BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Celtics stole Antoine Walker, and then

Walker stole the ball.

The Celtics forward picked former teammate Al Harrington clean

with 35 seconds left and then fed Ricky Davis for a clinching layup

on Wednesday night to give Boston a 95-91 victory over the

unusually feisty Atlanta Hawks.

"It was just a great play by Antoine," Celtics coach Doc

Rivers said. "You've got to think Antoine knows where (Harrington)

is going. He played against them every day. It was a good guess."

The Hawks, who have the worst record in the NBA and just two

road wins in 32 tries, led for the first 42 minutes and didn't

trail until Paul Pierce hit a fallaway jumper with 3:53 left.

Pierce finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, making 10 of 12

free throws in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

Walker had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who are

5-1 since getting him from Atlanta at the trading deadline. Davis

scored 21 for the Atlantic Division-leading Celtics.

Harrington scored 21 points with 13 rebounds, Obinna Ekezie had

10 and 10 and Tyronn Lue scored 25 for the Hawks. Atlanta has lost

23 consecutive road games.

"It's beyond a number right now. It seems like we can't

remember our last win," Harrington said. "Tonight was a great

opportunity to get one. Guys put it in my hands and I couldn't

deliver."

That Atlanta, the worst team in the NBA, almost beat the Celtics

was surprising enough. That the Hawks nearly did it on the road

made it stunning.

But the biggest shock of all was that it was Boston, which had

taken advantage of the Hawks' eye toward the future and taken

Walker off their hands. Boston gave up a package that included a

first-round pick and Gary Payton, but the Hawks bought Payton out

and he re-signed with Boston to make the deal a steal.

The Celtics won four in a row after the deal before losing on a

last-second shot to Minnesota on Sunday.

They nearly made it two losses in a row.

The Hawks scored the first seven points of the game and led

32-20 early in the second. But Boston finally tied it on Walker's

3-pointer with 5:39 left to make it 79-79.

It went back and forth until Pierce made one of two free throws

with 53 seconds left to give Boston an 88-87 lead. With Harrington

dribbling at to the right of the point, Walker lunged for the ball

and knocked it away, then corralled it before it went out of

bounds.

He raced up the left side ahead of Harrington before flipping it

across the paint to Davis for the basket that gave Boston its

biggest lead to that point, 90-87.

"I just wanted to guard him," Walker said. "I know, from

playing with him, some of his characteristics and what he likes to

do. I saw him putting the ball out there and I just reached for

it."

Lue scooped in a layup to cut it to one point, then Pierce made

a pair of free throws with 16.5 seconds left. Harrington made a

jumper from the left side, but his feet were on the 3-point line

and Atlanta still trailed 92-91.

Pierce made two more free throws, then Tom Gugliotta -- another

part of the deadline deal -- missed for Atlanta. Pierce made one of

two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to make it 95-91.

Atlanta hasn't won a road game since beating Detroit on Dec. 10,

about three weeks after the brawl between the Pistons and Pacers

spilled into the stands. The Hawks have won just one other road

game -- against New Orleans, the worst team in the Western

Conference.

Game notes

Tony Allen scored a career-high 20 points in his first

career start at Atlanta Jan. 22. He returned to the lineup after

missing four games with a sprained right ankle. ... The Celtics

started four former college All-Americans. The only one who wasn't

was Walker. ... The Hawks have used 14 different starting lineups

this season and don't have a winning record with any of them.