WASHINGTON – The Boston Celtics were missing one of their star guards when the game started, and then lost another in the second quarter.

The way Paul Pierce was playing, it didn’t matter.

Pierce had season highs with 34 points and 10 assists and tied his season best with eight rebounds to lead the Celtics to a 100-94 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

“Paul carried us,” said Ray Allen, who left after jamming his left ankle in the first half. “He played great for us. The team, everybody rallied behind him.”

Boston started without point guard Rajon Rondo, out for the second straight game because of a sprained right wrist, and Allen left after being fouled by Jan Vesely with about 6½ minutes left in the second quarter.

Pierce — who had scored a total of 20 points in the previous two games — made up for their absence, going 10 for 15 from the floor and 12 of 15 from the line. His three steals were also a season high.

“I’m one of our (scorers), if not our main scorer on this ballclub,” Pierce said. “That’s my role. I haven’t been doing a good job of it lately, but a lot of that has to do with just being in game shape, getting my legs stronger, being able to get up and down and jump.”

John Wall had 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Wizards. Nick Young scored 19 points and JaVale McGee added 13, but the Wizards had no answer for Pierce.

“It’s tough. The last five minutes we were right there,” Wall said. “We’ve got to execute down the stretch.”

Pierce was at his best right after the Celtics let a 15-point third-quarter lead slip away.

Washington tied the game at 75 with 9½ minutes left on a fast-break alley-oop for a dunk from Wall to Trevor Booker, and the Wizards seemed to have the momentum.

Pierce scored Boston’s next 10 points, capping his run after the Wizards took an 84-83 lead with six minutes to go on Young’s three-point play. Pierce hit a jumper to get the lead back, and the Celtics did not trail the rest of the way.

“At the end of the day, your big players have to step up and play well for you to win, especially games when you have guys out,” Boston Coach Doc Rivers said. “And Paul did everything.”

Kevin Garnett scored five of his 17 points in the final two minutes, including an emphatic dunk down the lane with two minutes left to give Boston a 95-90 lead.

BUCKS 91, HEAT 82: Brandon Jennings scored 23 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 16 off the bench, and Milwaukee held Miami to 37 percent shooting on the way to its second straight road victory.

CLIPPERS 103, RAPTORS 91: Mo Williams scored 19 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, Blake Griffin had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Los Angeles sent visiting Toronto to its eighth straight loss.

NETS 97, BOBCATS 87: Deron Williams had 19 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists to lead New Jersey to a victory over visiting Charlotte.