BOSTON (AP) – Steven Hunter tied a career-high with 20 points and Andre Miller added 19 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 102-94 comeback win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Louis Williams also tied a career high with 18 points and Joe Smith added 16 for the Sixers, who outscored Boston 55-36 in the second half to win their third straight game.

After Sebastian Telfair’s 3-pointer gave Boston a 65-50 lead early in the third, Philadelphia used a 16-4 run to cut the deficit to 69-66.

The Sixers tied it at 76 by the end of the third and took their first lead since the first quarter when Smith opened the final quarter with a jumper.

Ryan Gomes scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Celtics, who lost their fifth straight.

Gomes’ 3-pointer pulled Boston to 92-89 with 4:31 remaining, but Miller scored four in a row to secure the win.

Gerald Green scored 22, Allan Ray had 15 and Rajon Rondo added 12 for the Celtics, who earlier in the day announced leading scorer Paul Pierce would miss the rest of the season with a sore left elbow.

Philadelphia also played without its leading scorer, Andre Iguodala, who sat out his second game with a strained lower back.

Key reserves Kyle Korver (sprained wrist) and Rodney Carney (sprained knee) also sat out for the 76ers.

For the second day in a row, Philadelphia’s reserves picked up the slack.

Williams, who also scored 18 in a 90-86 win over Indiana on Tuesday, added a career-high eight assists, and Smith scored all his points in the second half to key the comeback.

He scored six in a row in the fourth to erase an 80-78 Boston lead and give Philadelphia the lead for good.

Pierce to miss rest of season

Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce will miss the rest of the season with a sore left elbow.

Pierce, who had surgery on that elbow last offseason and had an infection in it earlier this season, hasn’t played since re-aggravating the injury in a 105-96 double-overtime victory over Orlando on March 28.

With only five games remaining, including Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia, and the Celtics long out of playoff contention, coach Doc Rivers said rushing Pierce back wouldn’t be worth the risk.