BOSTON » Paul Pierce stepped to the line, moved into NBA history and then finished off the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a moment he never would have dreamed of a few years ago.

Pierce scored 12 of his 28 points in overtime to reach 20,000 points in his career, added a key steal with 27 seconds left, and helped the Boston Celtics beat the Bucks 105-102 last night.

With the Celtics clinging to a 97-95 lead late in OT, Pierce hit the first of his two free throws, joining Hall of Famers John Havlicek and Larry Bird as the only players to reach the mark while playing their entire careers with Boston. He didn’t stop there, hitting five more to seal the win.

"That was an emotional moment for me. It was tough for me to swallow at that point," he said. "You don’t see that often that a player accomplishes the feat with one team. Five years ago, I would never have imagined I would score 20,000 points in a Celtics jersey. I was a disgruntled player."

Ray Allen had 23 points for the Celtics (4-1), Rajon Rondo had 17 points and 15 assists, and Kevin Garnett scored 13 and grabbed eight rebounds.

Andrew Bogut led the Bucks (1-4) with 21 points and 13 boards. Ersan Ilyasova and Carlos Delfino each scored 15 points and Brandon Jennings had 13.

"Hopefully this is a test for us and see how we need to play every night," Jennings said of the Bucks’ slow start. "We did a lot of good things tonight. Somebody’s got to lose."

Boston had a six-point lead with 1:20 to play in regulation, but the Bucks rallied to tie it on Delfino’s driving basket with 10.5 seconds left.

"We fought, got into overtime and had our chances," Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. "We just weren’t able to get it."

In overtime, Jermaine O’Neal tipped in Allen’s miss, giving Boston a 97-95 edge with 1:49 to play. Pierce then nailed two free throws 30 seconds later.

Bogut scored on a drive and was fouled on the play, but missed the free throw, leaving the Bucks behind by two. After missing a jumper, Pierce picked off a pass in front of Boston’s bench.

Pierce then hit two free throws with 13.3 seconds left to reach the 20,000-point mark. He added four more in the closing 10.3 seconds.

"I knew I needed to score 23 tonight to get it," he said. "You ask any player and they know it. If you need another assist for a triple-double, they know it."

Hawks 94, Pistons 85

Al Horford had six straight points in an 18-4 run to finish the game and undefeated Atlanta beat winless Detroit.

Ben Gordon had 22 points but it wasn’t enough for the visiting Pistons.

Magic 128, Timberwolves 86

Dwight Howard had 18 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots to help Orlando set a franchise record for most points in the first half in a victory over visiting Minnesota.

Vince Carter had 20 points, Ryan Anderson scored 19 and the Magic scored 78 points in the opening half for an easy win.

Mavericks 102, Nuggets 101

Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 35 points and Caron Butler hit a pivotal 3-pointer late in the game, helping visiting Dallas hold off a Denver squad missing center Nene.

Bobcats 85, Nets 83

D.J. Augustin hit two go-ahead free throws with 30.9 seconds to play and Charlotte won for the first time this season, overcoming a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat host New Jersey.

76ers 101, Pacers 75

Elton Brand had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young scored 16 points to help host Philadelphia to its first victory of the season.

Hornets 107, Rockets 99

Chris Paul scored 25 points and visiting New Orleans beat winless Houston to remain unbeaten.

Jazz 125, Raptors 108

Deron Williams came within two rebounds of a triple-double, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap dominated inside, and host Utah rolled to a huge early lead en route to a victory over Toronto.

Lakers 112, Kings 100

Kobe Bryant had 30 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help visiting Los Angeles win its fifth straight game to open the season.

Warriors 115, Grizzlies 109

Monta Ellis scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, Dorell Wright made a career-high seven 3-pointers and host Golden State overcame a sloppy offensive night to beat Memphis.

Spurs 112, Suns 110

Richard Jefferson hit four fourth-quarter 3-pointers, including the go-ahead basket with 1:38 remaining, and San Antonio edged host Phoenix.

Clippers 107, Thunder 92

Eric Gordon scored 27 points, rookie Eric Bledsoe added 17 points and eight assists in his second career start, and host Los Angeles held Kevin Durant to a horrific shooting night in its first victory of the season.