Paul Pierce scored a game-high 22 points as the Boston Celtics bested the Detroit Pistons, 86-82, at TD Garden on Wednesday night.
Pierce made 8-of-15 shots and also had five rebounds and three assists. Boston has now won four games in a row and eight of its last ten games.
Shaquille O’Neal totaled 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics (32-9). Kevin Garnett added 11 points and six rebounds. Glen Davis chipped in with 11 points off the bench. Rajon Rondo had six points, eight assists and eight rebounds.
Detroit (15-27) had five players score in double digits, led by Rodney Stuckey’s 15-point outing. Tayshaun Prince and Greg Monroe each scored 13 points, Charlie Villanueva added 11 points and Ben Gordon scored 10 points.
Boston shot 44.7% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. Detroit made 41.9% of its shots and only 26.7% of its thee pointers.
The Celtics totaled 47 rebounds, 23 assists, five blocks, five steals and 17 turnovers. The Pistons finished with 34 rebounds, 19 assists, nine steals, six blocks and 13 turnovers.
Boston returns to action on Friday night when it hosts Utah at TD Garden at 7:30 p.m. EST. Detroit faces New Jersey at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ in its next game on Friday at 7 p.m. EST.