Utah Jazz: Pierce, Celtics defeat Jazz in overtime
Published: February 25, 2013 10:06PM
Updated: February 26, 2013 05:26PM
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Boston Celtics' Avery Bradley, left, steals the ball from Utah Jazz's Earl Watson, right, in the first quarter during an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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Paul Pierce scored seven of his 26 points in overtime Monday night, leading the Boston Celtics to a 110-107 victory over the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.

In their first of eight straight games against Eastern Conference opponents, the Jazz watched Boston point guard Avery Bradley score 10 points of his 12 first-half points in six minutes.

The Celtics owned a 15-13 lead before Utah got a lift from Marvin Williams, who scored five straight points and helped the Jazz regain a 24-22 lead.

Utah, however, managed only two points from their final six possessions and Boston took a 28-26 advantage into the second quarter.

The Celtics extended their lead to 34-27 with 10:50 left in the half before Gordon Hayward exploded. He scored 11 points during a 17-2 run that enabled Utah to build a 44-36 lead.

Boston answered with an 8-0 run to tie the game, but the Jazz converted their final five possessions to grab a 53-48 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, the Jazz own a 60-53 lead when Williams failed to convert on a fast break. On the other end, Bradley buried an open three-pointer, triggering a 10-0 that gave Boston the lead.

The Celtics extended their advantage to 80-72 heading into the fourth quarter, where the Jazz rallied behind the play of Hayward and forced overtime on Alec Burks’ layup with 19 seconds left.

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