ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Paul Pierce took control in the fourth quarter and helped extend the Orlando Magic's losing streak to 14 games.
Pierce scored 15 of his 30 points in the final period as the Boston Celtics ended a four-game slide with a 94-92 triumph over the reeling Magic.
"I just took advantage of my opportunity and just took it upon myself," Pierce said.
"We know what Pierce is capable of and anytime that fire is lit he can go on a tremendous streak," Celtics forward Vin Baker added. "Fortunately for us, he got hot when we needed it."
A hook shot by Drew Gooden with 27.4 seconds remaining got Orlando within 94-92. Boston committed a shot clock violation to give the ball back to the Magic, but Orlando had only a 30-second timeout left and was forced to go the length of the court with 2.6 seconds to go.
Tyronn Lue's shot from just inside half-court caromed off the backboard at the final buzzer.
"You can see the frustration on the guys faces, but they are still bringing energy and still playing at a high level and doing everything it takes to win," Orlando guard Tracy McGrady said. "We just haven't done it yet."
Baker added 19 points and Eric Williams had 15 off the bench for Boston, which avoided a third straight road loss.
McGrady led the Magic with 24 points before fouling out with 3:11 to play. Donnell Harvey added a season-high 16, but Orlando has dropped eight in a row at home, one shy of a team record.
"The city is behind us, no matter what," McGrady said. "We're 14 in the hole, but they're sticking behind us. I guarantee that we're definitely going to get over this and get on a winning streak and get back on track."
Orlando outscored Boston in the paint, 48-38, but the Celtics still managed to get a lot of its offense inside. Boston was able to penetrate the Magic's interior defense throughout and shot 28 free throws, hitting 22. Many of the attempts were generated off fouls in the paint.
Two nights after signing with Orlando, Rod Strickland had four points and three assists in his Magic debut. He committed just one turnover in 21 minutes and seemed to operate the offense smoothly.
"He really did a nice job for us," Magic coach Johnny Davis said. "One of the reasons we wanted him, he's a veteran player, knows exactly what he needs to do. He came in and added some things to our team tonight."
The Magic also had good spacing on offense, making it easier for McGrady to set up his teammates and collect six assists. Pierce also had six assists and led Boston with eight rebounds.
"He took over the game," McGrady said. "The only thing you can do is do what teams do to me - don't let him get the ball."
Orlando closed the third quarter with a 12-1 run to tie it at 69-69. Boston went on a 10-3 run in the final period to build an 85-78 lead with 6:18 to go as Pierce scored the final eight points during the spurt.
"Well, he's done that a lot in his career," Celtics coach Jim O'Brien said. "He got very, very hot. He was closely guarded, but he was really feeling it from a jump shot standpoint and really, they couldn't stop him for awhile."
