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Pierce, Celtics look to stay hot vs. Nuggets

Nov 14, 2008 - 11:25 AM Denver (4-4) at Boston (8-1) 8:00 p.m. EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Paul Pierce is making sure opposing teams do not forget the Boston Celtics are the defending NBA champions.

Pierce tries to lead the Celtics to their seventh straight win on Friday when they host the Denver Nuggets.

The 31-year-old forward, Pierce has torched the opposition over the last two games. He scored 36 points and added nine rebounds to lead Boston to a 94-87 victory against the Toronto Raptors on Monday before duplicating the heroics he displayed in his MVP performance during the Celtics' title run last season.

Pierce hit a fall-away jumper over Al Horford with five-tenths of a second remaining on his way to 34 points as Boston handed the Atlanta Hawks their first loss, 103-102, on Wednesday.

He should have little trouble continuing that success against the Nuggets. Pierce has averaged just under 30 points, six rebounds and five assists in 10 career home games vs. Denver, which is coming off its first loss in four games since acquiring Chauncey Billups from the Detroit Pistons on November 3.

Billups scored a season-high 26 points on Thursday, but it wasn't enough as the Nuggets dropped a 110-99 decision to the Cleveland Cavaliers.