Pierce helps Celtics edge Pacers

Delonte West netted 17 points for Boston, which has won three of it last four games. Wally Szczerbiak and Ryan Gomes scored 13 points apiece, and Raef LaFrentz added 11 points and 11 boards.

Peja Stojakovic scored 24 points for Indiana, which had a two-game winning streak snapped. Stephen Jackson scored 20 points and Fred Jones had 16. David Harrison chipped in 10 points.

Jones tied the game at 96 on a jumper with one minute remaining, but Pierce banked in a trey with 39.2 seconds left to put Boston up 99-96.

Jones scored a layup with 35 seconds on the clock to bring Indiana within a point. Orien Greene missed a pair of free throws off the front of the rim with 8.8 seconds to go, and Indiana recovered possession. However, Jackson missed a potential game-winning jumper at the buzzer.

Indiana led 29-26 after the first quarter. Both teams scored 26 points in the second quarter and Indiana led 55-52 at halftime.

Boston rallied for a 19-4 run, capped by a Greene breakaway slam with 2:26 left in the third quarter, and led 81-78 heading into the fourth.

The Pacers played the third of four-game road trip. Indiana opened the swing with a 101-91 win over the New Jersey Nets, then posted a 99-93 triumph over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. It heads to Philadelphia on Sunday to wrap up the road trip.

Indiana is 2-7 in its last nine road games, and has an 11-17 mark away from Conseco Fieldhouse this season.

The Celtics snapped a two-game home losing streak, and have a 17-13 mark at TD Banknorth Garden.

Game Notes

Boston is 2-0 against the Pacers this season, having registered an 85-71 win on December 14 in Beantown...These two teams will meet two more times on March 19 and April 12...Boston has won three in a row after losing the previous five meetings with the Pacers. Indiana has dropped three straight and seven of 10 in Boston.