Boston ? The Boston Celtics finally found a way back into the win column.

Paul Pierce scored seven of his 26 points in the final six minutes, including the go-ahead free throw with 34 seconds left, and the Celtics used a 21-11 fourth-quarter rally to beat the Washington Wizards, 108-103, Friday.

Boston snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in six games.

“The thing I liked about the fourth quarter for us is we kept the ball moving,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought that helped us defensively.”

Gary Payton added 18 points, including four during the pivotal spurt in the fourth. The teams traded the lead eight times in the final quarter.

“It was a tough loss for us. I thought our guys fought very hard, but things just didn’t go our way down the stretch,” Washington coach Eddie Jordan said.

The Celtics snapped a 103-all tie when Pierce made one of two free throws with 34 seconds remaining. Jiri Welsch increased the lead to three points on two free throws with 11.5 seconds left.

“Doc (Rivers) and I have talked about getting me more involved in the offense in the fourth quarter,” Pierce said. “But my teammates have to get involved, too, and we got that tonight.”

Washington’s Antawn Jamison had a chance to tie the game with 6.7 seconds remaining, but his three-point shot from the right corner hit the rim.

Boston's Paul Pierce, front, blocks Washington's Anthony Peeler from the ball. Pierce scored 26 points in the Celtics' 108-103 victory Friday in Boston.

“I didn’t think I’d be as wide open as I was,” Jamison said. “I rushed my shot a little bit, but it’s a shot I have to make.”

Ricky Davis scored 15 points as Boston’s sixth man.

Spurs 98, Clippers 79

Los Angeles — Tim Duncan scored 23 points, and Tony Parker added 21 points and 11 assists to help San Antonio beat Los Angeles for its fifth consecutive victory.

The Southwest Division-leading Spurs, off to the best start in franchise history, improved to 25-6 with their 17th victory in 20 games despite the early ejection of coach Gregg Popovich. Manu Ginobili, who sat out Thursday night’s victory in Portland because of a strained neck, had nine points in 25 minutes.

Rockets 105, Bucks 90

Houston — Tracy McGrady had 42 points to lead Houston over Milwaukee. Maurice Taylor added 16 points to help the Rockets reach .500 (15-15) for the first time since they were 6-6 on Nov. 21. Houston has won nine of its last 13 games.

Rockets center Yao Ming missed a game for the first time in his NBA career, sitting out because of the flu.

Nuggets 97, 76ers 92

Denver — Carmelo Anthony had 24 points in his first game in two weeks, and Denver made Michael Cooper a winner in his NBA coaching debut, ending a six-game losing streak with a victory over Philadelphia. Cooper became the interim coach Tuesday after a six-game losing streak and a 13-15 start cost Jeff Bzdelik his job. The Nuggets didn’t look a whole lot different under Cooper — good stretches followed by horrible ones — but certainly had plenty of energy.

Kings 109, Jazz 102

Salt Lake City — Chris Webber scored 14 of his 25 points in the third quarter to help Sacramento beat Utah. Peja Stojakovic led the Kings with 26 points, and Mike Bibby and Brad Miller each added 17. Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Webber keyed a 9-0 run early in the third quarter that gave Sacramento a 66-58 lead. After going 2-of-9 from the field the first half, Webber was 7-of-8 in the third quarter, including three dunks.

Sonics 103, Bobcats 97

Charlotte, N.C. — Rashard Lewis scored 27 points, and Seattle made 11 three-pointers in a victory over Charlotte. Vladimir Radmanovic scored 21 points on 5-for-7 shooting from three-point range, and Ray Allen added 18 points for the Sonics. Emeka Okafor led the Bobcats with a career-high 27 points.