TURNING POINTS
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair that saw four ties and the Celtics take a 27-22 lead after one quarter… The second was much of the same as the two teams clamped down on the defensive end and Boston took a 45-38 halftime lead… In the third quarter, Tyrus Thomas and Paul Pierce received double-technicals for shoving each other, and that seemed to get Boston going. The Celtics went on a 30-19 run to push the lead to 82-64 and would hold on for the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Bobcats did not share the ball as well as the Celtics, who held a 31-19 assists advantage. This was due in large part to Rajon Rondo dishing out 14 dimes of his own… Charlotte did defend the 3-point line very well, as they held Paul Pierce (2 of 10) and Ray Allen (1 of 5) to only 20 percent on 3-of-15 shooting… Both teams handled the ball well as Boston only turned the ball over 11 times, while Charlotte was even better with only 10 turnovers.

BOBCATS PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Reggie Williams continues to play well, finishing with a team-high 21 points. He also contributed in other areas with five assists and three rebounds. Williams has bounced back well after offseason knee surgery and played over 37 minutes against Boston.

Derrick Brown is proving he can be a very productive bench player. Brown went a perfect 10 of 10 from the field with 20 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists.

CELTICS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Paul Pierce had a night he will never forget. Pierce passed Larry Bird and moved into second place on the Boston Celtics all-time scoring list. Pierce finished with 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

GAME NOTES
Kemba Walker competed well against Rondo, as Walker had 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists… The Bobcats had limited production from their big guys, as Bismack Biyobmo (three), Boris Diaw (four) and Tyrus Thomas (two) combined for nine total points… D.J. Augustin (big toe), and Corey Maggette (hamstring) were inactive for the Bobcats.

NEXT UP
The Bobcats are back in action as they start a three-game homestand against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. Opening tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday at Time Warner Cable Arena®. Catch all the action on SportSouth and listen to us on WFNZ. Also, don’t forget to join the chat at bobcats.com.