Final, Celtics 93-90: Kevin Garnett hits a big shot with 1:04 left for a 4-point lead and the Celtics hang on to seal a surprisingly thrilling win. Kyrie Irving was sparkling in the fourth quarter with 13 of his 21 points. Anderson Varejao finished with 20 points and 20 rebounds.

Fourth quarter, 1:18, Celtics 89-87: The Celtics have found themselves in another war with the Cavaliers, getting outscored 29-13 in the quarter and having nothing left to defend Kryie Irving, who is making all the plays.

Fourth quarter, 5:49, Celtics 80-73: The Cavaliers are on a 15-4 run to begin the quarter and the Celtics again can't find the basket. They are 2-for-9 shooting in the period with two turnovers. They are going to need some late-game heroics to seal this one.

Fourth quarter, 8:25, Celtics 76-64: Boston is 0-for-6 shooting to begin the quarter and the Cavaliers have responded with a 6-0 run to make it interesting. The Celtics are missing some easy shots while they are allowing Cleveland to dominate the boards. Anderson Varejao has 20 points and 18 rebounds for the Cavaliers while Kyrie Irving has 10 points and six assists.

End of third quarter, Celtics 76-58: The Celtics are trying to apply the finishing blows to the Cavaliers but remember, they led by 11 with six minutes left and blew that lead, so expect Doc Rivers to play his starters heavy minutes despite tomorrow's home game against Toronto. Ray Allen scored 12 points in the third period for Boston.

Third quarter, 2:59, Celtics 72-53: Celtics are making sure they hold on to this lead, using a standout night from Jermaine O'Neal (12 points) and a 9-point period from Ray Allen to lead by double digits. Anderson Varejao has 18 points and 15 rebounds for Cleveland.

Third quarter, 8:14, Celtics 63-44: The Celtics appear like they are on a mission to put the Cavavliers away early, starting the half on a 12-5 run. Ray Allen has 6 points in the surge after going scoreless in the first half. Paul Pierce has 11 points and Jermaine O'Neal has 10 in his first game back in a week. Anderson Varejao has 14 for Cleveland.

Halftime, Celtics 51-39: A solid defense effort from the Celtics in the second quarter, holding the Cavaliers to 5-for-17 shooting and just 15 points as they continue to shoot well from the perimeter. Eight Celtics have scored and the bench already has 23 points, including 8 from Brandon Bass. Paul Pierce leads the Celtics with 9 while Ray Allen has gone scoreless but has five assists.

Second quarter, 5:10, Celtics 37-33: Cavaliers on a 7-0 run as Anderson Varejao continues to burn the Celtics with his activity. He has 14 points and 5 rebounds while the rest of the Cavs are 5-for-16 shooting with 19 points. Kyrie Irving has 6 points and has already attempted four free throws, as many as the entire Celtics team.

Second quarter, 7:49, Celtics 37-26: The defense is beginning to step up, forcing Samardo Samuels and Anderson Varejao into playmakers, which are not their roles. E'Twaun Moore has drained a 3-pointer and is playing solid defense against Kyrie Irving. The bench has already scored 19 points.

End of first quarter, Celtics 28-24: Both teams are shooting over 56 percent from the field but the Celtics have to find a way to prevent Cleveland but getting easy layups. They have 10 points in the paint, and Anderson Varejao has dominated his matchup with Jermaine O'Neal, scoring 10. Paul Pierce leads Boston with 9.

First quarter, 1:51, Celtics 25-20: The Celtics are shooting 61.1 percent from the field and Mickael Pietrus has come off the bench for two quick 3-pointers while Paul Pierce has 8 points. The Cavaliers are 9-for-15 shooting but Kyrie Irving has yet to score in 10 minutes.

First quarter, 4:30, Celtics 17-15: This looks to be a higher scoring game than Sunday's matchup but the Celtics still have no answer for Anderson Varejao, who already has 8 points and 4 rebounds in seven minutes. Paul Pierce has 8 points for the Celtics.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

The Celtics will try to exact some revenge of the Cavaliers after Sunday's 88-87 loss in which Cleveland scored the final 12 points of the game. The Celtics are slowly getting healthier with Jermaine O'Neal back in the starting lineup but Rajon Rondo and Keyon Dooling are out.

Rondo may return tomorrow against Toronto or more than likely Friday against the New York Knicks. Dooling could be out for several more games with a hip pointer.

For Cleveland, Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson are out.

STARTING LINEUPS

BOSTON CELTICS (9-10)

PG Avery Bradley
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF Kevin Garnett
C Jermaine O'Neal

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (8-11)

PG Kyrie Irving
SG Mychel Thompson
SF Omri Casspi
PF Antawn Jamison
C Anderson Varejao

Officials: Joey Crawford, Bennie Adams, Karl Lane

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

CLEVELAND -- Paul Pierce expressed disappointment and anger that he was held out of Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers until 3 minutes left in the game. Doc Rivers said he will let Pierce's words dissolve with that game.

"We were up 11, 12 and he had probably still played 33, 34 minutes," Rivers said. "If Paul was 25, he would have been in. But he knows what I'm going to do and he likes it most of the time but when you lose no one likes it. So I don't think it's a big deal."

Rivers said he doesn't feel the need to talk with Pierce.

"It's not something I need to have a conversation about," he said. "I'll let you guys (the media) do all that. I'm sure you will."

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

CLEVELAND -- Celitcs guard Rajon Rondo will miss his seventh consecutive game tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers and is also likely out tomorrow against the Toronto Raptors, according to coach Doc Rivers.

Rivers said Rondo is likely to return Friday against the New York Knicks. Avery Bradley will start tonight against Cleveland's rookie of the year candidate Kyrie Irving.

Jermaine O'Neal said he going to play tonight after missing three games with a bruised left knee. O'Neal said the knee continues to cause discomfort but it is flexible enough to play.

Final, Cavaliers 88-87: Paul Pierce misses a shot that may have been after the buzzer but this one will stick with the Celtics for a long time. They were held scoreless for the final 4:25 and plays like the Ray Allen missed layup and the Kevin Garnett travel after an offensive rebound proved costly. A bad loss.

Fourth quarter, 2.6, Cavaliers 88-87: Kyrie Irving makes a spinning layup with 2.6 seconds left to give Cavs the lead. Celtics haven't scored since the 4:25 mark.

Fourth quarter, 22.2, Celtics 87-86: Ray Allen misses a 3-pointer and Kevin Garnett travels after getting the rebound. Cavs miss the shot get the rebound and call timeout.

Fourth quarter, 1:38, Celtics 87-84: The Cavaliers are on an 8-0 run and Anderson Varejao just cut it to three with a layup after Ray Allen missed an uncontested layup that may have put the game away. Celtics ball.

Fourth quarter, 3:42, Celtics 87-80: The Celtics are trying to hold off the Cavaliers and have used Ray Allen and Brandon Bass to do it. Byron Scott helped the cause by holding Kyrie Irving and Antawn Jamison out for a key stretch of the fourth quarter. Irving has 21 points in 30 minutes.

Fourth quarter, 8:33, Celtics 74-71: The Cavaliers keep hanging around and have made a run with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen out of the game. Mychel Thompson scored the first four points of his NBA career on consecutive jumpers.

End of third quarter, Celtics 70-62: A 9-0 run created some distance but the Celtics scored just 1 points in the final 2:12 of the quarter so this game is still very much up for grabs. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen each have 18 points from Kyrie Irving looks like a franchise point guard with 15 points, 5 assists and 2 rebounds.

Third quarter, 2:32, Celtics 67-57: The Celtics are on a 9-0 run fueled by Ray Allen and Avery Bradley. Bradley just went to the locker room favoring his right ankle after a spill attempting a layup. He has 6 points and 2 assists. Paul Pierce has 15 points for the Celtics.

Third quarter, 5:03, Celtics 63-57: The Celtics are trying to create a little space between them and the Cavaliers as Ray Allen has made a sparkling return with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Kevin Garnett has 14 for Boston while Paul Pierce has 13 but six turnovers. Anderson Varejao has 14 points and Kyrie Irving 13 for Cleveland.

Halftime, Cavaliers 44-43: Cleveland has come to play and is pounding the Celtics in the paint with a stunning 32 of its points. Anderson Varejao has been the main beneficiary with 12 points while Kyrie Irving has 9 and Omri Casspi with 7. Ray Allen leds the Celtics with 12 points and Paul Pierce has 11 with six turnovers. Kevin Garnett has 8 points.

Second quarter, 2:29, Tied at 37: The Celtics have already committed 10 turnovers, a whopping six of those by Paul Pierce and they continue to let Cleveland hang around. The Cavaliers have points from seven players, including Omri Casspi with 7 points and Kyrie Irving with 6.

Second quarter, 7:01, Celtics 33-31: These aren't last year's Cavaliers. They are improved and are using various players to push the Celtics. Ramon Sessions has 5 points off the bench while Omri Casspi also have 5. Ray Allen has returned from injury in stellar fashion, scoring 10 points with three rebounds in 10 minutes.

End of first quarter, Celtics 24-23: The Celtics made a defensive adjustment and held Cleveland to 4 points in the final 4:15 of the first quarter. The Celtics have been led by Paul Pierce with 7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists while Ray Allen added 5 points in eight minutes. Anderson Varejao has 8 for Cleveland.

