Celtics say goodbye to Pierce, beat Clippers 107-102
BOSTON (AP) — Isaiah Thomas stole the spotlight from Paul Pierce on Sunday, scoring 28 points to lead Boston to its seventh straight victory, a 107-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the former Celtics captain’s final game in the Garden.
Al Horford had 13 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for the Celtics, who brought Pierce to tears with a first-quarter highlight video. Thomas had eight assists but had a four-game streak of 35-point games snapped.
Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford scored 23 apiece, and DeAndre Jordan had 16 rebounds for Los Angeles, which lost for the sixth time in eight games. Pierce’s only points came on a 3 after checking in with 19 seconds left and the game out of reach.
With fans undecided on whether to cheer louder for the Celtics, for Pierce, or for the New England Patriots, who played in the Super Bowl later Sunday, the basketball team held on as the Clippers cut a 12-point lead to 103-99 in the final minute.
Pierce started and played the first five minutes and then…