Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Boston Celtics were missing one of their star guards when the game started, and then lost another in the second quarter.
The way Paul Pierce was playing, it didn’t matter.
Pierce had season highs with 34 points and 10 assists and tied his season best with eight rebounds to lead the Celtics to a 100-94 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
“Paul carried us,” said Ray Allen, who left after jamming his left ankle in the first half. “He played great for us. The team, everybody rallied behind him.”
Boston started without point guard Rajon Rondo, out for the second straight game with a sprained right wrist, and Allen left after being fouled by Jan Vesely with about 61/2 minutes left in the second quarter.
Pierce — who had scored a total of 20 points in the previous two games — made up for their absence, going 10 for 15 from the floor and 12 of 15 from the line. His three steals were also a season high.
“I’m one of our, if not our main scorer on this ballclub,” Pierce said. “That’s my role. I haven’t been doing a good job of it lately, but a lot of that has to do with just being in game shape, getting my legs stronger, being able to get up and down and jump.”
John Wall had 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Wizards. Nick Young scored 19 points, and JaVale McGee added 13, but they had no answer for Pierce.
“It’s tough. The last five minutes we were right there,” Wall said. “We’ve got to execute down the stretch.”
Pierce was at his best right after the Celtics let a 15-point third-quarter lead slip away.
Washington tied the game at 75 with 91/2 minutes left on a fast-break alley-oop for a dunk from Wall to Trevor Booker, and the Wizards seemed to have the momentum. Pierce scored Boston’s next 10 points, countering Washington’s surge.
Pierce capped his 10-point run after the Wizards took an 84-83 lead with six minutes to go on Young’s three-point play. Pierce hit a jumper to get the lead back, and the Celtics did not trail the rest of the way.
“At the end of the day, your big players have to step up and play well for you to win, especially games when you have guys out,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “And Paul did everything.”
Pierce scored 14 of Boston’s final 25 points.
Bucks 91, Heat 82
MIAMI — Brandon Jennings scored 23 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 16 and the Milwaukee Bucks held Miami to 37 percent shooting in a 91-82 victory over the Heat.
It was the second straight road win for Milwaukee, which started the season 0-8 away from home. Andrew Bogut scored 13 points for the Bucks, and Shaun Livingston and Stephen Jackson each had 10.
LeBron James finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds for Miami, which had won three straight. Chris Bosh scored 23 points for the Heat.
Milwaukee turned 22 Miami turnovers into 22 points and the Heat tied an NBA season-low with nine assists, one shy of matching the franchise record. It was the first time Miami lost this season in seven games without Dwyane Wade, out again with a sprained right ankle.
Pacers 98, Lakers 96
LOS ANGELES — Roy Hibbert scored eight of his 18 points in the fourth quarter playing with a broken nose to help Indiana beat Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant scored 33 points for the Lakers, but missed what would have been a tying 3-pointer from 30 feet from the top of the key with 3.5 seconds to play.
The Lakers, coming off road losses to Miami and Orlando, failed to reach 100 points for the 11th straight game — their longest streak since a 12-game stretch in 2003-04.
Hibbert, the Pacers’ second-leading scorer, left the court with the broken nose after fouling Bryant with 6:46 left in the first quarter. Hibbert reported back in with 5:12 left in the second quarter after a trainer stuffed cotton up his nose, but had difficulty keeping it in at times. He also had eight rebounds.
Clippers 103, Raptors 91
LOS ANGELES — Mo Williams scored Los Angeles’ first 17 points of the fourth quarter and finished with 26 points, and the Clippers sent Toronto to its eighth straight loss.
Blake Griffin had 18 points and nine rebounds, DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Chauncey Billups had 14 assists for the Clippers, playing their fifth straight game without point guard Chris Paul because of a left hamstring strain.
Leandro Barbosa scored 19 points for the Raptors.
Nets 97, Bobcats 87
NEWARK N.J. — Deron Williams had 19 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists to lead New Jersey past Charlotte.
MarShon Brooks added 20 points for the Nets, and Anthony Morrow had 19. Rookie Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.