First quarter, 4:17, Cavaliers 19-15: A fast-paced game where defense is optional so far. The Cavaliers are shooting 60 percent (9 for 15) and Celtics nemesis Anderson Varejao already has 6 points and 3 rebounds. Ray Allen has 5 points in his return from a three-game injury absence.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

The Celtics' health news is a little better as Ray Allen will return to the lineup after missing three games with a jammed left ankle. Allen said he wasn't feeling pain in the ankle anymore and it was more weakness, meaning it was time to give it a go.

*Rajon Rondo is out but may return to the lineup Tuesday against Cleveland. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he is getting close, but he won't play tonight.

*Keyon Dooling said his pain is more in the oblique area and it's hard to sleep. He likely won't be back soon.

*Jermaine O'Neal is a game-time decision with a bruised left knee.

*For Cleveland, Daniel Gibson is out with a stiff neck.

STARTING LINEUPS

BOSTON CELTICS (9-9)

PG Avery Bradley
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF Brandon Bass
C Kevin Garnett

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

PG Kyrie Irving
SG Anthony Parker
SF Antawn Jamison
PF Omri Casspi
C Anderson Varejao

Officials: Mark Davis, Scott Wall, Eric Lewis

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

As team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has maintained for years, he is always looking to improve the roster and the Celtics are keeping its eyes open when it comes to New Orleans center Chris Kaman, who is being offered for trade by Hornets general manager Dell Demps.

According to an NBA source, the Celtics would be interested in Kaman if the impending free agent is bought out of his contract. The Hornets have told Kaman, 29, to stay home while they try to orchestrate a trade. They acquired Kaman in the trade for Chris Paul last month but have decided to go with younger players.

Kaman has averaged 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 22 minutes per game before the Hornets decided to put him on the block. The Celtics only have the veteran's minimum to offer so Kaman would have to agree to a buyout for the portion of the $14 million he is owed this season and then he would have to agree to a deal for the prorated minimum.

The Hornets want a return for Kaman, so it's unlikely he will be bought out unless Demps can't find an adequate deal. The Celtics only have draft picks to offer unless they wanted to part with $14 million in salaries, which is highly unlikely.

Final: Celtics 94, Pacers 87

The Boston Celtics finally reached the .500 mark for the first time this season, evening their record at 9-9, after scoring a 94-87 victory over the Indiana Pacers tonight before a sellout crowd at TD Garden.

"I was telling the guys we're finally at sea level, now we've got to keep our heads above water,'' said Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics to their fourth consecutive win after scoring a game-high 28 points on 10-for-23 shooting, including 4 of 7 from the 3-point arc.

Pierce, who had 17 third-quarter points to help the Celtics expand a 42-34 halftime lead to 71-61 by the end of the third, also had 10 rebounds to go along with 8 assists.

"It's a huge win, especially after the back-to-back,'' Pierce said, referring to Boston's come-from-behind 91-83 road win in Orlando Thursday night, in which the Celtics rallied from a 27-point deficit. "Most of us got in at 3-4 o'clock this morning, we didn't have our normal shootaround to go over the game plan, so we just watched film [in the locker room], so it was just one of those games where, mentally, you're drained after the emotional win [Thursday] night and I'm proud of the way we stepped up and really got the job done.

"The win [Thursday] night probably wouldn't have meant as much if we didn't get it tonight.''

The Celtics also go double-digit contributions from starters Mickael Pietrus (13), Brandon Bass (12) and Kevin Garnett (13). Chris Wilcox scored a season-high 14 points off the bench, as the Celtics reserves outscored Indiana's, 24-17.

"It seems like every night we're getting different contributions from our bench,'' Pierce said. "One night, you have Chris, another night you have Sasha [Pavlovic], you have Marquis and, of course, E'Twaun [Thursday night]. So that's what we're going to need, especially with the injuries that we've had of late. It's going to have to come from a combination of guys to come in there, fill that role, and step up for us, and they've been great at it.''

The Pacers, who dealt the Celtics a humiliating 87-74 loss in their last visit to Boston Jan. 6, got a team-high 21 points from Danny Granger. Paul George had 16 while David West chipped in 14 points.

Fourth quarter

Celtics 88, Pacers 80, 2:56 -- After the Pacers closed to within 81-75, Mickael Pietrus drained a trey to spark a 7-2 spurt that enabled the Celtics to gain some breathing room, 88-78. But Paul George threw down a breakway dunk to cut it to eight with less than three minutes remaining.

Celtics 81, Pacers 73, 6:48 --

Celtics 81, Pacers 65, 8:38 -- The Celtics opened up a 16-point lead on Marquis Daniels' breakaway dunk. The C's bench has now outscored the Pacers' bench, 24-15, with Wilcox leading the way with a season-high 14 points.

Third quarter

Celtics 71, Pacers 61, end of third -- The Celtics took a 10-point lead into the fourth after getting a lights-out effort from Paul Pierce in the third quarter. Pierce scored 17 points in the period to lead the way.

Celtics 69, Pacers 59, 1:23 -- Celtics in complete control of the game, thanks to Pierce, who now has 24 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists.

Celtics 62, Pacers 50, 5:21 -- Pierce took the game over, scoring 10 points in a 14-2 run that enabled the Celtics to open up a 12-point lead, 60-48, on Pierce's 3-pointer with 5:53 to go. David West followed with a jumper, but Chris Wilcox, in the game for Bass after he picked up his fourth personal, went to the line for a pair of foul shots to make it a 12-point game.

Celtics 55, Pacers 46, 9:55 -- After Granger hit a pair of foul shots and a converted a Paul Pierce turnover into a breakaway layup that tied it, 46-46, the Celtics reeled off nine unanswered points to take a 9-point lead. Pierce sparked the run with a 3-point burial for a 49-46 lead with 8:25 to go, then fed Avery Bradley on a nice baseline cut to make it 51-46, and then drove the lane for a basket to make it 53-46. Kevin Garnett then converted on a heavily-contested turnaround lane jumper to make it 55-46, prompting the Pacers to call a timeout.

Celtics 44, Pacers 42, 9:55 -- The Pacers opened the second half by outscoring the Celtics, 8-2, to pull within two points. Danny Granger came out on fire, scoring the first two baskets of the half for the Pacers. Tyler Hansbrough answered a Brandon Bass follow dunk with a pair of foul shots (courtesy of Bass' third personal) and David West came back with a jumper to cut the Celtics lead to 2.

Halftime: Celtics 42, Pacers 34

Mickael Pietrus drained a 3-pointer, flashing the Pacers' bench with a double-fisted three-point hand gesture as he raced back downcourt, to give the Celtics a 42-32 lead with 8.5 seconds to go. But the Celtics got their comeuppance when David West drained a buzzer-beating jumper to pull the Pacers within 8 at intermission.

Chris Wilcox led the way for the Celtics with 10 points and 6 rebounds in the first while Danny Granger led the Pacers with 9 first-half points.

Second quarter

Celtics 37, Pacers 30, 2:12 -- Chris Wilcox is having a night for himself. He has scored 10 points to go with 6 rebounds, both season highs. But the Pacers did not go away. They got free throws from Granger and Amundson to cut it to 7. Hibbert was reported to have suffered a sprained ankle.

Celtics 34, Pacers 24, 4:48 -- A driving layup by Brandon Bass is followed by a Paul Pierce offensive putback to give the C's a 10-point lead, 34-24 with 4:55 left. The play proved costly for the Pacers when Roy Hibbert went down in a heap, clutching his right ankle. Not a good turn of events for the visitors who have struggled on the offensive glass, getting shut out in the first quarter.

Celtics 30, Pacers 24, 6:22 -- Pacers scored five in a row on Dahntay Jones' 3-point play and Paul George's fadeaway jumper. Doc Rivers called a timeout to give the Celtics a chance to regroup.

Celtics 30, Pacers 19, 10:49 -- Brandon Bass buries another long baseline jumper to give the C's an 11-point lead, their largest of the game so far.

Celtics 27, Pacers 17, 10:49 -- After Chris Wilcox throws down a resounding dunk to make it 25-17, Marquis Daniels converts on a turnaround jumper to give the Celtics a 10-point edge.

First quarter

Celtics 23, Pacers 17, end of first quarter -- Chris Wilcox led the C's with 6 points in the first-quarter, hitting a turnaround jumper in the lane with 35.8 seconds remaining in the period to give Boston a 6-point lead. Brandon Bass and Mickael Pietrus each chipped in 4 points as the Celtics converted 11 of 25 field goal attempts in the first quarter.

Celtics 19, Pacers 17, 2:11 -- The Celtics went on an 8-6 run to control a 2-point lead on Brandon Bass' baseline jumper, prompting the Pacers to signal for a timeout. The Celtics are six points away from matching their total first-half output in their last homecourt matchup against the Pacers Jan. 6, when they managed to score only 25 points.

Pacers 11, Celtics 8, 5:50 -- After a timeout, Paul Pierce ties it with a 3-pointer.

Pacers 11, Celtics 8, 5:50 -- After Kevin Garnett scored the first basket of the game, Pacers reeled off seven unanswered points before the Celtics came back and twice pulled within 1 (7-6 and 9-8), the latter on an Avery Bradley reverse layup with 6:59 to go. David West, however, answered with an open jump shot from the left wing to give the Pacers a 3-point lead.

