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EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: The Boston Celtics won
their 30th game of the National Basketball Season on Friday to equal
the best start in franchise history.
Kevin Garnett scored 20 points
with 11 rebounds and Paul Pierce chipped in 18 points for the
Celtics, who have amassed their 30 victories in just 34 games.
Rookie Glen Davis also played a
key role, scoring six straight points in a 13-0 fourth-quarter run
that cemented an 86-77 victory over the New Jersey Nets.
Davis helped the Celtics rally
from a seven-point deficit with three straight layups in the
fourth-quarter outburst.
“It’s really big,” Davis
said of coming off the bench to post seven points and four rebounds
in just 14 minutes.
“The big guys need to rest. I
stepped up at the right time to be successful. They needed
someone to run the plays. I somehow got the ball and made the
shots.”
Ray Allen contributed 16 points
as he and the Celtics recovered from Wednesday’s surprising home
loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Allen was held out of that contest
with a pinched nerve in his neck.
New Jersey’s Jason Kidd came up
one assist short of his fourth triple-double in five games,
finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
Kidd moved into fifth place on
the NBA’s all-time assists list with 9,061, passing Knicks coach
Isiah Thomas.
Richard Jefferson led the Nets
with 17 points as New Jersey saw their three-game home winning
streak broken.
--AFP
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