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BOSTON • Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird for No. 2 on the Celtics' career scoring list, finishing with 15 points as Boston increased its winning streak to five straight with a 94-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.
Pierce needed nine points to tie Bird's total of 21,791. He had seven points at halftime, then hit a 3-pointer with 10:23 left in the third quarter to pass Bird. Pierce nearly celebrated the milestone with a triple-double, coming up just short with nine assists and eight rebounds.
Rajon Rondo added 14 assists and 10 points, Kevin Garnett scored 22 and Ray Allen finished with 17 points.
Pierce knew he had it, raising his arms as Boston fans gave him a standing ovation. The applause lasted for several minutes as teammate Kevin Garnett waved the crowd on for more.
The official announcement finally came during a time out with 5:14 left in the third and Pierce went to midcourt, blew a few kisses and bowed during another round of applause. There was one more when Pierce went to the bench with 3:57 left in the period.
Pierce still has a ways to go to become the Celtics all-time leading scorer. John Havlicek holds that mark with 26,395 points.