Celtics 86, Pistons 82
Paul Pierce scored 22 points and the host Boston Celtics held the Detroit Pistons scoreless for the final 2:43 as they rallied for an 86-82 victory Wednesday night.
Detroit took an 82-78 lead on a jumper by rookie Greg Monroe but missed its final seven shots.
Boston (32-9) trailed by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter before tying the game at 78 on a jumper by Kevin Garnett with 3:27 to play. Detroit again opened up a four-point lead but Boston tied the game at 82 on a step-back jumper by Pierce with 1:20 left.
Ray Allen's jumper with 24 seconds to play gave Boston the lead for good.
Shaquille O’Neal had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, which has won four in a row and stopped Detroit's season-high three-game run.
Detroit (15-27) ended the first half on a 19-9 run to take a 45-42 lead. The Pistons shot 51 percent from the field in the half as Rodney Stuckey scored 12 of his 15 points.
Pistons guard Richard Hamilton sat out for the fifth straight game. Hamilton has been rumored to be part of a three-team trade involving Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, but New Jersey stopped pursuing the deal Wednesday.