Pregame

Welcome to TD Garden, where the Celtics, fresh off their 91-83 come-from-behind road win in Orlando Thursday night, will host the Indiana Pacers without starters Ray Allen (ankle), Rajon Rondo (wrist) and Jermaine O'Neal (left knee). The Celtics will be looking to avenge a hideous 87-74 homecourt loss to the Pacers Jan. 6.

Final: Celtics 91, Magic 83: Thats the ballgame.

Fourth quarter, 25.4, Celtics 89-83: The Celtics are going to pull off an improbable, perhaps season-changing win, rallying back from a 27-point deficit for their second straight win over Orlando. Paul Pierce has 24 points, 19 in the second half.

Fourth quarter, 5:56, Celtics 79-78: Celtics have wasted three chances to go up 5 and Dwight Howard makes them pay with a layup. Doc Rivers sees his team is tired and calls timeout. Celtics are 10 of 18 from the 3-point line.

Fourth quarter, 7:32, Celtics 79-76: A stirring 13-0 run has the Celtics up for the first time since early in the first quarter and they trailed 52-25 at the midway point of the second quarter. E'Twaun Moore is having his biggest game as a Celtic with 12 points off the bench, all 3-pointers.

Fourth quarter, 9:30, Magic 76-74: Celtics have all the confidence now and Paul Pierce is heading up. He has 7 straight points and the fans in Orlando are anxious. The Celtics defense is back to controlling the game as they did in the first matchup Monday.

End of third quarter, Magic 75-64: Celtics have never stopped playing hard and ended the quarter on a 17-7 run to make it interesting. Paul Pierce scored 9 points in the quarter while E'Twaun Moore hit a key 3-pointer as the Celtics are making up for their first half miseries.

Third quarter, 5:12, Magic 68-47: Orlando counters with an 8-2 run but not before Paul Pierce missed an open 3-pointer that could have cut the deficit to 12. Dwight Howard has 8 points for Orlando while Pierce has 11 on 3-for-11 shooting.

Third quarter, 8:39, Magic 60-45: Celtics have scored 8 of the first 10 points of the half, 6 of those by Paul Pierce and suddenly the game isn't a joke anymore. But they need more defensive stops and some 3-pointers to make it interesting. Dwight Howard is being stymied by Kevin Garnett, by the way.

Halftime, Magic 58-37: Celtics with a mini 12-6 run to end the half to make it somewhat respectable but this is a disaster so far. The Magic is getting every break, every bounce and every call seemingly and the Celtics just look lost without Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. Scoring has been an issue but so has fouling. The Celtics committed too many silly fouls in the first half and would need a nice run to begin the third quarter to have any shot.

Second quarter, 2:47, Magic 52-27: Yeah the score is right. Orlando is on a 50-19 run and has turned this into a nationally televised embarrassment. The Celtics can't score consistently and have made nine field goals. Orlando has 21 field goals are getting every break. And Dwight Howard has 4 points.

Second quarter, 5:54, Magic 43-23: The Celtics are clinging to any kind of hope of staying in the game but they can't score consistently and Paul Pierce has 1 point in 15 minutes. The Celtics offense was already struggling without Ray Allen but Kevin Garnett is the only one who is looking to score at this point. Brandon Bass is on the bench with three fouls and Greg Stiemsma already has four.

Second quarter, 8:47, Magic 36-20: The Celtics are just trying to stem the tide and cut into Orlando's large lead. So far they are playing better defense but still only have eight field goals and attempted two free throws. Paul Pierce has yet to score.

End of fIrst quarter, Magic 32-16: Orlando ends the quarter on a 30-8 run and is in total control after a barrage of turnovers and and good fortune went the Magic's favor. After going scoreless in the first meeting Monday, Ryan Anderson scored 12 points in the period while Jason Richardson added 10. The Celtics committed seven turnovers and shot 38 percent. They need offense badly.

FIrst quarter, 4:58, Magic 15-10: A 12-2 run for Orlando and it has mostly scored in the paint, including 5 points from Glen Davis. Meanwhile, the Celtics are on another one of their scoring droughts with 2 points in the past three minutes.

FIrst quarter, 8:13, Celtics 8-2: Celtics playing with the same confidence as Monday and they have already drawn two fouls on Dwight Howard while Mickael Pietrus has two 3-pointers against his former team in place of the injured Ray Allen.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

The Celtics are as usual a banged up bunch, with three starters out for this rematch with the Magic. Rajon Rondo (right wrist), Jermaine O'Neal (bruised left knee) and Ray Allen (jammed left ankle) will not play.

Doc Rivers does welcome back Mickael Pietrus, Keyon Dooling and Chris Wilcox, so the Celtics will have added depth. The Magic are a healthy bench with revenge on their minds, so it should be an interesting game,

STARTING LINEUPS

BOSTON CELTICS (7-9)

PG Avery Bradley
SG Mickael Pietrus
SF Paul Pierce
PF Brandon Bass
C Kevin Garnett

ORLANDO MAGIC

PG Jameer Nelson
SG Jason Richardson
SF Hedo Turkoglu
PF Ryan Anderson
C Dwight Howard

Officials: Michael Smith, Nick Buchert, David Jones

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- Rajon Rondo (right wrist) will not play tonight vs. the Magic, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Avery Bradley will likely take his place in the starting lineup. Ray Allen (left ankle) did not make the trip, but Rivers said he could play tomorrow at home vs. Indiana.

Rivers said Rondo couldn't even make it through yesterday's practice without favoring the wrist, meaning he could miss a few more games.

"He can't play," Rivers said. "If he could play, he'd play. His hand just won't let him. It's not broken or anything. It's just extremely sore. He tried to shoot and do things yesterday and you could just see it's not way. There's no way he could have been effective."

Mickael Pietrus (shoulder) is expected to start in place of Allen tonight, and Keyon Dooling (right knee) and Chris WIlcox (left calf) are also expected to return for the Celtics. Jermaine O'Neal (left knee) is doubtful, though he could return tomorrow night against the Pacers as well.

If O'Neal can't go, Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett, Greg Stiemsma, and Wilcox will share the duty of guarding Dwight Howard.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- The Celtics are slowly getting healthier, with three injured players joining practice today at Rollins College. But two key rotation players are out for tomorrow's game against the Orlando Magic and a third could be added to the list.

Rajon Rondo (right wrist), Chris Wilcox (left calf), and Keyon Dooling (right knee) returned to practice in preparation for tomorrow's game. But Ray Allen (jammed left ankle) and Mickael Pietrus (strained right shoulder) are out, according to coach Doc Rivers.

Also, center Jermaine O'Neal's left knee swelled after a knee-to-knee collision with Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu in Monday night's game. He did not practice today and is questionable for tomorrow.

Rivers said Allen's ankle injury is not serious and he could return Friday against the Pacers.

Pietrus said he injured his shoulder trying to get around a screen during the 100-94 win over the Wizards Sunday, and he said he would like to play tomorrow.

"That's my plan," he said. "I'm going to be OK."

Here's Globe reporter Gary Washburn's analysis of the Celtics' victory over the Magic last night at TD Garden.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

The Celtics are a better team when they run their offense through Paul Pierce. That much has been evident in their last two games, both wins. It was evident tonight when the Celtics were able to execute offensively despite the absences of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen.

After the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he was running his team's offense through Pierce and not backup point guard Avery Bradley.

"Offensively obviously we're not running much point-guard stuff," said Rivers. "We're basically running a lot of elbow, we're throwing it to the bigs and letting them make the decisions. And that's been good for us, too. And you know, playing through Paul, basically. So really on offense Paul is almost the point guard."

Pierce isn't exactly Rondo, but he's well-suited to run the team's offense. He's the only Celtics player who can create his own shot outside of Rondo, and the Celtics don't really want Rondo creating by himself unless it's at the rim. In the team's first three games without Pierce, the Celtics went 0-3. They scored fewer than 90 points in five straight games when Pierce was getting his fitness back. They've scored 96 and 100 points in two of their last four games, with a loss to the Suns and tonight's dominating 87-56 win mixed in.

"I'm just trying to make the right play, find the open shooters" said Pierce. "When Rondo's out there I don't have as much ball-handling responsibilities, but now I have more of that."

Pierce has led the Celtics in assists in four straight games, but more than that, he's drawing defensive attention now because teams know he can follow through on the threat. He made just 6 of 14 shots from the field tonight, but he got to the line six times and still led the Celtics in scoring with 19 points. That the Celtics won despite an off shooting night for Pierce is a great sign.

"We don't use anything for an excuse, because guys are hurt, because it's a back-to-back," said Pierce. "We expect to win this game."

The Celtics will be in contention to win more games if they get the Pierce of the last two games and not the Pierce of the first part of the season.

-- Celtics forward Glen Davis said he appreciated the video tribute the Celtics gave to him during the first quarter, but he did have one complaint.

"I looked really big, like really fat," said Davis. " I was like 'WOW!, chubby'. I look a little more leaner now. But it was good. It?s always good to see things like that, memories. I can never forget. The fans showed love and I appreciate that.?

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Paul Pierce has clearly made a difference in the Celtics offense, but tonight was all about the defense for the Celtics, who held the Magic to 56 points on 24.6 percent shooting. Pierce tried to play it off like he wasn't impressed with his team's effort, but given their performance so far this season, he quickly changed his tune.

