Instant reaction after the Boston Celtics posted a 94-87 triumph over the Houston Rockets Friday night at the Toyota Center:

How the game was won: Paul Pierce scored a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, 15 of which came in the final frame, while Ray Allen added 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including five 3-pointers, as Boston opened a three-game road trip with a solid win over the Rockets. Houston, which had won four straight entering Friday's game, put five players in double figures, including 17 points apiece for Luis Scola and Kevin Martin, but Boston never let the Rockets gets too close down the stretch.

Turning point: Clinging to a four-point lead with little more than eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Pierce took over, scoring 11 of Boston's next 13 points as the Celtics' lead ballooned to 11 points with just under five minutes to go.

Stat of the game: The Rockets shot just 39.5 percent (30 of 76 overall) from the field and didn't score more than 25 points in a quarter, including a mere 17-point output in the second frame.

Unsung hero: Rasheed Wallace didn't have a great shooting night (again), connecting on just 3-of-8 shots, but he chipped in seven points and nine rebounds over 19 minutes with a team-best plus/minus of plus-13.

What it means: The Celtics opened a rigorous eight-game stretch against Western Conference opponents with a solid victory, improving to 23-12 away from the Garden this season. At 35-32 overall, the Rockets are out of the playoff mix, but they'd be a sixth seed in the East, the type of team the Celtics would see if they earned the third seed. In the pursuit for that playoff position, Boston kept pace with Atlanta, as the Hawks edged the Bobcats, 93-92, Friday night.