"I'm sorry y'all," he said. "I am so tired."

Like Neo after exiting the Matrix, Jackson was spent after using all of his power as the Warriors took advantage of a listless Celtics quad. He returned from a four-game absence, because of his sprained left hand, and logged 46 minutes.

His performance perhaps couldn't have come at a better time. Golden State had lost seven of its last eight, capped by a close loss at Miami on Tuesday to conclude a five-game road trip. Most expected the Celtics, owners of the best record in the league, to clobber the Warriors, especially since they were coming off an emotional Christmas Day loss at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jackson finished with 28 points on 9-for-17 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. He hit so many clutch shots, you'd have a hard time remembering any of his six turnovers.

"We finally got Jack playing like Jack," coach Don Nelson said. "First time in a long time."

Fortunately for the Warriors, they also had Marco Belinelli playing like Belinelli, knocking down bombs and energizing the crowd. He finished with 22 points, including an 11-point third quarter that sparked the Warriors' roaring comeback.

They got Ronny Turiaf playing like Turiaf. He anchored a Warriors' defense that held the Celtics to 17 points on 6-for-20 shooting (30 percent) and forced six turnovers in the fourth quarter. The Warriors held the Celtics' Big Three forward Kevin Garnett, swingman Paul Pierce and guard Ray Allen to 35 points, 18 points below their average.

"I can't say enough about Turiaf," Jackson said. "He's been bringing the energy, and the confidence we have in him, knowing that if we get beat, we know he's going to be there to rebound and block shots. Without him, I don't think we could've won this game."

Thanks to Belinelli's shooting stroke, the Warriors carried some momentum into the fourth quarter, though they trailed 72-64 after three quarters.

Turiaf opened the quarter by jamming home a two-handed dunk, pulling the Warriors to within six the closest they'd been since the first quarter. Then Jackson caught fire.

He followed a Kelenna Azubuike 3-pointer with one of his own, cutting Boston's lead to 78-77. Jackson then gave the Warriors the lead with a turnaround jumper that bounced in at the 6:03 mark. Moments later, he nailed another 3-pointer, giving the Warriors an 82-78 advantage with 5:32 to go. Oracle was officially rocking.

"That was crazy," said injured guard Jamal Crawford, his eyes still bug after witnessing Oracle Arena at its peak for the first time. "Best fans in the league. (Madison Square) Garden is the Garden. But this is different. They are passionate man. Passionate."

The Warriors' improbable run continued. Belinelli knocked down a pull-up jumper off the glass. Then Jackson drew a foul on Allen while attempting a 3-pointer. Allen fouled out and Jackson knocked down all three free throws, putting the Warriors ahead 87-78 with just over four minutes left.

Point guard C.J. Watson came off the bench to put the icing on the cake nailing back-to-back mid-range jumpers, the latter putting the Warriors ahead 93-84 with 1:23 left in the game and Jackson lit the candles with a pair of free throws with 36.2 seconds remaining.

"It shows we have great character on this team and that we have guys who are willing to give themselves up for the team," said Turiaf, who posted season highs in points (14) and rebounds (eight). "We are a young team that has gone through a lot of injuries and a lot of tough times this season. But this tells us that regardless of what happens, we just need to keep working hard and eventually good things will start to happen to us."

Contact Marcus Thompson II at mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com.Warriors 99, Celtics 89next game: Sunday at Lakers, 6:30 p.m.