"A lot of this isn't surprising to me," said Pierce. "I guess when you hold a team to 24 percent, that is kind of impressive. I'm going to say it started with Avery [Bradley], and we fed off of Jermaine [O'Neal] also. Once he got into the face of Dwight Howard, he just said we're not taking this. You're not going to just come down and put your elbows in my face. The team kind of got sparked off of that, fed off of those two guys. Fed off of Avery not allowing them to get into their offense, and off of Jermaine not allowing Howard to get to his spots. And that was huge for us."

The Celtics were already up by 15 points when O'Neal went at Howard, so Bradley's defensive effort was what catalyzed the team's performance.

"Avery Bradley set a great tone," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. "We had trouble even getting the ball into the scoring area. They were denying every pass. We struggled getting it there."

Said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, "It's hard work, I mean, Avery was dying out there. But two weeks ago we couldn't have done this anyway, honestly, because of conditioning. We would never have lasted. So now it's a good sign we?re getting in better conditioning."

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Avery Bradley did his best Rajon Rondo imitation, and the Celtics put forth their best defensive effort of the year to pick up their first big win, 87-56, over the Orlando Magic at TD Garden tonight. Orlando's offensive output was historically low -- the Magic shot 24.6 percent from the field in the game, the second-lowest field percentage allowed by the Celtics in franchise history. Orlando's 16 field goals are the fewest in the shot-clock era.

The Celtics started a lineup of Bradley, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jermaine O'Neal, and for the first quarter they looked the part of a depleted team. The Celtics made 8 of 22 shots in the first quarter and were saved by Pierce's 8 points. Garnett missed the only shot he took from the field.

But Bradley steadily led the team in the second, harassing Orlando's Jameer Nelson on defense and failing to turn the ball over once on offense as the Celtics found their groove. In the market for a second scorer, the Celtics found one in Brandon Bass, who had 11 points in the second quarter to supplement the scoring of Pierce. It finally clicked for the home team with a 12-4 run run to end the quarter as their offense began to match their defensive intensity. By halftime Orlando was shooting 29 percent from the field. The Celtics had six first-half blocks.

If the second quarter was surprising, the third was satisfying. The Celtics kept up the defense and cranked up the offense to outscore the Magic 23-10 in the third. By the end of the period Orlando had more turnovers (17) than field goals (13). It was -- by far -- the team's most complete effort of the year.

Pierce finished the game with 19 points, while Bass also had 19.

It's an important win for the Celtics because as they've seen in this lockout-shortened season, an injury means a player might miss 5 or 6 games instead of 3 or 4. In other words, they don't have time to wait for their injured players to get back. The C's should get Rondo and perhaps Keyon Dooling back Thursday night, when the Celtics and Magic meet again in Orlando in a nontraditional home-and-home.

Final: Celtics 87-56: Best effort of the year, hands down.

4:29 4th quarter, Celtics 77-51: JaJuan Johnson making his first appearance. Would like to see more of him.

6:28 4th quarter, Celtics 75-51: Both teams emptying their benches. OK maybe just the Magic, since the Celtics started theirs. Dwight looks done for the night.

8:07 4th quarter, Celtics 73-48: Jermaine O'Neal fouls out. Dance party music on. Fans looking ahead to Feb. 5.

END 3d quarter, Celtics 69-46: Orlando scores10 points in the third quarter, Celtics score 23. Tremendous defense by the Celtics here, by far their best effort of the season. Avery Bradley has been everywhere.

3:05 3d quarter, Celtics 60-41: The Magic have made 12 shots and have 16 turnovers. Brandon Bass and KG guarding Howard now with the Celtics' centers in foul trouble.

5:04 3d quarter, Celtics 56-41: Greg Stiemsma has four fouls in six minutes.

7:34 3d quarter, Celtics 54-39: Jermaine O'Neal gets into it with Dwight Howard and tries to go after Howard. Paul Pierce steps in and breaks it up. O'Neal didn't look like he was messing around. Double-technicals called. Not a good situation with O'Neal there.

8:44 3d quarter, Celtics 50-39: Turkoglu finally gets Orlando on the board in the second half. Ryan Anderson is 0 for 6.

Halftime, Celtics 46-36: Great end to the half by the Celtics, who are playing inspired defensive basketball. They finally strung together a few buckets to match their D before the break.

Pierce is going to need to lead the Celtics, and he's doing so with nine shots. He's also been to the line six times. The other scoring is coming from Brandon Bass, who has matched Pierce's 13. That seems about right, as Kevin Garnett has shown this season that big scoring nights probably won't be his thing.

Avery Bradley is playing very, very well in 17 minutes. He's been everywhere.

0:32 2d quarter, Celtics 43-33: A 9-0 run by the Celtics is capped by a 3-pointer from Pierce, who has 13 points.

2:44 2d quarter, Celtics 34-33: Brandon Bass is up to 10 points on 4 for 7 shooting. The man can score.

4:32 2d quarter, Celtics 32-29: This is a glorified men's league game. The Magic are just 3 for 13 in the quarter. On the other end, Marquis Daniels cannot for the life of him finish around the rim.

6:42 2d quarter, Celtics 30-29: The Glen Davis-Brandon Bass watch: 6 points and 4 rebounds for Bass, 6 and 4 for Davis.

9:55 2d quarter, Celtics 26-23: E'Twaun Moore doing good work in five minutes of play, forcing a Magic turnover. Rookie just needs to get some good minutes in.

END 1st quarter, Celtics 22-20: Good showing by the Celtics, who are led by Paul Pierce with 8 points. Dwight Howard has 12.

The NBA wouldn't be the NBA without Pierce owning Quentin Richardson. Pierce beat Q to the cup with a nifty move that left his former nemesis stuck in the mud in the paint.

2:21 1st quarter, Magic 16-15: The Celtics are somehow in this game despite having only 10 players and despite shooting 32 percent.

4:53 1st quarter, Tied at 10: Jermaine O'Neal takes a charge, something he's done well this season.

6:44 1st quarter, Magic 8-6: Here's the Glen Davis tribute video. Good ovation for Baby after an initial mixed reaction. I'd say that's just about right.

8:33 1st quarter, Tied at 6: Kind of fun to watch a lineup without Rondo and Ray Allen try to score points. Maybe Pierce can go for 60.

Pregame: Let's try something new: Celtics as plucky underdogs.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Former Celtics forward Glen Davis is in the building tonight to play against his former team. Davis can charitably be described as enigmatic during his time in Boston, helping lead the Celtics to the championship in 2008 before off-court issues and questions about effort hastened his departure to the Magic.

Davis hesitated and gave a long pause when asked if he wanted to be a Celtic again during the offseason.

"Um, yeah," said Davis. "You start your career somewhere and you don't want to leave. It's a business. Some things don't work out the way you want to, and you find a new home."

Davis said he wasn't sure how he'd feel coming back into this building, and he didn't know what his emotions would be during tonight's game.

"I heard they gave Perk like a little tribute," said Davis. "If they do that, I don't know. I might not be able to hold myself. But it's good. I think my emotions will be OK> I'm playing a basketball game. Hopefully I won't let the other family feelings get in the mix."

Davis had a complicated relationship with Celtics coach Doc Rivers, and Rivers expressed some of that when asked about Davis.

"He did a lot of great things for us," said Rivers. "He was on the stage when he held up the ball. He played a big part of it, he really did, especially that year. He was fantastic.

"He's a better player than his act. I was very hard on him. Still am when I talk to him, to be the player and not the act. I think Baby has a lot of good basketball left in him, and when he focuses on that, he does it."

Rivers said he has not spoken to Davis since he's gotten into town, but he said he probably will after the game.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Keyon Dooling, Chris Wilcox, and now Mickael Pietrus will all miss tonight's game due to injury. Your Celtics starters tonight are Avery Bradley, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jermaine O'Neal.

"Sasha will start just because we want to have more shooting on the floor early," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

Rivers said Pietrus was due for an MRI on his shoulder after not being able to lift his arm over his head last night. That mean's he's probably out for a while. Rivers said Rondo and Dooling could return Thurs. in Orlando. The others aren't close.

-- Jeff Green made an appearance in the Celtics locker room before the game. He declined to speak to reporters but greeted his former teammates. He looked great just two weeks after heart surgery.

"It was awesome [to see Green], it was great," said Rivers. "We kidded around a lot. We brought him in in the morning for the breakfast. It was really cool. I was amazed obviously it was two weeks ago, and he looks normal, he's walking around. We made a joke, being sarcastic, to the guys who are injured, that he's walking around and they can't play."

Welcome to TD Garden, where the Boston Celtics will take on the Orlando Magic at 7:30 p.m. The teams meet again in a delayed home-and-home on Thursday night.

Ray Allen just walked onto the parquet floor as the Celtics prepared for their team walkthrough, which is closed to the media. The glimpse of Allen we got to see looked every bit like his usual robotic self. He was in uniform and walking without a limp and without a heavy ankle brace. His status for tonight's game is questionable.

Didn't get to see if Rajon Rondo was on the court before being kicked off, but imagine he can walk through plays even with an injured wrist. Whether he plays tonight is also up in the air. The Celtics probably need both players to beat a surging Orlando team, who could win their fifth straight road game tonight.

Back with more in a bit.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

The good news is the Celtics are back home tonight. The bad news is they're not playing the Wizards. The Celtics have three wins against the Wiz this season and three against everybody else. They've yet to log what could be considered a "good" win. A win tonight against Orlando would qualify.

