Wizards 101, Celtics 88: Paul Pierce scored 17 points in 19 minutes against his former club as Washington cruised past visiting Boston.

Kris Humphries contributed 18 points and nine rebounds and John Wall had 12 points and seven assists as the Wizards won for the 12th time in 15 games. Marcin Gortat collected 10 rebounds while Otto Porter Jr. scored 12 points and Kevin Seraphin added 10.

Jeff Green scored 23 points and Kelly Olynyk had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Celtics, who lost their fourth straight game. Jared Sullinger scored 12 points and Evan Turner added 11 as Boston fell to 3-9 on the road.

Washington rattled off 13 straight points for a 15-2 lead before the game was four minutes old. The Wizards led by 18 after an opening quarter that saw Boston shoot 4-of-16 from the field and commit eight turnovers.

The score was 56-39 at halftime and Washington maintained the lead and took an 80-63 advantage into the final stanza. Boston never made a charge and a dunk by Porter made it a 24-point margin with 3:11 to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Celtics were 6-of-24 from 3-point range. … The Wizards had a 16-6 rebounding edge in the first quarter and ended with a 48-36 edge. … Boston PG Marcus Smart played nine scoreless minutes and committed four turnovers in the first half.