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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) – In 37 games as coach of the Boston Celtics, Jim
O'Brien has come to expect a lot from Antoine Walker and Paul
Pierce.
|  | | Adrian Griffin goes to the hoop in the win over the Bulls. |
And why not? They keep delivering.
Walker had a triple-double, Pierce scored a game-high 24 points
and the Boston Celtics won their fourth straight, beating Chicago
106-104 Thursday night.
"I didn't even realize Antoine had (a triple-double)," said O'Brien, who improved to 21-16 as coach since taking over for Rick Pitino. "It doesn't surprise me. He's the kind of guy that might approach averaging a triple-double."
Walker had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season and ninth of his career. He shot 5-for-12 from 3-point range and did not have a turnover in 40 minutes.
"I've been struggling (at the United Center)," said Walker, a
Chicago native. "I still didn't play so great – I missed a lot of
3s."
Chicago, which trailed by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter,
had the ball in the final seconds with a chance to tie, but Ron Mercer missed an off-balance 3-pointer as time expired.
"We were trying to get it to Marcus (Fizer) a little deeper but
they did a nice job of denying that," Chicago coach Tim Floyd
said. "Then we wanted Ron to get it on a tight handoff, but he had
to catch it from 30 feet out."
"My shot," said Mercer, "was just off. What else can I say?"
Milt Palacio added a career-high 19 points for Boston (32-38), which took sole possession of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after Indiana lost to Atlanta.
The Bulls, who have lost 11 of 12, were led by Elton Brand's 22 points.
A pair of 3-pointers by Pierce helped the Celtics to a quick
13-4 lead.
Boston led until Fred Hoiberg hit a jumper with 6:39 left in the half to put the Bulls up 35-34.
Steve Goodrich made a layup with 1:03 left to give Chicago its largest first-half lead, 54-49.
The Celtics got within one point on Vitaly Potapenko's jumper
and led at halftime 57-56 after a pair of free throws by Palacio
with .3 seconds left.
Walker scored 11 in a 14-1 Boston run in the third quarter, when the Celtics opened an 83-70 lead with 4:29 left. The Celtics led by nine after three.
Chicago closed within three points, 103-100, on Mercer's tip-in with 1:09 left.
Hoiberg made a pair of free throws and cut the Bulls' deficit to
one with 28 seconds left.
Palacio converted two free throws with 18 seconds left to give
Boston a 105-102 advantage. Walker then forced a Brand turnover
with 17 seconds to go.
Bryant Stith made a free throw and Mercer, who scored 17, hit a jumper with 5.7 seconds left to make it 106-104.
Game notes
Chicago activated rookie center Jake Voskuhl before the
game and placed center Dragan Tarlac (sprained left ankle) on the
injured list . ... Time had expired, but Marcus Fizer swished an
80-foot shot after the third-quarter buzzer. ... The Celtics have
won five straight road games, their longest road winning streak
since 1993. ... Boston is 18-3 when scoring 100 or more points.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
RECAPS
Washington 116
Golden State 100
Atlanta 104
Indiana 93
Milwaukee 104
Miami 96
San Antonio 106
Utah 88
Boston 106
Chicago 104
Phoenix 90
Houston 85
Vancouver 89
New York 68
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