Tip-off: 7:30 p.m.
Records: Celtics (6-9), Magic (11-4)
Broadcast info:CSNNE (Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn), WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)

Probable starters:

Celtics:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Magic:
PG: Jameer Nelson
SG: J.J. Redick
SF: Jason Richardson
PF: Ryan Anderson
C: Dwight Howard

Injuries: Ray Allen (ankle) and Rajon Rondo (wrist) are both questionable for the Celtics, as is guard Keyon Dooling. Avery Bradley would likely start again for Rondo if he can't go, while E'Twaun Moore, Marquis Daniels, or maybe even Mickael Pietrus could start for Allen.

Storylines:

Roster: The Celtics may be without their starting backcourt tonight. They were without Paul Pierce for the first three games of the season, all losses. It shouldn't matter. More guys aren't getting hurt this season, they're just missing more games. The Celtics can't afford to wait until their guys come back to start winning games. They're already behind.

Surprising Magic: With Dwight Howard probably out the door after the season, the Magic were an afterthought heading into this year. But they've won four straight on the road and are second in the East behind Chicago. Ryan Anderson (17.5 points, 7.3 rebounds) has been one of the league's best power forwards. The Magic were supposed to be in the same boat as the Celtics this season -- not quite elite -- but so far they've been much better.

Baby's back: Glen Davis returns to TD Garden tonight as a member of the Magic. The reaction won't be Perk-like, but it shouldn't be bad, either. Davis is averaging 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds, and he is shooting 37.5 percent.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- The Celtics have been hobbled with injuries all season and they received another scare when guard Ray Allen left Sunday's game in the second quarter with the Washington Wizards with what the team is calling a "jammed" left ankle. X-rays were negative and Allen said he will try to play tomorrow night against the Orlando Magic.

Allen ran into an illegal screen by Washington rookie Jan Vesely and crumbled to the floor, leaving with 6:36 left in the half.

"The guy stuck his leg out and when I tried to get over the screen and my foot didn't come down and it just kind of jammed, as I tried to get through, it just kind of locked in," he said after the Celtics' 100-94 win. "There's pain in the back of my ankle. If I had my druthers, I would have tried to come back out on the floor and work through it but I just felt too much tightness and pain in it right now.

"It's a blessing that we played early. I have the rest of the day ... hopefully the pain resolves and hopefully we'll see by tomorrow."

Allen had double ankle surgery that cost him the final 27 games of the 2006-07 season with the Seattle SuperSonics.

FInal: Celtics 100-94: A gritty win given Ray Allen was lost to a jammed ankle in the second quarter and the Celtics struggled at the point guard position. Paul Pierce finished with 34 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds in a magnificent performance.

Fourth quarter, 31.3, Celtics 97-92: The Celtics are trying to hold on but needed one more good possession and got a jumper from Kevin Garnett, who has warmed up in the second half. They have committed 17 turnovers and have been sloppy with the ball at times. They have been carried by Paul Pierce, who has 33 points.

Fourth quarter, 3:23, Celtics 93-86: Paul Pierce is going off on the Wizards, he has 33 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds and his layup just gave the Celtics a little cushion in what has been an afternoon on attrition. Ray Allen is out with a jammed left ankle, joining Rajon Rondo, who is also out for the second consecutive game.

Fourth quarter, 5:55, Wizards 84-83: Celtics are running out of game and getting little from the point guard position. Avery Bradley and E'Twaun Moore are a combined 1-for-10 shooting. Bradley has five turnovers and seven assists. Paul Pierce has 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists in his best game of the season.

End of third quarter, Celtics 73-69: Celtics led by 13 in the quarter but the point guard play is killing them right now. Avery Bradley had five turnovers while E'Twaun Moore needs more experience. Paul Pierce is near a triple double.

Third quarter, 5:59, Celtics 63-53: Doc Rivers, sensing a slight shift in momentum, calls a timeout after a 4-0 Washington run. The Celtics are trying to give themselves a break and put some real distance between themselves and the Wizards. John Wall has been a one-man show with 18 points, including a stretch of 12 in a row.

Third quarter, 8:54, Celtics 57-44: Celtics are trucking without Ray Allen, who left the game with a jammed left ankle. Mickael Pietrus has scored 12 points and Paul Pierce is on a triple-double watch with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists as the Celtics try to get their swagger back without two starters.

Halftime, Celtics 49-40: Paul Pierce has had a break-out half with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists while Ray Allen has 7 points but left the game with a jammed left ankle. He is uncertain to return. Mickael Pietrus has 8 points and is being more aggressive. John Wall has 15 points for the Wizards, including the last 10 of the half.

Second quarter, 3:58, Celtics 40-32: Paul Pierce is beginning to look like his old self. He has 16 points with 6 rebounds and 3 assists and has drained both of his 3-point attempts. Ray Allen has 7 points but apparently sprained his ankle on an illegal screen by Washington's Jan Vesely and is in the locker room.

Second quarter, 6:50, Celtics 31-28: Boston on a 5-0 run and the Celtics are playing with some energy but the offense is having problems without Rajon Rondo. Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley lead the team with three assists apiece. The Wizards are getting production from their bench, which has scored 12 of their 28 points.

End of first quarter, Wizards 21-20: Washington ends the quarter on an 8-2 run as John Wall scored the final 4 points. The Wizards are shooting 42 percent from the field and are outrebounding the Celtics, 14-8. Ray Allen has 7 points for the Celtics while Avery Bradley is 0-for-3 shooting with three assists.

First quarter, 2:52, Celtics 16-13: Ray Allen has 7 points on 3-for-5 shooting, which is an encouraging sign for the offense. Paul Pierce scored 4 points with 3 rebounds and 2 assists in his seven minutes. Andray Blatche is off to a good start after being booed before the Wizards' previous home game. He has 6 points, including a statement dunk on Jermaine O'Neal.

First quarter, 5:57, Tied at 10: The Celtics are playing with aggression and forcing Washington into jumpers but the Wizards are hitting those jumpers. Ray Allen is off to a solid start with 4 points while Paul Pierce has 4 points and 2 rebounds.

First quarter, 7:50, Wizards 8-6: Avery Bradley has been aggressive but had both of his shots blocked while Ray Allen has an early bucket. Celtics trying desperately to get off to a fast start. Andray Blatche has 4 points.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

The Celtics will go for their third win of the season against the Wizards but it will have to come without Rajon Rondo, who will miss his second consecutive game with a sprained right wrist. And as expected, Keyon Dooling and Chris Wilcox are also out.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he is not concerned about Rondo's injury long term but he is questionable to return tomorrow against the Orlando Magic.

So Avery Bradley will be the start and will be helped by E'Twaun Moore. The combo was inconsistent in Friday's loss to Phoenix but Bradley had his moments.

STARTING LINEUPS

BOSTON CELTICS

PG Avery Bradley
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF Kevin Garnett
C Jermaine O'Neal

Inactive: Keyon Dooling, Chris Wilcox

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

PG John Wall
SG Nick Young
SF Chris Singleton
PF Andray Blatche
C JaVale McGee

Inactive: Hamady Ndiaye, Ronny Turiaf

OFFICIALS: Joe Crawford, Kevin Fehr and Violet Palmer

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

The Celtics will be without Rajon Rondo for a second consecutive game today against the Washington Wizards with a sprained right wrist. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Avery Bradley will start at point guard.

Rondo has not played since landing awkwardly on the wrist during a third-quarter drive to the basket Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors. An MRI was negative and he has been listed as day-to-day. It is unknown whether Rondo will be available for Monday's home game against the Orlando Magic.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Paul Pierce spoke with the media for the first time since team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Globe he would consider breaking up the Big Three in the right deal. Here are a few nuggets from the interview.

*"You can’t pay attention to that, that’s part of the business. You’ve just got to continue to do your job as a professional each and every day. What makes we want to play well is our record. That’s more than anything. I don’t read the papers. I really don’t buy into everything that’s been said. I just more concerned about this group and what’s going on in this locker room.”

Pierce has had a rocky tenure in Boston at times and was almost traded to Portland on draft night five years ago.

“I understand,” he said. “What the Celtics have done for me throughout my career, I’m more than happy. They’ve kept me this long and I’ve been able to play in a lot of good situations and you gotta understand the business. It’s been a while since I’ve been down that road. But I don’t think about it actually.”

What can the Celtics do to get out of this rutt?

*“Just to keep grinding, just to keep going, not to get discouraged. Keep the guys confident, keep their heads up and tell them eventually we’ll turn this thing around."

Is he disappointed with the 5-9 start?

*"Why wouldn’t I be. We’re four or five games under .500. We’d like to be a lot better but it is what it is. We just got keep going back to the drawing board and getting back to work. Keep preparing. This is a group that’s not going to lose any confidence. That’s not going to put our heads down. This is a good opportunity for us to show what we’re made of through the adversity.

"It’s about putting the four quarters together. You do see the signs of some good things out there. It’s about putting it out there for four quarters. I’m still confident in this group."

Final: Suns 79-71: Hard to see anything encouraging about this one. The Celtics were awful offensively. scoring 15 points in the first quarter and 16 in the fourth. Ray Allen led Boston with 14 points while Paul Pierce added 12. Marcin Gortat led all scorers with 24 points, including 14 in a row in the first quarter. Steve Nash added 11 points and nine assists. The Celtics fall to 5-9.

