Hawks 107 - 118 Celtics
Final
  for this game

Pierce's triple-double helps Celts down Hawks

Mar 30, 2013 - 5:50 AM

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Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Paul Pierce recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, as the Boston Celtics held off the Atlanta Hawks, 118-107.

Jeff Green added 27 points for the Celtics, who sit 1 1/2 games behind Atlanta for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Jason Terry made five 3-pointers en route to 24 points.

Brandon Bass donated 13 points for Boston, which has won two in a row since a five-game skid.

Mike Scott and Josh Smith ended with 19 and 18 points, respectively, for the Hawks, who went 2-2 on a four-game road trip. Jeff Teague tallied 17 points and seven assists.

Anthony Tolliver had 14 points and seven rebounds for Atlanta, which was without the services of center Al Horford (stomach illness). Shelvin Mack finished with 12 points and nine assists.

The Celtics held a 32-30 lead after a tight first quarter that featured nine lead changes and six ties.

Atlanta started the second period on a 10-2 run to grab a 40-34 advantage. The Celtics, however, responded with a 25-8 burst to take control. Terry made four 3-pointers en route to 14 points during the surge, helping Boston grab a 59-48 margin with 2:41 left in the half.

"This is the time of the year when you want to get ready for the playoffs so I just told myself be aggressive," Terry said.

Green made a 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds left to give the Celtics a 66-56 edge at the break.

"Every time we play here it seems like Jeff Green hits a big three," Teague said.

Boston led by as many as 15 in the third stanza and took a 92-80 lead into the fourth.

Trailing by 11, 98-87, with 8:36 to play, the Hawks scored five straight points. Kyle Korver capped the brief spurt with a layup to cut the gap to 98-92.

But the Celtics scored nine of the next 11 points to essentially put the game away.

Game Notes

The Celtics won the season series by a 3-1 margin ... It was the ninth triple-double of Pierce's career ... Boston shot 54.2 percent from the field and went 11-of-23 from beyond the arc ... Hawks guard John Jenkins played just over three minutes before leaving the game with a mild concussion ... Boston's Kevin Garnett missed his fourth straight game with inflammation in his left ankle.






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