Paul Pierce scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday as the Boston Celtics rallied for a 99-92 victory over Dallas to go into the All-Star break on a high note.

Pierce, the Most Valuable Player of last season's National Basketball Association Finals, outdueled counterpart Dirk Nowitzki, who is also slated to take the floor in the All-Star game mid-season exhibition on Sunday.