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Pierce, Wizards top Celtics

Dec 28, 2014 - 4:32 AM Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul Pierce netted 12 of his 17 points against his former team in the first quarter and the Washington Wizards defeated the Boston Celtics, 101-88, on Saturday night.

"Feeling good, it's around the New Year's, this is when I start to turn up my game," Pierce said.

Kris Humphries posted 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while John Wall added 12 points and seven assists for the Wizards, who have won eight of their last 10 games.

Jeff Green provided a game-high 23 points for Boston, which has dropped four straight games.

"They were into us. They were physical. They were aggressive," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of the Wizards.

The Wizards raced out to a 15-2 start and never looked back, leading by as many as 24 down the stretch. Pierce poured in eight points during the early stages of the game. Boston shot 4-of-16 in the opening quarter, compared to 13-of-24 for Washington.

Washington led 30-12 following a quarter of play, 56-39 at the break and 80-63 going into the fourth.

Otto Porter's drive and dunk staked the Wizards to their largest advantage of 97-73 with 3:11 remaining.

Game Notes

The Wizards scored 22 points off 18 Boston turnovers ... Pierce, who played just under 19 minutes, finished 6-of-9 from the floor ... Washington held a 48-36 rebounding and 44-34 points in the paint advantage ... Boston was just 6-of-24 from beyond the arc.