Fourth quarter, 1:39, Suns 76-66: The Celtics are headed to another bad loss as Phoenix has led most of the way and shut down the Celtics' non-existent offense. Boston is shooting 40 percent with 18 turnovers, 11 in a putrid second half.

Fourth quarter, 2:50, Suns 71-63: This one's on the offense, which can't consistently score. The Celtics went 6:03 without a point and are headed for a season low in points unless something dramatic happens. Brandon Bass and Ray Allen led Boston with 11 points each.

Fourth quarter, 5:49, Suns 67-59: The Celtics went through a six-minute drought after taking a 55-52 lead and are desperately trying to scrape back. Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley lead the Celtics with 10 points while Marcin Gortat has 20 and 10 rebounds for Phoenix. The Suns are shooting 36 percent in the second half.

Fourth quarter, 8:40, Suns 64-55: The Celtics haven't scored since the 2:17 mark of the third quarter, a span of 5 minutes 37 seconds and Phoenix is on a 12-0 run. It's another example of the Celtics anemic offense, especially without Rajon Rondo and Keyon Dooling. Paul Pierce leads the Celtics with 10 points.

End of third quarter, Suns 60-55: Celtics allow Phoenix to score the last 8 points of the quarter and now trail by 5 after taking the lead. The defense was solid in that period but E'Twaun Moore has struggled running the point with 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting. Avery Bradler has been steadier with 8 points in 25 minutes.

Third quarter, 4:56, Suns 50-48: The Celtics are off to a 13-4 run to start the second half and seem to have solved the Suns defensively. But they are wasting more chances to go ahead or tie the game. A big issue in the last few games. Paul Pierce has 10 points while Avery Bradley has 8 points.

Halftime, Suns 46-35: The Celtics obviously aren't the same team without Rajon Rondo but the Suns are doing a nice job of defending everything near the basket and not giving up any easy layups. The Celtics have missed a load of easy shots and are shooting 36.4 percent from the field while Brandon Bass leads them with 8 points. Marcin Gortat scored 16 points in the first half, 14 in the first quarter.

Second quarter, 2:58, Suns 41-34: The Celtics are slowly climbing back into the game as four of the five starters have 6 points -- not Jermaine O'Neal -- and Brandon Bass has 8 off the bench. The Celtics have been able to slow down the Phoenix break and have just five turnovers. Avery Bradley has played well in his first start.

Second quarter, 5:48, Suns 35-25: Another slow Celtics start and Phoenix didn't come to Boston to play patsy. Marcin Gortat has 16 points and the Suns are shooting 51.7 percent. The Celtics need a scoring leader with Rajon Rondo out and no one has taken that responsibility yet.

Second quarter, 8:04, Suns 32-23: Suns on a 6-0 run and the Celtics' defense is sagging against Phoenix's up-tempo pace. Former BC standout Jared Dudley has 5 points off the bench while Marcin Gortat scored 14 points in 12 minutes. The Celtics are shooting 40.7 percent and Kevin Garnett has 4 points.

End of first quarter, Suns 20-15: Marcin Gortat is looking like Michael Jordan so far, scoring 14 straight points for Phoenix on 7-for-11 shooting with four rebounds. He has scored Phoenix's last 14 points. Grant Hill has 4 points for the Suns and Steve Nash has 2. The Celtics are shooting 36.8 percent. Paul Pierce has 6 points.

First quarter, 4:32, Suns 16-8: Marcin Gortat is giving Jermaine O'Neal the business with 10 points and 4 rebounds in just seven minutes. Gortat is 5-for-7 shooting while O'Neal has yet to score.

The good news for the Celtics is an MRI on Rajon Rondo's right wrist was negative but the bad news is the team's training staff suggested he take the night off. So the Celtics will go with 21-year-old Avery Bradley as a starter against future Hall of Famer Steve Nash.

STARTING LINEUPS

PHOENIX SUNS (5-9)

PG Steve Nash
SG Jared Dudley
SF Grant Hill
PF Channing Frye
C Marcin Gortat

Inactives: None

BOSTON CELTICS (5-8)

PG Avery Bradley
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF Kevin Garnett
C Jermaine O'Neal

Inactives: Keyon Dooling, Chris Wilcox

Officials: Greg Willard, James Williams, Brent Barnaky

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Rajon Rondo wanted to play tonight against Phoenix but coach Doc Rivers never planned on playing his starting point guard after receiving a text message last night from head trainer Ed Lacerte suggesting that he sit Rondo with a sprained right wrist. An MRI taken last night was negative.

Rondo was injured in a spill Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors when he was flipped to the floor by Linas Kleiza. Rondo landed awkwardly on his wrist and attempted his free throws but then left the game. He participated in shootaround this morning with a splint on the worst and planned to play but was told he would be out.

Avery Bradley got the start against Phoenix and future Hall of Famer Steve Nash. Rondo is questionable for Sunday's game against the Washington Wizards.

Rivers said the Celtics will still try to run but will use Paul Pierce as another ballhandler.

"We'll try not to run a point guard offense tonight," Rivers said. "It's hard. But we still want to run. We still want to attack."

Celtics' guard Rajon Rondo (right wrist) is "doubtful" for Friday's game against Phoenix, coach Doc Rivers said after practice Thursday.

But Rondo did not rule himself out.

"I don’t know," Rondo said of his status. "Hopefully, I’ll get a good night’s rest and I’ll be in treatment all day. Other than that, we’ll see tomorrow."

Rondo did not participate in practice, sitting on the side and advising backups Avery Bradley and E'Twaun Moore.
.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Celtics vice president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said today he would consider a major move involving the Big Three if it would help foster the team's transition to the next era.

The Celtics began the season with eight losses in their first 12 games and there has been increasing speculation Ainge would blow up the team's veteran core of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce if the team were not competitive this season.

Ainge said he would consider trades if they would net younger talent. He has maintained he does not want the franchise to go through a 10-year span of insignificance as it did following the departures of the previous Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, who remained with the team past their primes.

"First of all it’s a different era," Ainge told the Globe. "I sat with Red (Auerbach) during a Christmas party (in the 1990s). Red was talking to Larry, Kevin, and myself and there was a lot of trade discussion at the time and Red actually shared some of the trade discussions. And I told Red what are you doing? Why are you waiting?

"He had a chance to trade Larry (to Indiana) for Chuck Person and Herb Williams and (Steve) Stipanovich and he had a chance to trade Kevin (to Dallas) for Detlef Schrempf and Sam Perkins. I was like are you kidding? I mean I feel that way now. If I were presented with those kind of deals for our aging veterans, it’s a done deal to continue the success."

Ainge said he does not want a repeat of the 1990s in Boston.

"After those guys retired, the Celtics had a long drought," he said. "But those (types of fruitful trades) aren’t presenting themselves. In today’s day and age with 30 teams in the NBA, 15 teams know they have no chance of winning a championship. They are building with young players. It’s a different era that we live in. It’s easy to say conceptually but you have to always weigh what are real opportunities."

When asked to assess the team's first 12 games, which included losing streaks of three and five games, Ainge said: "We haven’t played well as we’re capable of playing. I know we’re a better team than we’ve shown. I’ve seen it in spurts but just not in consistency. There hasn’t been any consistency.

"I think that there's no excuses because every team has had the same training camp but we weren’t prepared. We haven’t been prepared mentally, physically to win. I don’t have the answers as to why but it obviously hurt not having Paul for training camp or the first three games. I think Paul’s been trying to find himself. I’m not panicked, but I think like the players and the coaches, I think we’re better than we’re playing."

Ainge said he will be patient in determining whether the Celtics can compete for the Eastern Conference crown.

"Identify the real reasons instead of looking at the record and we’ve gone through bad stretches before with teams that have won championships and teams that have gone to the Finals," he said. "We have gone through some really ugly, bad stretches before and so I have to be careful to not overreact to a situation that’s going bad vs. a situation that’s not going to get better or even if it does get better, it’s not going to be good enough. That’s my job to evaluate."

Final score, Celtics, 96-73 Rajon Rondo finished with 21 points, but did not return to the court after sustaining a right wrist injury late in the third quarter. The Celtics snapped losing streaks of four games at home and five games overall.

2:18, 4th quarter, Celtics, 93-66 The second unit upped the Celtics' advantage as Mickael Pietrus connected on two 3-pointers and Avery Bradley effectively directed the offense.

8:33, 4th quarter, Celtics, 77-57 The Celtics stayed with the Avery Bradley-E'Twaun Moore backcourt as Rondo received treatment in the locker room.

End of 3d quarter, Celtics, 73-55 The Celtics ended the quarter with an Avery Bradley-E'Twaun Moore backcourt. Rajon Rondo (right wrist injury), accompanied by team doctor Brian McKeon, remained in the locker room between quarters.

2:12, 3d quarter, Celtics, 69-49 Rajon Rondo drew a flagrant 1 foul from Linas Kleiza. Rondo went to the basket on a give-and-go with Kevin Garnett and went down in a clash with Kleiza. Trainer Ed Lacerte treated Rondo, who remained on the court under the basket as a timeout was called. Rondo converted a free throw, then was replaced by E'Twaun Moore and went to the locker room.

7:35, 3d quarter, Celtics, 53-41 Rajon Rondo continued to push the pace for the Celtics. The Celtics' defense also found a rhythm, holding the Raptors without a field goal for the opening 4:25 of the second half.

