Notebook: Celtics 94, Bobcats 84

Posted Tuesday February 7, 2012 11:55PM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Paul Pierce nearly finished with a triple-double and moved into second place on the franchise all-time scoring list as the Boston Celtics handily defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 94-84. The victory was a season-high fifth straight for Boston. Pierce passed Larry Bird in the all-time rankings to reach the milestone with a 3-pointer at the 10:23 mark of the third quarter, his 10th point of the night. The C's captain finished with 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and Kevin Garnett added a game-high 22 points as Boston led comfortably for the majority of the second half in the win. Reggie Williams posted 21 points in his first start of the season for the visitors. With the setback, Charlotte has now lost 12 straight contests, and have dropped 18 of their last 19 games overall.

QUOTABLE: "It was a relief. So much was hanging over me the last couple of days, just hearing about it and knowing that you've got a game to play. It's a great feat knowing you are going to be up there with all the great Celtics."
-- Paul Pierce on passing Bird and moving into 2nd place on C's all-time scoring list

THE STAT: After a sloppy opening half, with eight turnovers and just 11 assists, Boston began to move the ball much more productively on the offensive end. The hosts dished out 20 assists, while coughing up just three turnovers over the remainder of the contest, to finish with a season-high 31 assists.

TURNING POINT: After passing Bird in the record books, Pierce re-focused his efforts on distributing the ball to help Boston put the game away late. The All-Star small forward had four assists while keying a 11-0 Boston run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to help the Celtics open up a 18-point lead, their largest of the night.

QUOTABLE II: "It's just awesome. I told the guys you have to have several things [to do it]. Longevity, health, you've got to stick around here a long time and you've got to ball and play some amazing basketball. To do what he did here, passing Larry Bird, that's impressive."
-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers on Pierce's milestone

HOT: Derrick Brown -- Few NBA players ever have a perfect shooting night, but that's exactly what the reserve forward accomplished on his way to a career-high 20 points. Brown was lights out from the field, hitting all 10 of his shot attempts, helping to keep Charlotte in the game over the first three quarters.

NOT: Tyrus Thomas -- The veteran power forward dipped further into a shooting slump with his play tonight, posting just two points on one-of-six field goals. Thomas is now just shooting 23.4 percent from the field over his past four games.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Rajon Rondo -- In his third game back from a right wrist injury, the C's floor general delivered his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 assists.

ROOKIE WATCH: Kemba Walker -- The ninth overall pick in the 2011 Draft continues to progress in his role as starting point guard with D.J. Augustin sidelined. The former Connecticut star had 16 points and seven rebounds over a team-high 39 minutes of action.

NOTABLE: Pierce finished six points in front of Bird's mark in the record book with 21,797 points at the end of his evening. The TD Garden greeted the lifetime Celtic with a rousing standing ovation after achieving the milestone, along with a video tribute. John Havlicek is the all-time leading scorer in Celtics history with 26,395 points. Brandon Bass returned to action for Boston after sitting out Sunday's game with a sore left knee. Bass finished with 13 points off the bench. Keyon Dooling (hip) and Marquis Daniels (ankle) did not dress. Charlotte's starting frontcourt combined for just nine points. The loss dropped the Bobcats road record to 1-14 and they also have the worst record in the NBA at 3-22.

UP NEXT: For the Bobcats, Friday vs. Chicago, Saturday vs. L.A. Clippers, Monday vs. Philadelphia. For the Celtics, Thursday vs. L.A. Lakers, Friday @ Toronto, Sunday vs. Chicago.