Glen Davis had 20 points and eight rebounds as the Boston Celtics erased a 15-point deficit to defeat the New Orleans Hornets, 89-85, on Saturday night. Ray Allen scored 20 and Kevin Garnett added 12 points and nine rebounds for Boston.
Boston (49-19) overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat the Hornets and reclaim a share of the top spot in the Eastern Conference. New Orleans (40-31) led 51-40 at halftime but was outscored 27-13 in the third quarter and 22-21 in the final twelve minutes.
Ray Allen also scored 20 points for the Celtics, who made 35-of-68 field goals (51.5%) and 16-of-19 free throws (84.2%) in the victory. Jeff Green had 10 points and Paul Pierce (four rebounds, six assists), Rajon Rondo (five assists) and Delonte West (five assists) all scored nine points a piece for Boston.
David West racked up 32 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two block for the Hornets, who shot 45.2% from the field. Marco Belinelli scored 23 points, Emeka Okafor had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Trevor Ariza added 10 points and eight boards for New Orleans. Chris Paul finished with four points, 15 assists and seven rebounds.
Boston returns to TD Garden to host Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks on Monday.