Pierce leads C’s past Hawks

Boston deals Atlanta first loss

Following each of the last two Celtics games, Paul Pierce has been forced to ice his right hand. He says it’s sprained, but a pair of Eastern Conference playoff teams will attest the deadliest right paw in Boston is simply on fire.

Pierce scored 34 points last night, including 23 in the second half, to lead the Celtics to a 103-102 victory against the Hawks at the Garden. His fade-away jumper from beyond the right elbow gave the Celtics the lead with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game. It was the sixth straight victory for the C’s (8-1), who got a 22-point fourth quarter out of Pierce against the Raptors on Monday.

Kevin Garnett added 25 points, 12 rebounds and four assists to hand the Hawks (6-1) their first loss of the season.

After the Celtics blew a four-point lead in the final minute, Pierce hit two free throws to give them a 101-99 lead with 21.1 seconds to play. Marvin Williams’ 3-pointer from the right corner gave the Hawks a 102-101 lead with 7.4 seconds left.

Celtics slow starts are as common as the sunset, but they cut an early seven-point deficit to 26-24 after stepping it up defensively for three possessions. Yet, Flip Murray’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Hawks a 31-24 advantage after one.
It was more of the same in the second, as the Hawks put the Celtics in a 16-point hole in the first half for the second time in as many games.

Like they showed against the Raptors on Monday, though, the Celtics were at their best when they played with some desperation. Allen scored eight points during Boston’s 18-2 run that tied it at 46, and Garnett nearly ripped off the rim with a two-handed alley-oop from Rajon Rondo (10 assists) that turned into a three-point play and a 51-50 lead, the first of the night for the Celtics.

The third quarter wasn’t as much about comebacks as it was survival. Neither team led by more than three points, and there were 12 lead changes and 10 ties.