Celtics swarm Hornets
BOSTON - Paul Pierce scored 27 points and the Boston Celtics improved to 4-0 with a 97-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets last night.
Chris Paul scored 22 points with eight assists for New Orleans, and then had to be held back after the game when he tried to follow the Celtics off the court to their locker room. Paul and Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo exchanged words in the second quarter, drawing matching technical fouls.
Ray Allen scored 17, Kevin Garnett had 14, and Rondo had 10 assists for Boston, which pulled away with an 11-3 run in the last four minutes to turn an 86-83 lead into an 11-point runaway.
Peja Stojakovic scored 26 as a reserve for New Orleans, including 6-for-10 three-point shooting. Emeka Okafor had 10 rebounds for New Orleans.
The Celtics, who won their first eight in their 2007-08 championship season but just two straight to start last year, have won four games in six nights, including a season-opening victory over the rival Cleveland Cavaliers and all-star LeBron James.
Pierce scored 10 in the first and 10 more in the second as the Celtics opened an 11-point lead en route to a 47-38 score at the half. Stojakovic hit a three-pointer to tie the score at 69 with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.
But Rasheed Wallace, who scored 12, answered with a three-pointer to give Boston back the lead.
Paul had just five points and three assists but went 6 for 6 for 14 points with four assists in the third quarter alone.
New Orleans 20 18 31 18 – 87
Boston 22 25 25 25 – 97
FG FT Reb
N. ORLEANS Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts
Wright 19:09 3-6 0-0 0-4 1 3 7
West 36:35 4-14 1-1 1-2 2 0 10
Okafor 28:54 2-9 1-2 2-10 2 4 5
Paul 36:59 9-13 2-3 0-3 8 3 22
Peterson 14:46 1-4 0-0 0-1 2 1 3
BBrown 20:22 3-12 0-0 0-1 1 3 8
Stojakovic 32:16 9-15 2-2 1-4 1 2 26
Posey 20:28 0-2 0-0 0-4 1 3 0