End for first half, Celtics, 44-38 The Celtics scored a season-high 29 points in the opening quarter. But the second unit struggled in the second quarter. Rajon Rondo scored 15 points for the Celtics.

2:49, 2d quarter, Celtics, 40-31 Rajon Rondo missed a layup after converting his first five field goal attempts.

5:45, 2d quarter, Celtics,36-27 The Celtics went to a three-guard setup, extending the lead to 36-23 on a Mickael Pietrus 3-pointer with 6:35 remaining in the half.

8:35, 2d quarter, Celtics, 29-21 The Celtics' Marquis Daniels-E'Twaun Moore backcourt struggled, Toronto capitalizing to score on three transition possessions, leading to a Celtics timeout.

End of 1st quarter, Celtics, 29-14 The Celtics went on a 13-0 run over a 5:54 span to take control.

3:56 1st quarter, Celtics, 19-7 Rajon Rondo's 3-point play extended an 11-0 Celtics run.

First quarter, 5:50, Celtics-Toronto, 14-7: Kevin Garnett scored 6 points in less than five minutes before being replaced by Brandon Bass.

Starting lineups for Celtics-Toronto Raptors:

Celtics: F-Pierce, F-Garnett, C-O'Neal, G-Allen, G-Rondo;
Toronto: F-J. Johnson, F-Davis, C-A. Johnson, G-DeRozan, G-Calderon.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Celtics guard Keyon Dooling did not participate in the team's shootaround leading up to tonight's game against the Toronto Raptors. He did take the court, however, to take jump shots and work on some defensive drills, his first on-court action since injuring his right knee.

Dooling said the injury is to his medial collateral ligament but said he doesn't know more specifics. Tonight will mark the fourth game he's missed with the injury. He wants to return Friday against the Phoenix Suns.

"It's frustrating because I want it bad, to be able to help the team," he said. "(Friday) is my target game, but I don't know. Hopefully I'll continue to progress. As soon as I'm able to play, I'll play. If I'm able to move and slide my feet, I'll play."

Dooling said he is able to run forward with no issues but lateral movement is more difficult.

"A big part of my game is lateral quickness as far as defense," he said. "If I can do that halfway decent, I should be ready to go."

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

No matter when you think the expiration date is for this group of Celtics, the team's recent five-game losing streak has undoubtedly pushed it up. So it's not surprising that teams would come calling to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to ask Ainge if he's willing to start blowing it up.

Several contending teams have inquired about the availability of Celtics captain Paul Pierce, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Any potential Pierce deal would seem to indicate that Ainge is moving on from trying win a championship with this group and is starting the process of planning for the future.

Ainge, of course, tried to start the process of looking to the future when he traded Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green last season. Green's heart ailment eliminates him from the equation this season and was a damaging blow to the team, and Perkins could certainly help the Celtics now. But there's no question Ainge was trying to get younger and faster even before it was apparent that these Celtics desperately need to get younger and faster. If the Celtics could trade Pierce for a piece or two to help them do that, you have to think Ainge would at least entertain the offers.

Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen come off the books this summer, while Pierce has two years and $32 million left on his contract. No matter what you think Ainge will do, it's clear the team has plans to use the money they save on Garnett/Allen to sign a high-profile free agent. Moving Pierce for an expiring contract and a draft pick might allow them to sign more than one player to a big deal this offseason.

Just what Ainge will do is a better question for Wojnarowski and insiders like the Globe's Gary Washburn, but one thing that's clear is that Ainge has options. Trading Rajon Rondo was one way in which the Celtics could drastically alter their immediate future. Trading Pierce is another. An answer as to whether either is realistic or will help the team will come in time, and that time may be sooner than a lot of us had thought heading into this season.

Of course, it's also not clear how much the Celtics' 4-8 start has to do with the lockout and a lack of training camp as opposed to the team's age. Pierce has been dreadful up until the second half of last night's Thunder game, when he finally seems to have found his offense. His scoring may be more critical to the team's success than the scoring of any other Celtic, and there's a chance he turns it around.

For all the worry, the Celtics are 1 1/2 games out of 8th in the East and four games out of 6th, where they can likely avoid Miami/Chicago in Round 1. Not that people shouldn't be concerned about what they see, but if making the playoffs is a goal, there's still plenty of time for that. The Celtics may be able to rebuild with Pierce, make the playoffs, and still look toward the future in the offseason. Right now, it's all in play.

What do you think? Leave a comment or vote in our survey below.

The Globe's Gary Washburn provides his insight -- both the good and bad takeaways -- following the Celtics' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. Video includes game highlights and postgame interviews.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Celtics center Jermaine O'Neal followed up an impressive double-double vs. Kendrick Perkins and the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight with an unsolicited attack on his critics in the Celtics locker room.

"There's a lot of misconception, a lot of debate from people that supposedly analyze the game," said O'Neal. "To analyze the game you've got to know what position a team has players in. It's easy to sit behind tables and say what you think, but the fact of the matter is, with me here, Doc has given his role. So all the debate about whether I score, if I score, whatever it is, I probably won't even answer that anymore after this time.

"For the people out there wondering about production and me scoring, that's not my role."

O'Neal obviously had some motivation to make the comments he did, considering the love showered on Perkins this week and the subsequent backlash he's heard on his own play. He's also dead on: his scoring and overall statistics mean much less to the Celtics than the numbers and play of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, for example. Still, O'Neal was asked an innocuous question about tonight's game, and it was clear that he had prepared his answer.

"My role has been said to be a defender," said O'Neal. "To the people out there that are saying I'm struggling offensively, that's not my concern ... Judge me on how I get out on the pick-and-roll and help the guards stop penetration. Not scoring. I know that's kind of been the M.O. for me throughout my career, especially in Indiana, but that's not my role right now.

"If I'm not rebounding, I'm not blocking shots, I'm not getting on that perimeter and helping the guards, then we've got a conversation to have."

-- The Celtics played a video tribute to Perkins during the game's first timeout.

“That was unbelievable," said Perkins. "You know I really appreciate it. I say this time and time again, I really appreciate the whole city of Boston. The whole Celtics organization, just the way that they embrace me time and time again. Out of high school to who I develop as a player now, I just want to let them know I really appreciate it. They didn’t have to do it. It ain’t like they just put some nonsense together. They didn’t have to do it. I’m not taking it for granted. I want to let people know I greatly appreciate it.”

Perkins said Boston still holds a special place in his heart.

"I love Oklahoma, but just being here for eight years and winning a championship, it’s hard to replace," said Perkins. "Mentally I was just out of it [tonight]. I didn’t know whether to shoot the ball, pass the ball, hug the guy. I ain’t know what to do. I’m just really glad its over. I’m just glad we play in two different conferences so I don’t have to keep going through this emotional breakdown.”

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Celtics forward Paul Pierce has struggled to find his game after missing training camp and the first three games of the season, but he had arguably his best game of the season tonight against the Thunder. Pierce had 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting in 38 minutes, and he got the Celtics back into the game early in the third quarter.

"He’s getting it," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "You can see it; it’s coming. You know, I thought he went on a stretch where he tried to do too much with the ball. And those were turnovers. But I thought he fought Durant. I thought he looked so much better offensively."

Pierce had three turnovers (Kevin Garnett had five), but he was more aggressive going to the basket against Oklahoma City, and he was more decisive with the ball in the second half after passing up several shots in the first.

“You know I’m starting to get my legs, my basketball shape," said Pierce. "I can feel it every game as I’m getting closer to just getting sharper, sharper out there and getting my time and things like that. Understanding where to be, where to cut and stuff like that. I feel it coming.”

Pierce, like most of his teammates, said he isn't discouraged about the Celtics' five-game losing streak, their longest since Allan Ray -- not Ray Allen -- was the starting shooting guard.

“At the end of the day, none of us like to lose, that’s the frustrating part," said Pierce. "From every win you can take some positives and from losses you can take some positives. I think I like where we are headed, there are just little things that are really killing us. The turnovers, obviously if we can just clean that up, if we can keep teams out of transition and control that a little bit better, we’ll be great. But you have to go out there and do it.”

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

The return of Kendrick Perkins to TD Garden provided a lot of nice moments, but it didn't provide the Celtics with a win as the team dropped their fifth straight game, 97-88, to Perkins's Oklahoma City Thunder team Monday night.

The Perkins-Jermaine O'Neal matchup never materialized into a deal-breaker for either side, though the much-maligned O'Neal did show signs of life with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Perkins was held scoreless in the first half but finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds in 28 minutes.

There was nothing pretty about a first quarter in which the Celtics shot 27 percent from the field. Kevin Garnett led the team's starters in the first with two made field goals. No one scored off the bench. The Celtics found themselves down eight.

With the second quarter came modest improvement. The Celtics methodically kept themselves in the game in the second by getting to the rim now and then, raising their shooting percentage for the period to 42 percent. Paul Pierce showed flashes of his vintage self on a couple of hesitation moves to the hoop.

Pierce scored the first two baskets of the second half, and it finally looked like he was on his way to busting out for a big game. He had eight points in the third quarter and got himself up to 19 points for the game as the Celtics tied the score at 57 with five minutes left in the period. But the Thunder closed out the third with a 15-5 run, holding the Celtics scoreless for the final 2:38.

