AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Allen Iverson was welcomed to the Motor City with a standing ovation so loud that the public-address announcer couldn't be heard.

Then, the Boston Celtics quieted the crowd and spoiled Iverson's first game at home with the Detroit Pistons.

Tony Allen scored 12 of his 23 points in the pivotal second quarter, lifting Boston to an 88-76 win yesterday.

Iverson said he got "chillbumps" when he was introduced and heard the roar of the crowd.

"That's all you want when you get traded," said Iverson, who has been dealt twice in two years. "You want to get that initial feeling of how they embrace and accept you."

A sold-out crowd stayed in the game during a closely contested first quarter before being silenced in the second, when Boston used four reserves to outscore Detroit 30-10.

"That's our job," Allen said. "If we don't come in and give the team a lift, we aren't doing what we are supposed to do."

The defending champions didn't have any trouble keeping their big cushion in a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals.

Iverson finished with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting with four assists and four turnovers.

Detroit acquired the former league MVP, Denver Nugget and Philadelphia 76er last week for All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, key reserve Antonio McDyess and throw-in Cheikh Samb.

The Pistons fell to 0-2 with Iverson.

"I'm not up here to talk about how long it's going to take for everything to look smooth," coach Mike Curry said. "He did a lot of good things and I'm going to encourage him to be even more aggressive."

Boston coach Doc Rivers said the Pistons will be better, but it's going to take time.

"When you get a new player, especially one that is going to have his hands on the ball, it changes 75 percent of your offense," Rivers said. "The fans don't understand how hard it is to change a point guard in the middle of a season, but it is tough. It changes everything."

CLIPPERS 103, MAVERICKS 92

LOS ANGELES — Baron Davis had 22 points and 10 assists, Al Thornton got eight of his 17 points in the final six minutes and Los Angeles snapped a season-opening six-game losing streak with a victory over Dallas.

LAKERS 111, ROCKETS 82

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, Pau Gasol added 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Los Angeles (5-0) shot 65.8 percent in the second half against Houston.

KNICKS 107, JAZZ 99

NEW YORK — Jamal Crawford scored 32 points, and New York moved two games over .500 for the first time since it was 16-14 on Jan. 1, 2005. The Knicks (4-2) also ended the Jazz's (5-1) undefeated start.

RAPTORS 89, BOBCATS 79

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chris Bosh had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and Andrea Bargnani scored 18 points as Toronto beat Charlotte to snap a two-game losing streak.

HAWKS 89, THUNDER 85

OKLAHOMA CITY — Joe Johnson scored 25 points and Atlanta came from behind to beat Oklahoma City and remain undefeated. Atlanta is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since starting the 1997-98 season with 11 straight wins.

NUGGETS 100, GRIZZLIES 90

DENVER — Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points, and Chauncey Billups had 16 points and 10 assists as Denver beat Memphis.

KINGS 115, WARRIORS 98

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kevin Martin scored 27 points, and Sacramento pulled away in the second half to beat Golden State for its third straight victory.