed by the Kings on Nov. 1, hit a career-high six 3-pointers to finish with 24 points for Sacramento, which had been 0-9 before the road trip.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily December 21, 2007)