Kevin Garnett totaled 23 points and eight rebounds and Paul Pierce added 22 points and six boards as the Boston Celtics toppled the Detroit Pistons, 101-90, at TD Garden on Sunday evening.
Boston (53-28) improved to an impressive 30-8 in home games. The Celtics trailed, 29-26, after one quarter but outscored the Pistons, 23-19, in the second quarter to take a 49-48 lead into halftime.
The third quarter was the key for Boston, which outscored Detroit 33-18. The Celtics were outscored, 24-19, in the final quarter, but it was too late for the Pistons to complete the comeback.
Ray Allen finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting for Boston, which shot a sizzling 64.1 percent from the field (41-for-64). Glen Davis added 11 points and six rebounds and Delonte West scored 10 off the bench for the Celtics.
Will Bynum led Detroit with 20 points and Tayshaun Prince added 16 points. Richard Hamilton had 14 points and five assists and Greg Monroe scored 11 points for Detroit, which shot 42.5 percent. Charlie Villanueva scored 15 points off the bench for the Pistons.
Boston suffered a major setback when center Shaquille O'Neal (six points in five minutes) left the game in the second quarter with an injury and went straight to the locker room. O'Neal did not return for the remainder of the game.