BOSTON – All Star forward Paul Pierce became the third life-long Boston Celtics player to reach 20 000 NBA career points on Wednesday night.
Pierce, who scored 28 points in his team’s 105-102 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, has spent all of his 13 seasons in the NBA with the Celtics. Hall of Fame players Larry Bird and John Havlicek, who both also achieved the mark, spent their entire careers with Boston.
“It was really emotional,” Pierce told television reporters after he passed the mark from the free throw line and received an ovation from his home crowd.
“I’ve been through so many hard years here. To come so far at this point in my career I’m just blessed and happy to still be a Celtic.”
Pierce now has 20 005 points and joins three of his current teammates, centre Shaquille O’Neal, power forward Kevin Garnett and guard Ray Allen in achieving the milestone.
In another match, Chris Paul led the New Orleans Hornets to a 107-99 victory over the winless Houston Rockets as the team improved to 4-0 and matched their best start to an NBA season.
The three-time All-Star led all scorers with 25 points, including 13 in the final three minutes, and added eight assists. Paul, who missed 37 games last season due to injury, put New Orleans ahead for good with 2:33 remaining, sending Houston (0-4) to their worst start since 1999.
The Hornets, meanwhile, remained one of the three unbeaten teams in the NBA alongside the Atlanta Hawks and two-time defending NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers.
Guards Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks each scored 18 points for Houston, who led by one point with three and a half minutes to play before New Orleans surged to the finish.
In Sacramento, Kobe Bryant had 30 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers win their fifth straight game to open the season, 112-100 over the Sacramento Kings.
Pau Gasol added 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Lamar Odom scored 18 for the Lakers, who have won seven straight against their Northern California rivals.
Bryant had his 17th career triple-double and first since January 21, 2009, against the Clippers. He had only two triple-doubles the past five seasons.
In Phoenix, Richard Jefferson hit four fourth-quarter three-pointers, including the go-ahead basket with 1:38 remaining, and the San Antonio Spurs edged the Phoenix Suns 112-110 on Wednesday night.
Jefferson finished with 28 points, Tim Duncan had 25 and Manu Ginobili added 18 for the Spurs, who won in Phoenix for the first time since January 29, 2009.
Jason Richardson scored 21 points, Hakim Warrick added 19 off the bench and Steve Nash also had 19 for the Suns, who have lost consecutive games for the first time since January 25-26. Phoenix are 1-3 for the first time since 2006-07. (Reuters)
