Hornets 87, Celtics 86: Anthony Davis tipped in Eric Gordon’s miss with 0.3 seconds left to lift host New Orleans over Boston.

Paul Pierce scored 11 of his 28 points in the final six minutes for the Celtics but missed a jumper with 17 seconds left that would have made it a three-point gap. Instead the Hornets got a chance and Gordon drove the lane, where Davis was waiting to get the offensive rebound and tip it up for the winning basket.

Ryan Anderson scored 21 points off the bench, Gordon had 18 and Davis finished with nine points and eight rebounds for New Orleans, which snapped a four-game slide.

Kevin Garnett returned from a two-game absence and scored 20 points and Jeff Green added 13 off the bench as Boston fell to 12-21 on the road. The Celtics fell a half-game behind the Chicago Bulls for the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference.

New Orleans opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run and grabbed a 78-69 lead when Anderson nailed a jumper with 6:15 left. Pierce got hot over the next few minutes and led Boston on a 15-3 run before Gordon hit a short jumper and Anderson hit two free throws to set up the final sequence.

GAME NOTEBOOK: After shooting 60 percent in the first half, the Celtics slumped to 32.4 percent after the break. … New Orleans had a 45-28 advantage on the glass. … Hornets PGs Greivis Vasquez and Brian Roberts combined for 25 points and nine assists while Boston Gs Jason Terry, Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee managed 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting.