Boston 94, Indiana 87

Paul Pierce scored 28 points to go with 10 rebounds as the Boston Celtics stretched their winning streak to four with a 94-87 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Friday night.

With three starters sidelined by injuries, Chris Wilcox came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points and Mickael Pietrus and Kevin Garnett added 13 apiece as the Celtics halted a three-game skid against Indiana.

Pierce poured in 17 points in the third quarter to help the Celtics pull away en route to getting back to the .500 mark (9-9).

Danny Granger scored 21 for the Pacers, who fell to 1-8 in their last nine trips to Boston.

The Celtics extended a 10-point third-quarter lead to 81-65 with 8 1/2 minutes to play. Indiana ripped off 10 straight points before Pietrus drilled a 3-pointer with 5 1/2 minutes left to stem the comeback.

Wilcox, who scored only 15 points in his first eight games, combined with Brandon Bass and Pietrus for 26 to carry the Celtics to a 42-34 halftime edge.

The Pacers quickly erased the deficit and tied it at 46, but Pierce scored 10 in a 14-2 run as Boston built a 60-48 lead midway through the quarter.

• Boston will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Celtics have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .333 after a loss.
• Indiana will play their next game on the road against Orlando . The Pacers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.