CHARLOTTE, NC, Feb. 5 (Ticker) -- In a game featuring long scoring droughts by both teams, the Boston Celtics turned up the defense at the right time.

The Celtics erased a seven-point deficit by holding the Charlotte Hornets scoreless for more than seven minutes in the fourth quarter and rallied for an 82-79 victory.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points for Boston, which posted its second straight win in Charlotte, despite squandering an early 17-point lead.

"We kind of gutted it out tonight," Pierce said. "We kept our composure and were able to execute down the stretch. We can't get rattled when we blow leads. We forced some shots, but when it really counted, guys stepped up."

NBA.TV highlights from Celtics-Hornets: 56k | 300k It was a tough night for Antoine Walker, who shot just 33% and had nine TOs, but Boston prevailed anyway. Garrett W. Ellwood NBAE/Getty Images

The Hornets scored the first seven points of the final period and took a 69-62 lead on a 3-pointer by Baron Davis, who scored 28 points, with 9:47 remaining. But the Celtics responded with a 13-0 run over the next 7:24.

"When we were down seven, we could have caved, but the guys hung in there," Boston coach Jim O'Brien said. "We were strong-minded and I'm proud of the players being able to fight through that."

Tony Battie's layup put the Celtics up for good, 70-69, with 7:35 left. After neither team scored for exactly three minutes, Pierce drilled a 3-pointer and Antoine Walker dunked to make it 75-69 with 3:55 to go.

Playing without Jamal Mashburn and former Celtic David Wesley, the Hornets were held to 37 percent shooting (31-of-84) from the field. Mashburn has been sidelined since November and on Monday was joined on the injury list by Wesley, who is expected to be sidelined a month with a cracked bone in his foot.

"When you take 36 points out of the lineup, it is tough to win," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "When you take two of your outside shooters out of the game, it takes a lot from your offense."

The Hornets missed 16-of-18 shots at one point in the fourth quarter, including 13 straight during the drought.

Despite its offensive woes, Charlotte had a chance to force overtime, but Matt Bullard's 3-pointer from the left corner caromed off the rim at the buzzer.

Lee Nailon and Davis drilled 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds to bring the Hornets within 81-79. Walker made just 1-of-2 from the line with 4.3 seconds remaining to keep it a one-possession game.

Charlotte was denied its season-high fourth straight win and missed a chance to move over .500 for the first time since the third game of the season.

"Matt had a good look, but it just didn't go down," Silas said. "We got ourselves in a bad position early in the game and could not make it all the way back."

The Celtics jumped to a 26-9 lead before the Hornets closed the first quarter with an 8-0 run. Charlotte steadied itself in the second period and trailed just 45-38 at halftime.

Boston went scoreless for the first 4 1/2 minutes of the third quarter. Davis sparked the Hornets by getting 12 points in the period, including five in a late 7-0 run that gave the Hornets their first lead.

After hitting a 3-pointer and a layup to tie it, Davis stole the ball from Erick Strickland and fed Bryce Drew for a layup that gave Charlotte a 62-60 lead with 1:06 left in the third.

"We had an opportunity at the end," Charlotte guard Lee Nailon said, who contributed 17 points. "We played a bad game and lost. We got our confidence back and got back in it. We just came out flat and had to fight back to tie it up."

Strickland's layup with 23 seconds left tied the contest entering the final period before Charlotte appeared to take control early in the fourth.

"Tonight was a tough mental win for us," Boston guard Kenny Anderson said. "It was sloppy, but we got the `W.' We've been thriving on our defense lately. Our offense has been too sporadic at times."

"We increased our defensive intensity, got a couple buckets and loaded up on Baron to make sure he didn't beat us at the rim," O'Brien added.

Walker added 19 points for the Celtics, who shot 38 percent (28-of-73). Eric Williams added 15.

Charlotte dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Celtics, 50-35. But Boston made 20-of-26 free throws, while the Hornets were just 13-of-17 from the line.

"Charlotte has a big, bruising team, so we wanted to spread the court and try to drive and get to the free-throw line," Anderson explained.