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Boston 96, Chicago 82

BOSTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Paced by the dynamic duo of Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, the Boston Celtics recorded their second straight victory Friday night, 96-82 over the winless Chicago Bulls.

Walker collected 19 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals while Pierce -- the NBA's fourth-leading scorer -- added 16 points, five rebounds and five steals.

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Ron Mercer scored 22 points against his former team to lead the Bulls, who got 19 from Marcus Fizer. Charles Oakley contributed eight points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Chicago was a league-worst 5-36 away from home last season and fared no better in its road opener. The Bulls never led after early in the second quarter and trailed by double digits for most of the second half.

Despite shooting just 37.5 percent in the first half, the Celtics took a 48-41 advantage to the locker room. Pierce had 15 points at the break and Walker contributed 11, five rebounds and four assists.

As in Wednesday's season-opening 98-73 loss to Indiana, Chicago's highly touted rookies were not factors as Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry were held to two points apiece.

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