Paul Pierce fires as Boston Celtics subdue Indiana Pacers 92-83 - NBA Recap
Those who think Paul Pierce is too old and not as effective as he used to be in his salad days need to think again. He maybe old now but he is still as impregnable as he used to be in his prime.
On Thursday night, he brought his team back from the dead and guided them to an important win over Orlando Magic and in less than 24 hours, he led the Boston Celtics to yet another impressive 94-87 victory, over the Indiana Pacers this time.
Pierce was phenomenal and barely missed a triple-double, scoring a game high 28 points, grabbing 10 boards and dishing out 8 assists. Importantly, 17 of his total 28 points came in the decisive 3rd quarter which provided Celtics an edge entering
the last frame that proved to be the difference in the end.
"I like to come out in the third quarter and just be aggressive," said Pierce" You can make your run. You can't really settle on the lead. I try to focus on extending the lead, being more aggressive and getting better as the game goes on."
Even Pacers coach Frank Vogel admired Pierce’s outstanding show.
"Hats off to Paul Pierce. He turned back the clock, "Frank Vogel said "Obviously, he's playing like one of the best players in the league again, carrying the load for them. They deserved to win tonight."
His team mates supported him pretty well too.
Reserve Chris Wilcox came off the bench and accumulated 14 points on near perfect shooting, knocking down 6-for-8 from the floor while Kevin Garnett and Mickael Pietrus registered 13 apiece along with 16 combined boards between them. Brandon Bass chipped
in with 12 points.
Danny Granger marshalled the Pacers with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Paul George had 16 points on a perfect 8 for 8 from the charity stripe and 9 boards while David West netted 14 points and pulled down 8 boards.
Pacers struggled with their shooting throughout and ended with a meagre 35% from the floor.
Boston dominated the first half and ended with an 8 point lead at 42-34. In the first four minutes of the third frame, Pacers displayed excellent offense and eliminated the lead to make it 46 all.
It was then the Paul Pierce show as he changed gears and almost single handedly rattled a game deciding 11-0 run that put the Boston in a commanding position. The run allowed Celtics to end the third frame with a double digit lead.
In the fourth frame, Pacers put up good fight but the third frame deficit never allowed them to get even close and therefore they lost the game, final score 92 – 83.
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