Kings subjected to rout

Garnett and Celtics rebound in big way

Celtics starters (from left) Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo get down time in the second half. (Steve Yeater/Associated Press)

SACRAMENTO - The Celtics returned to their successful form last night by royally flushing the Kings.

Boston snapped its first two-game losing streak of the season with a stunning 108-63 rout of Sacramento at Arco Arena. The defending champions came in having lost to the defending Western Conference champion Lakers and a struggling Golden State team. But by crowning the Kings, the Celtics now have won 20 of their last 22.

"It wasn't personal," said Boston forward Paul Pierce, who had 13 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes. "It's all business. We just came with that workman[like] attitude. Guys have a lot of pride in here. We don't want to lose two in a row ever."

The 45-point margin of victory tied for the sixth-biggest ever by the Celtics and was their largest win since beating Baltimore, 153-107, Nov. 27, 1970. Boston allowed the second-fewest field goals (19) in franchise history in the shot clock era. The Kings, losers of six straight, had the fewest field goals and lowest field goal percentage (27.9) in the NBA this season.

The Kings' loss was by their largest margin at home in franchise history. Sacramento also had its fewest field goals in franchise history in the shot clock era and its fewest points at home in the Sacramento era.

"Needless to say that was a lesson well learned from the NBA champions," Kings interim coach Kenny Natt said. "They came out very hungry after dropping two games, obviously. And they did what they were supposed to do."

Said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, "Our guys came out with amazing focus."

The Celtics said defense was the reason they turned things around.

"That's our staple," said Pierce. "We feel like the last couple of games we haven't been living up to what we've been doing most of the year. We wanted to get back to that, establish our defense."

"We just stayed solid," said Rivers. "We did not make too many gambles."

The Celtics (28-4) stayed one game ahead of Cleveland (26-4) in the Eastern Conference standings and improved to 11-3 on the road. It was Boston's first win on a four-game trip that concludes tomorrow night at Portland.

Kevin Garnett had 21 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes (10 of 11 from the floor) for Boston. Guard Ray Allen added 19 points in a team-high 31 minutes and center Kendrick Perkins added 12 rebounds and four blocks after missing the previous game with a left shoulder injury. The Celtics shot 51.9 percent from the field and scored 40 points in the paint.

When asked about his team's defense, Kings guard Bobby Jackson said, "What defense? It was horrible."

"We had to go back to the drawing board to the most simple of ideas for basketball," Allen said. "From passing the ball to overpassing the ball to [defending] and not worrying about what we were doing on offense."

Said Garnett: "In both games that we did lose we had a chance to win. It just came to the final parts and we lost. It's nice to get back to what we know. Doc came back to the roots of what we are. He sort of hit the refresh button, if you will."

Boston finished the first quarter with a 23-17 lead after limiting Sacramento to 25-percent shooting (6 for 24). It opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run capped by a jumper by Eddie House (15 points, three 3-pointers) to take a 31-17 lead. Boston went ahead, 48-27, after a Pierce 3-pointer with 3:46 left before halftime.

"You could see the focus from when the starters went in to when [the bench] came into the game," Allen said.

Allen added a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left in the second to push Boston to a mammoth 25-point halftime lead, 59-34. Boston outscored Sacramento, 36-17, and scored a season high for a second quarter.

The Celtics shot 55 percent from the field in the first half, made 12 free throws, scored 22 points in the paint, and outrebounded Sacramento, 28-16. The Kings shot just 25.7 percent from the field (9 for 35) and missed 8 of 10 3-point attempts.

The Celtics opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run finalized by an Allen 3-pointer to take a 35-point lead, 69-34. The Kings didn't score until Spencer Hawes nailed a jumper with 8:19 remaining in the third. With the game out of reach, the fans started cheering for the Celtics during Garnett's 3-point play that pushed Sacramento into an 80-42 hole with 4:23 left in the third. When Garnett went to the bench for good 15 seconds later, he received a loud ovation.

With 49.3 seconds left in the third and Boston up a commanding 82-46, the only starter still on the floor was Rajon Rondo. The Celtics finished the quarter with a 36-point lead, 84-48, and no starter played the rest of the game.

"The way it ended up tonight, we were able to open our bench and let some guys play," Pierce said. "We just executed the game plan."