Pierce shines as Celtics beat Jazz in overtime

No one would ever claim that the Celtics’ practices from the fall of 2004 to the spring of 2007 were “epic,” but Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson likely had their moments. Monday night’s Celtics-Jazz game might actually fall into the epic category as far as regular season NBA games go and featured Pierce (26 points) and Jefferson (15 points, 11 rebounds) going head-to-head down the stretch.

Pierce and the C’s ultimately came out on top at EnergySolutions Arena, beating Utah, 110-107, in overtime.

Courtney Lee hit two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and Randy Foye couldn’t hit a deep 3-pointer to send the game to a second OT.

Pierce hit several huge jumpers toward the end of regulation and in the OT and Jefferson showed his typical touch around the rim as the Jazz kept pace .

What they’ll be saying: The Celtics salvaged their five-game West Coast swing with a gutty win against the Jazz and finished the trip 2-3. Pierce again carried the load but the C’s got solid scoring from the rest of their starting five and from Jason Terry, who finished with 14 points off the bench.