Allen to work his way out, not put up excuses

RAY ALLEN A 7-for-17 night

ORLANDO, Fla. - Guard Ray Allen typically hoists about 250 shots before games. When the Celtics go back to practice tomorrow, don't be surprised if he shoots more than that in hopes of getting his usually reliable jumper back.

Allen missed 10 of 17 shots and 6 of 8 3-point attempts in last night's 104-102 loss to the Magic at Amway Arena. In the three games before the Orlando contest, the six-time All-Star missed 32 of 47 field goal attempts and 13 of 18 3-pointers.

"It just seemed like the last two or three nights I wasn't feeling the way I normally feel," Allen said. "It's going to take just a day to get it right back. I'm going to go back into the lab."

Forward Kevin Garnett also had an off night with 14 points and 11 rebounds while fouling out in 37 minutes. Asked if he was suffering from flu-like symptoms during the game, Garnett said, "It doesn't matter, man. When you hit the floor you come out here and suit up and you're supposed to perform.

"We're not going to make any excuses on anything. They played well."

Pollard steps up
Scot Pollard's physical defense on Dwight Howard led coach Doc Rivers to praise him after the game. Howard (24 points) didn't take a field goal attempt in 10 minutes and 20 seconds of play in the fourth with Pollard hounding him for nearly half that time.

"I'm fresh coming in in the fourth quarter, so that had something to do with it, too," Pollard said. "He was a little fatigued. He was working against [Kendrick Perkins] all game and Kevin all game. And I come in fresh and I'm strong.

"I think I gave him something to bother him a little bit, but not enough to get the win."

Helping in big way
Celtics assistant Clifford Ray has helped Howard and many others become better players in the paint. And now, it's Boston rookie Glen Davis's turn to learn.

Ray, who played 10 seasons in the NBA, has developed such big men as Perkins, Al Jefferson, Roy Tarpley, Chris Webber, Ben Wallace, Jayson Williams, Erick Dampier, P.J. Brown, Adonal Foyle, Etan Thomas, and DeSagana Diop. Ray also received credit for helping Howard develop quickly when Ray was a Magic assistant.

"Ray helped me with all the little things," Howard said. "Confidence. He was someone I could talk to. He was like my father away from home. He meant a lot to me, just the little things he did for me. He helped me grow and mature as a young man."

In May 2006, Ray was hired by the Celtics to help develop Perkins and Jefferson. Now, Ray's top project is Davis, who has gone from NBA Development League candidate to receiving playing time most nights.

"Just listen to [Ray]," said Howard when asked what he would tell Davis. "He has a lot of knowledge about the game. He works extremely hard. The main thing is to listen to what Clifford is saying and use it to be very effective in the game."

"He's meant a lot," Davis said. "He's helped me grow as a player every day. He's showing me the ropes, the intensity level, the consistency of the high-level work you have to have in order to be successful in the league."

Dinner with Doc
The Celtics had dinner with Rivers and his family at his house in nearby Winter Park, Fla. While in town, Rivers also was able to see his son, Austin, a freshman at Winter Park High, play in a game. "The way I look at it is every time we're together as a group it's a good thing," said Rivers, a former Magic coach who was fired just over four years ago. "We have nine new players and every chance we get to do something that involves team-building, we're going to do it." . . . Forward Brandon Wallace will make his D-League debut today when his Utah Flash play the Idaho Stampede in an exhibition game. The rookie will be moving into an apartment in Orem, Utah, this week, and will have the NBA package on his television compliments of Flash owner Brandt Anderson so he can watch Celtics games. Flash general manager David Fredman said the 6-foot-9-inch, 203-pounder is adjusting well. "He's a great kid," Fredman said. "He has a great attitude and he knows he's here to get better."

Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com