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Friday, Mar. 2 7:30pm ET
Celtics on Pacers' heels in race for playoffs

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

BOSTON (AP) – The Boston Celtics ended nearly a decade of frustration at the hands of the Utah Jazz and inched closer to the Indiana Pacers for the eighth playoff spot in the East.

Olden Polynice, Paul Pierce,
Utah's Olden Polynice had his hands full trying to unload this pass.
Paul Pierce scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics extended their home winning streak to seven games and defeated the Jazz in Boston for the first time since Dec. 20, 1991, with a 103-99 victory.

"We have a few games at home and we have to take care of business," Pierce said. "We can't have a letdown now. We have an opportunity to make and run and we have to take advantage of it."

The Celtics closed within 1 1/2 games of the Pacers, who lost at home to Seattle.

"It was a huge win, whether Indiana lost or not," Celtics head coach Jim O'Brien said.

Pierce hit a career-high 18 free throws -- including eight in the fourth quarter -- as the Celtics extended their longest home winning streak since the 1992-93 season.

In addition, it was was the first time the Celtics defeated the Jazz in Boston since Dec. 20, 1991.

"We didn't execute on the defensive end," Jazz forward Karl Malone said. "It's disappointing, but you have to give them credit, they won the ballgame."

Pierce scored eight straight points in the fourth, including four straight free throws to give the Celtics a 99-93 lead.

Trailing 95-92 following a layup by Pierce, Bryon Russell hit the front end of a pair of free throws. Greg Ostertag, who scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Jazz, grabbed the rebound and tipped it to Russell. John Stockton missed a 3-pointer and Ostertag missed the putback, leading to Pierce's string of free throws.

"It was a grind-it-out game, and whoever made the big plays down the stretch was going to win the game," Pierce said.

Antoine Walker scored 26 points and Bryant Stith added 14 for Boston.

The lead changed 14 times in the third quarter, with neither team leading by more than four points.

Russell scored 18, Malone added 17 points, and Donyell Marshall and Stockton had 12 apiece for the Jazz, owners of the top mark in the Western Conference who defeated the Celtics soundly in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19, 114-99.

"They have a lot of solid players. There's not a lot of difference between the teams at the top and the teams at the bottom, but it's about attitude," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.

The Celtics held a 54-50 lead at the break thanks in large part to the shooting of Walker, who was 7-for-8 from the field, including 5-for-5 from 3-point land.

Game notes
The Celtics are now 4-8 against Midwest Division opponents. ... Sloan was named Coach of the Month for February. The Jazz were 10-2. ... The Jazz have an 18-9 road mark, good for second best in the NBA behind the Philadelphia 76ers. ... Jazz guard John Starks was injured in the second quarter when he ran headfirst into a Mark Blount pick. Starks injured his right eye in the collision with Blount's elbow, but returned toward the end of the third quarter.

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RECAPS
Seattle 86
Indiana 83

Philadelphia 107
Washington 102

Charlotte 105
Atlanta 99

Boston 103
Utah 99

Orlando 120
Cleveland 94

Toronto 107
New Jersey 90

Miami 97
Detroit 93

Chicago 81
New York 72

Minnesota 89
Denver 71

LA Clippers 88
Sacramento 81


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