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Pierce Rallies Celtics

Paul Pierce scored 30 points to lead the Celtics past the Portland Trail Blazers 112-102 Sunday.

Pierce wanted to erase the memory of Friday's loss in Phoenix.

"Last game, the way I played was one of my top-five worst games of my career," said Pierce, who scored eight against the Suns. "I wanted to come out and focus better, and shots were there."

The Celtics trailed 46-29 in the first half Sunday but gained control as the Blazers struggled when guard Brandon Roy left in the third quarter after aggravating a right ankle sprain.

"It's pretty sore. I'm going to get an MRI tonight," Roy said.

Pierce's pull-up jumper put the Celtics up, 88-75. A dunk and a three-pointer by James Posey made it 96-77 for the Celtics.

Ray Allen had 19 points for the Celtics (42-12), who have the NBA's best record but had lost the first three games on this trip against the Western Conference. The five-game trip concludes tonight against the Clippers.

Travis Outlaw scored 24 for the Blazers (29-27), who have lost seven of their past eight and haven't defeated a team with a winning record since Jan. 3.

The Celtics hit 14 of 21 three-point shots.

"We've been struggling," Pierce said. "Last game our defense finally came back, but the offense just wasn't there. But tonight, we've got both ends of the court in gear."

This program aired on February 25, 2008. The audio for this program is not available.

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