Pierce leads Boston over Bobcats

Ricky Davis scored 23 points and Mark Blount netted 18 for the Celtics, who have won two of their last three games.

The Bobcats had six players in double-figures led by Jumaine Jones with 21 points and nine rebounds and Gerald Wallace with 20 points and nine rebounds. Charlotte has lost three consecutive games.

Tied 102-102 in the final frame with less than a minute left, Boston took the lead for good on Orien Greene’s driving layup.

The Bobcats were not done, as Keith Bogans hit a long jumper and Brevin Knight connected on a floater, but the Celtics shot 3-of-4 from the line in the waning moments and Bernard Robinson’s three-pointer to tie the game went long.

Primoz Brezec scored 12 of the Bobcats’ first 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field to tie the game 14-14.

Pierce gave the Celtics a 25-20 lead after hitting his first field goal of the night. Moments later the forward ended the quarter with a three-point play as he was fouled driving to the hoop for a 28-23 edge.

Boston used an 11-0 run to bridge the first and second periods, capped by a Marcus Banks free throw to give the Celts a 36-23 lead.

Charlotte countered with a 16-3 run, highlighted by a Wallace offensive rebound and layup with 6:27 remaining in the half.

Pierce scored 12 of the Celtics’ final 14 points of the second stanza, as Boston held a 60-51 lead after 24 minutes of play.

The Celtics were able to extend their lead to 75-59 on Al Jefferson’s layup with 7:12 left in the third quarter.

The Bobcats got back in the game with a 22-6 spurt to close the third frame, capped by a pair of Bogans free throws to tie the game, 81-81.

Charlotte grabbed its first lead since the 4:09 mark in the first quarter on Robinson’s fadeaway jumper to make the score 88-87 with 9:43 to play in the game.

Game Notes

The Bobcats attempted 30 more field goals than Boston...The Celtics are 4-0 against Charlotte in Boston...In three games against the Celtics, the Bobcats have 37 steals...The Celtics had lost four of five coming in...Boston shot 57.1 percent from the field, including 65.6 percent in the first half...The Bobcats connected on 40 percent of their shots from the floor ...Charlotte grabbed 17 offensive rebounds...Boston has scored at least 100 points in eight straight games.