76ers defeat Rose-less Bulls

Jrue Holiday scored 26 points, Lou Williams added 20 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat Chicago, 109-92, Tuesday night to even their first-round series at 1 in the Bulls' first game since Derrick Rose's season-ending knee injury.

The superstar point guard received a standing ovation and waved to the crowd as he limped onto the court to present the game ball, then watched from a suite as the 76ers simply blitzed the host Bulls in the third quarter.

They outscored Chicago 36-14 in the period, turning an eight-point deficit into an 83-69 lead, and pulled even with the league's top-seeded team. Game 3 is Friday in Philadelphia.

Holiday was 11 of 15 from the field, and the Sixers shot 59 percent overall. Williams went 8 of 13 after hitting just 1 of 6 shots in the opener, and Chicago product Evan Turner chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

"I thought the third quarter was the game," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The first five minutes, they were into us. We took tough shots and didn't have floor balance. They got into the open floor, crushed us off isolation."

Joakim Noah led the Bulls with 21 points and eight rebounds. John Lucas III scored 15 points, but Carlos Boozer scored just nine and Luol Deng finished with eight.

Celtics 87, Hawks 80: Paul Pierce battled through another tough shooting night to score 36 points and the Boston Celtics wiped out Atlanta's 11-point lead in the second half even without Rajon Rondo, stunning the host Hawks in Game 2. The series is tied at 1. Pierce also led the Celtics in rebounding with 14. Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Game 3 is Friday in Boston, and Rondo will be back.

Popovich coach of year

Gregg Popovich was selected as the NBA's Coach of the Year after leading the San Antonio Spurs to 50 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in the lockout-shortened season.

Popovich also won the award in 2003, when San Antonio won its second of four championships.

-- AP