Nets race past Celtics

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- They ran at every opportunity, scored with ease and never trailed. And with Jason Kidd doing everything he has done all season, the New Jersey Nets showed exactly why they're the No. 1 team in the East.

Picking apart Boston's vaunted defense without much trouble, the Nets beat Boston 104-97 Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Celtics star Paul Pierce scored 14 points in the first quarter but was a non-factor the rest of the way. He picked up his third and fourth fouls in a 16-second span early in the third quarter, and the Nets went on an 18-8 run after he went to the bench.

Pierce didn't score again until 8:21 remained in the game. By then, the Nets had built their lead as high as 17 and were able to withstand a rally that got the Celtics within six with under 2 minutes left.

Kidd finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

Kerry Kittles, Todd MacCulloch and Keith Van Horn scored 14 apiece, and seven Nets reached double figures.

Pierce and Antoine Walker led Boston with 27 points each.

ROCKETS WIN LOTTERY: The Houston Rockets hope things work out as well as the last time they had the No. 1 pick.

Houston won the NBA draft lottery Sunday, giving it the right to make the first overall selection, something it hasn't done since 1984. That year, Houston picked Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped the team win two championships.

The Chicago Bulls will pick second, and the Golden State Warriors third in the June 26 draft. Those clubs tied for the league's worst record (21-61) and each had a 22.5 percent chance of winning the lottery.

Houston, which is building around star guard Steve Francis, had the fifth-worst record (28-54) this season, and had an 8.9 percent chance of getting the top pick. The pingpong balls bounced the Rockets' way, though, extending a trend: The team with the best chance of grabbing No. 1 hasn't done so since 1990.

-- From wire reports