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Pierce helps Celtics down Pacers

Dec 29, 2010 - 7:28 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Paul Pierce's game-high 21 points and seven assists led a balanced Celtics attack, and Boston topped Indiana, 95-83, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Ray Allen scored 17, Kevin Garnett notched a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds and Glen Davis scored 14 in a reserve role for Boston, which bounced back after their 86-78 loss to the Orlando Magic on Christmas Day.

Marquis Daniels scored 12 to go along with five rebounds and Shaquille O'Neal added nine points in 16 minutes of work, before fouling out for the second game in a row.

"(Daniels) did a great job tonight, not only offensively but guarding their point guard." Allen said of his teammate. "He was able to keep us under control and he did a great job in the fourth quarter."

Brandon Rush led the Pacers with 17 points and seven rebounds and Danny Granger finished with 15 points for Indiana, which has dropped three of four.

Darren Collison chipped in 10 points and Mike Dunleavy scored nine off the bench in defeat.

Down one, 67-66, entering the fourth quarter, the Celtics began the final stanza on an 11-0 spurt to take the lead for good.

Daniels hit a turnaround jumper at 11:08 to start the run and give Boston a 68-67 lead. Davis added a short jumper and Von Wafer scored his only points of the game -- a driving layup at 10:16 -- to give Boston a 72-67 advantage.

Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien was called for a technical foul, and Allen proceeded to knock down the free throw, and Davis added a long jump shot at 9:22 to widen the Celtics margin to 75-67.

Allen ended the run with a pullup bank shot off a Josh McRoberts missed jumper at 8:44 to put the Celtics up 10, 77-67.

Indiana's Jeff Foster connected on a putback layup with 1:10 remaining to cut the Celtics lead down to 90-83, but Pierce's open court slam and long three with 16.7 seconds left accounted for the final margin.

"We just lost," said McRoberts. "We played well with them for three quarters. They made a run. We didn't respond well, didn't make good plays and lost the ball game."

The Celtics shot 65 percent from the field in the fourth quarter and forced Indiana into a 5-of-19 shooting effort and only 1-of-5 from beyond the arch in the final stanza.

The Pacers held a 26-19 lead after the first quarter, behind a 52.6 percent shooting effort. The Celtics responded in the second, coming back from as much as a 12-point deficit, to cut the Pacers lead to 47-45 at the half.

Indiana maintained its margin in the third as it again had a double-digit lead, but the Celtics outscored Indiana 21-20, to trim the Pacers advantage to 67-66 entering the fourth.

Game Notes

Boston is now 11-4 on the road this season...Boston won the first meeting 99-88 on December 19, and has taken four straight in this series...Indiana finished a three-game home stand (1-2)...Indiana won the rebounding margin 41-39, but the Pacers committed 16 turnovers...Both teams scored 34 points in the paint.