Ricky Davis converted a three-point play with 21 seconds remaining and Gary Payton came up big on the defensive end as the Celtics completed a successful homestand with a 105-101 victory over the Washington Wizards.
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"It was all about the bench tonight," said Celtics forward Paul Pierce, who scored 20 points. "They didn't look at the score, they didn't look at the clock. They just came out and played hard and gave us a big lift. That was the turning point of the game right there."
But in the final minutes, Rivers went to more experience and it paid off as the Celtics (34-29) completed 5-1 homestand and moved a season-high five games over .500.
After Larry Hughes' steal and layup gave the Wizards a 101-99 lead with 62 seconds left, Pierce missed a three that would have given the Celtics the lead with 47 seconds remaining.
On the Wizards' next possession, Gilbert Arenas drove the left side of the lane and had contact with Raef LaFrentz with the ball not hitting the rim and Washington called for a 24-second violation.
"I went into his body like I was supposed to and every scorer in this league gets to the free-throw line," Arenas said. "I jumped into (LaFrentz) and he tries to block the shot. If he blocks the shot and hits me, that's a foul. No matter if I cause the contact and (the referee) said I caused the contact."
The Celtics turned the offense over to Davis, who split a double-team at the top of the key and scooped home a layup while drawing a blocking foul on Brendan Haywood. His free throw gave the Celtics the lead for good.
"They got a three-point play call driving down the lane and we didn't get a call that we probably deserved," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "That's the way it works."
Following a timeout, Antawn Jamison had his pass intended for Hughes knocked away by Payton -- a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection -- and Allen picked up the loose ball.
Allen made two foul shots with 15 seconds left and Arenas missed a 3-pointer on the other end before Payton split two free throws six seconds later to seal it.
"I wasn't worried about the situation," Allen said. "It's something that I practice all the time. I was just trying to hit the free throws so we could get out of there."
LaFrentz added 19 points for the Celtics, who received a big performance from their bench to compensate for a huge differential for the Wizards at the free-throw line.
The Celtics held a 50-16 advantage in bench points. Washington went 27-of-41 at the line while the Celtics were just 12-of-17.
Hughes scored 26 points and Arenas added 25 for the Wizards, who lost for the eighth time in 11 games. Jared Jeffries contributed 13 points and 16 rebounds.