Paul Pierce was held to five points in the first half, but a strong second half from the captain brought him up to 24 points as the Boston Celtics past the Indiana Pacers, 86-72, on Saturday evening at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Boston (31- 24) took the reigns early on, leading by 15 at one point in the first half before entering halftime with a 43-33 edge. Indiana outscored Boston, 16-13, in the third, but Pierce had 13 of the team's third-quarter points and the Celtics steered clear of the Pacers in the fourth, outscoring them 27-21 to bring their two-game losing streak to an end.
Rajon Rondo had eight assists in the first half and finished with 12 dimes and four points. Ray Allen, who came off the bench with Avery Bradley (four points) in the starting lineup, had 19 points and Kevin Garnett finished with 15 points and seven boards. Greg Stiemsma had an impressive first half and totaled 10 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.
Danny Granger had 20 points and David West added 16 points for the Pacers (34-22).
Boston returns home to face the Philadelphia 76ers at 6 p.m. ET on Easter Sunday.
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