West runs out of gas

INDIANAPOLIS -- Delonte West remained in the locker room during the second half of the Celtics' 103-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse, suffering from flu-like symptoms. He missed shootaround yesterday morning and could play only 12 minutes last night. He believes he will be able to play tonight against the Lakers.

"I thought I was hurting my team more than I was helping them," said West, who had 4 points and 2 assists. "I didn't have any energy out there. After the first jump ball, the first sprint up and down the floor, I was dead tired. That definitely affects any player, so I decided to sit the second half out."

Coach Doc Rivers thought it was wise to keep West out of the second half to save him for tonight.

Al Jefferson recorded his 20th double-double of the season, with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but it was hard to celebrate the accomplishment with the team in a losing streak. "Al is getting great numbers, but I'm always scared of numbers when you're not winning," said Rivers. "Numbers on a losing team can be fool's gold. But I think Al is getting legitimate numbers for the most part. The rebounds are great, but the scoring numbers, too, because he's getting a lot of attention with all the guys out." . . . With West ailing, Rivers strongly considered starting rookie Rajon Rondo for the first time. It would have been a perfect homecoming for Rondo, who grew up little more than an hour away in Louisville, Ky., and had a couple dozen family members and friends at Conseco Fieldhouse. It was another sign of the progress made by Rondo, who had 7 points and 5 assists but fouled out. Rondo's playing time spiked Jan. 12 against the Raptors when he logged 30 minutes and scored a season-high 23 points. He has supplanted Sebastian Telfair as the backup point guard, but Rondo sees room for improvement. "I need to take better leadership in crunch time, correcting the guys on where we need to be," he said.

Right now, Rivers will take Wally Szczerbiak at less than 100 percent for what his mere presence on the floor means. Szczerbiak came off the bench again and played 25 minutes, scoring 8 points (3 for 13 from the floor). "Wally looks OK, not great," said Rivers. "He's probably not in great shape. His ankle is playable, but I know if he's playing as well as he can, he's still a threat on the floor. That's better than not having a threat on the floor." Said Szczerbiak, "I feel surprisingly good. The ankle feels better than it did, but it's still a little swollen." . . . Rivers said the Celtics hope to have Paul Pierce back before the All-Star break (Feb. 16), which seemed to extend the captain's timetable slightly. Pierce has said he hoped to be back the first week in February . . . Condolences to assistant coach Kevin Eastman, whose father Joseph died Monday night.