Pierce punches hole in Sonics’ strategy

  • Friday, November 9, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

Associated Press

BOSTON – It wasn’t until after the game, when he looked at the box score, that Celtics coach Jim O’Brien realized how much damage Paul Pierce had done.

“I would not have guessed, within 10 points,” O’Brien said Friday night after the Celtics beat the Seattle SuperSonics 104-94. “I was dumbfounded when I saw he had 35 points.”

Pierce took advantage of Seattle’s decision to double-team Antoine Walker and made eight 3-pointers in 12 attempts – both career highs. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter as Boston used a 17-5 run to break an 82-82 tie and put the game away.

“I was taking shots I was comfortable with, and shots I was confident with,” Pierce said. “I was surprised at how open they were leaving me.”

Gary Payton had 30 points and 10 assists and Vin Baker had 23 points and eight rebounds for Seattle (2-5), which lost its third consecutive game. The Sonics, who have completed four games of a five-game East Coast road trip, visit Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

The Celtics improved to 4-2. Boston was two games above .500 only once last year after winning the first two games of the season.

Pierce had eight rebounds and Antoine Walker had 19 points and nine rebounds for Boston. Rookie Joe Johnson, who has now guarded Gary Payton, Michael Jordan and Ray Allen in the past week, had 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds and no turnovers.

“It’s a tough matchup, but it’s fun for me,” Johnson said. “I’ve been watching those guys since I was young. Now, I’m guarding them.”

The game was tied at 82 with 8:08 left before Walker and Pierce hit consecutive 3-pointers and Walker added a layup to make it 90-82. It was 92-87 when Pierce converted a four-point play to kick off a 7-0 Celtics run that put the game out of reach.

“They’re two of the most dominating players in the league, that one-two punch,” Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. ” … We knew their guys would rise up from the 3-point line, and twice we stood there without a hand in their face.”

The Celtics took an 11-point lead in the first quarter, making it 26-15 after one. They led by as many as 13 in the second, but the Sonics slowly chipped the lead down to three points before Milt Palacio, who hit the game-winner at the buzzer in the “Miracle at the Meadowlands” last year, made a 27-footer at the halftime buzzer to give Boston a 50-44 lead.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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