Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce each scored 16 points, and the Boston Celtics bounced back from their first loss of the season to beat the winless New Jersey Nets 86-76 on Saturday night Ray Allen came alive after three dismal quarters to score eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter for the Celtics (7-1), who lost 110-103 to Phoenix on Friday night, allowing 20 more points than in any previous game. Their defense was back Saturday _ and it needed to be, because the Celtics couldn't shoot for most of the night. Boston finished with 20 steals, five by Rondo, scoring 19 points off New Jersey's 24 turnovers. Kevin Garnett shot 3 of 13 but added nine points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who beat the Nets for the 10th straight time, their longest winning streak in the series since claiming 11 in a row from 1980-82. Brook Lopez, the only regular starter available, scored 23 points, and Rafer Alston had 20 for the Nets (0-7). The Nets likely ran out of gas in the fourth quarter while playing with only eight players. Starting forward Chris Douglas-Roberts tested positive for swine flu and Courtney Lee has a strained left groin, leaving the Nets with the NBA minimum amount of players to start a game. "Well, we're down to the great eight," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said before the game. That was good enough for 3 1/2 quarters until Allen, who was 1 of 7 through three quarters, knocked down a pair of jumpers for an 80-72 lead with 4:09 to play. The Nets scored the first five points and led by as much as eight before the Celtics tied it at 18 after one. Neither team had any flow in the first half, with the Nets committing 15 turnovers but Boston converting them into only six points. Continued... |