Return of Williams helps

"Eric Williams is so important to our basketball team that I don't know how we can do without Eric Williams," said O'Brien. "And Eric knows I feel this way about him. I just made this statement to Eric: He gives me confidence. I don't care if he's on the court or on the bench, as long as he's in uniform.

"He's a great leader, he's a strong post-up player, and he doesn't permit anybody he's on the court with to play anything but the hardest defense. Or they will subtly hear from Eric. He has a way of lifting our defense and it's very, very important for us to have him back."

Williams missed the last three games with a bone bruise in his right knee. The small forward admitted his knee was not 100 percent, but he has played through worse pain with a broken right pinky and left knee tendinitis. He finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds.

"I just want to go out there and give the team energy," said Williams. "That's one of the things [I can do] coming off the bench. I can understand what our team needs. I think at the beginning, [Sacramento] came out with a lot of energy, our team looked sluggish. I told the second unit on the bench, `We know what we're lacking. Now, let's go out there with a lot of energy and play hard,' and that's what pretty much turned the game around."

High percentage

Vin Baker did a lot of thinking over the offseason. But he never considered the possibility of leading the league in field goal percentage. But there he was before last night's game, shooting a league-best 64 percent (32 for 50). After scoring 18 points on 8-for-17 shooting against Sacramento, Baker's shooting percentage dropped to 60 percent.

"I haven't really given it much thought," said Baker. "I've just got to keep being aggressive, keep getting quality shots."

While Baker has not focused on his league-leading percentage, O'Brien and the rest of the Celtics have. They know Baker needs more opportunities to score. And last night, they succeeded in getting him more shots.

"We have to understand what we have in a guy like him," said Paul Pierce. "He's getting us good shots pretty much every time he touches the ball, making the right decisions. Everybody's getting used to playing with each other."

All aboard

Last night marked the first time this season the Celtics had their full complement of small forwards, and all active players healthy. When Williams got injured, Jumaine Jones (bilateral hamstring strain) was just about ready to return. O'Brien now has more players to mix and match. "There's a lot of competition still to be put forth to get into that rotation," said O'Brien. "So, I don't know how close we are to getting it set. But it's wonderful to be healthy. It allows you to compete and may the best person win at each position." . . . Jones and Walter McCarty did not play (coach's decision) . . . Former Celtics second-round draft pick Darius Songaila played six minutes in the first half and had a point and a personal . . . Brad Miller tied a career high with his 16 rebounds . . . Baker set an individual high for rebounds as a Celtic with 13 . . . Boston outscored Sacramento, 50-24, in the paint and outrebounded Sacramento, 52-42.