ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Paul Pierce led Boston on a huge comeback Thursday and sent the Celtics to their fourth victory in five games, a 91-83 win over Orlando.
The Magic held a 52-25 lead with 3 minutes to go in the first half and then gave way to a rally that brought the Celtics within one win of .500. Boston's current run of success has followed on the heels of five consecutive losses.
Boston trailed by 21 at the break and by 11 going into the fourth quarter. The Celtics then opened the final period on a 15-1 run and wound up holding Orlando to 25 points in the second half.
Pierce scored 24 points and E'Twaun Moore added 16 off the bench for the Celtics. Kevin Garnett supplied 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Dwight Howard had 16 points and 16 boards for the Magic, whose frustration down the stretch led to technical fouls being called on Howard and Ryan Anderson.
Going into the game's final 2 minutes, Orlando had taken 31 free throws to just 11 for Boston and the Magic still saw their lead steadily wilt away.