Like they did against the Bulls last Friday night, the Celtics refused to go quietly, mounting a comeback in the fourth quarter. The Celtics got the score down to 78-76 with 4:59 left in the game, but Oklahoma City began shooting daggers, spreading the lead back out with two 3-pointers from Thabo Sefolosha and two from Russell Westbrook to give the Thunder enough cushion for the win.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 28 points while Westbrook had 26. Pierce led the Celtics with 24 points and 5 rebounds.

The toughest part of the Celtics' immediate schedule appears to be over. The team hosts Toronto at TD Garden Wednesday night and hosts the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. The Philadelphia 76ers improved to 10-3 with a lead over the Bucks today, increasing their grip on first place in the Atlantic Division.

51.1 seconds 4th quarter, Thunder 92-85 Mickael Pietrus hits his fifth 3-pointer, but Westbrook answers with his third in four tries. Clutch shooting from the Thunder point guard, who's got 26 points.

1:31 4th quarter, Thunder 89-82 Sefolosha and Westbrook hit back-to-back 3-pointers and that might do it. Big shots by the Thunder. This is why they're the Western favorites.

3:06 4th quarter, Thunder 83-78 KG misses another, he's 4 for 15. If he hits 8 of 15 the Celtics are leading this game.

4:59 4th quarter, Thunder 78-76 Pierce hits a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two.

7:30 4th quarter, Thunder 74-69 Mickael Pietrus hasn't been as active here as he was in his first couple of games, but he's got three big 3-pointers, the last one cutting the Celtics' margin to five.

8:50 4th quarter, Thunder 74-64 Rondo's out of the game and the offense is stagnant, though he's not having his best performance, anyway. Rondo's just 5 for 12 with 4 assists.

END 3d quarter, Thunder 72-62: The Thunder put together a quick 15-5 run to open up a double-digit lead. Just like that a lot of good things go down the drain. Celtics didn't score in the last 2:38 of the quarter.

4:49 3d quarter, Tied at 57: Jermaine O'Neal now has 12 points and 11 rebounds. Think he's motivated tonight?

6:08 3d quarter, Thunder 57-53 Kendrick Perkins has his first four points of the game on a lay-up and a dunk. He gave Jermaine O'Neal a little stare after the slam. Offense is picking up on both sides.

8:49 3d quarter, Thunder 50-49 Paul Pierce continues where he left off in the second quarter, attacking the rim for six quick points here in the third. He's got 17.

Halftime, Thunder 46-39 The Celtics have made ugly basketball their trademark. How they're only trailing by seven points and shooting 34 percent is beyond me. The defense has been decent, but man. They're not making it easy on themselves,

Jermaine O'Neal is getting the best of Kendrick Perkins on the stat sheet so far, with 6 points and 5 rebounds to Perk's 0 points and 4 rebounds. Perkins has four fouls.

2:53 2d quarter, Thunder 40-31 Bass walks back to the bench, just a quick trip. The Perk watch: 0 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes.

3:56 2d quarter, Thunder 38-31 Brandon Bass goes back to the locker room. He did that last game too, just walked back right before halftime. Maybe it's nothing to worry about.

6:08 2d quarter, Thunder 32-27 Easy buckets are a good way to get that shooting percentage up. Rondo and Allen both get to the rim. Kevin Garnett is having as solid a game as we've seen in sometimes with 4 points and 5 rebounds.

8:08 2d quarter, Thunder 28-19 E'Twaun Moore getting some good run here. Sets up Brandon Boss with some nifty penetration and Bass draws the foul. Doc Rivers said before the game that Moore earned some playing time.

9:03 2d quarter, Thunder 27-19 Marquis Daniels finally drives to the hoop for an easy bucket. The Celtics need more of that, struggle mightily to find it.

END 1st quarter, Thunder 25-17 Paul Pierce is passing up lots of 3-pointers this season for shots that seem more contested. Have to like his desire to get to the rim, but sometimes it just isn't there, and he's their scorer. Other guys aren't making that shot if he isn't taking it.

Would like to give Kendrick Perkins credit for the Celtics shooting 27 percent, but they've been dreadful on offense in the first quarter almost all season.

2:43 1st quarter, Thunder 17-13 Celtics lost Kevin Durant in transition, then Ray Allen threw a lazy pass that was picked off by Russell Westbrook for an easy two. Can't let this team get out and run.

6:14 1st quarter, Thunder 9-8 A good old fashioned defensive effort in honor of Perk tonight. Teams are a combined 7 of 24. Isn't this fun? To be fair, the Celtics have been shooting like this all season.

The Celtics showed a video montage of Perkins during his Celtics years during the timeout, and Perkins walked to midcourt and raised his arms in appreciation. Very nice moment.

10:31 1st quarter, Celtics 5-2: Good start by Jermaine O'Neal, getting fouled and converting the basket. You feel bad for O'Neal -- and Jeff Green -- in all of this. They didn't ask to come here in place of Kendrick Perkins.

Pregame: A standing ovation for Kendrick Perkins as he's introduced. Nice ovation for Jermaine O'Neal on the other side. Lots of "Welcome back, Perk" signs in the crowd.

Let's get it.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Let's end quickly any notions of bad blood, revenge, or animosity of any kind between Kendrick Perkins and his old team. There never has been, and judging by today's comments on both sides, there isn't going to be any. Perkins will probably get T'd up, too. Won't matter.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said it would be emotional going against his former player.

"I don't ever call it coaching against players, because I can't go out there and guard them," said Rivers. "I wish I could foul the hell out of him but I can't. But it is going to be different, and I'm glad it's here and we can get it over with. Because he meant a lot to me."

Rivers said Jermaine O'Neal will start at center tonight.

"I hear a lot of talk about him, and one of the things I tell J.O. every day is, 'Do your job every night, and if you do that we're going to be happy with you,'" said Rivers. "And that's the rebounding, blocking shots, and taking charges. That's what important for us. I think when he gets into that he's so much better for us."

Rivers characterized O'Neal's play as up-and-down this season and said defensively he's been good more times than bad.

On Perkins's 30-pound weight loss with the Thunder, Rivers said he thought Perkins was Thunder guard James Harden when he first saw a picture of him.

Rivers had high praise for Harden, saying, "He's terrific. He's Paul Pierce as a two (guard), except for he's a better passer. At times he's their best playmaker. He plays at a great NBA speed, and he came into the league playing at that speed. He just has a great tempo about him, an unbelievable feel ... He kills you with simplicity."

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Backup point guard Keyon Dooling and reserve forward Chris Wilcox both said they are out tonight vs. Oklahoma City. Dooling (knee) said he was not sure when he'd be available, but it sure didn't sound like Wednesday against the Raptors. Dooling said he didn't want to give reporters bad information by pinpointing a return date.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Kendrick Perkins walked into TD Garden with the second wave of Thunder players moments ago and was trailed by a television camera tracking his every move. It will be all eyes on Perkins tonight as he plays in his first game in Boston as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Perkins spoke with the Globe's Gary Washburn earlier today. His coach Scott Brooks spoke to reporters a short time ago.

"He's exactly what I expected," Brooks said of Perkins. "Stats are never looked at when I judge him. What he brings is toughness."

Brooks said Perkins came into camp in tremendous shape after rehabilitating his knee in the offseason. He said Perk's weight loss allows him to guard both power forwards and centers this season, whereas last season he was only guarding the five position.

"Everybody on our team knows that Perk is about defense, Perk is about toughness," said Brooks. "He doesn't always play perfect, but none of our guys do. He's always about the team. You can never have enough guys like that."

Perkins will start at center for the Thunder tonight opposite Jermaine O'Neal, who can't be feeling too excited about facing off against one of the most popular players in Celtics team history.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Welcome to TD Garden, where the Boston Celtics (4-7) will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (11-2) at 8 p.m.

Kevin Durant (above) is warming up on the parquet for Oklahoma City (apologies for the amateur photography). This observer is struck by how softly Durant launches even long-range shots. Even when his ball lands on all rim, he sometimes gets a friendly roll because it takes such a soft landing. By contrast, Paul Pierce looks like he's throwing a sack of flour at the basket. It never looks like Pierce's shots are going to go in, but both players are plenty good at knocking in those long-distance shots.

We're awaiting a breakout game from Pierce in 2012, and we're also awaiting what should be a warm and fuzzy reception for Kendrick Perkins from the Boston crowd. Perkins spoke to the Globe's Gary Washburn earlier today (next post down), and although he may be nervous about his return, he shouldn't be. He'll get plenty of love.

Perk's return is nice, but the Celtics do need to get down to the business of winning basketball games. Tonight's opponent won't help. Another slow start and the C's could be on their way to their fifth straight loss.

Back with plenty more from both locker rooms in a bit.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Kendrick Perkins took the court at TD Garden this morning for the first time since being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder last February. About 30 pounds lighter than his Celtics playing weight, Perkins took some jumpers with his teammates and then addressed the media, answering a variety of questions about his career in Boston, his relationship with Rajon Rondo and the Celtics after his departure.

"I hope I don't get too emotional or nothing like that, I gotta at least try to keep a little scowl on my face," said Perkins, who was acquired by the Celtics on draft night 2003 and played six-plus seasons in Boston. "It's a pleasure being back, being back in the city."

Perkins was called a "Celtic for life" Saturday by coach Doc Rivers, a testament to his closeness with his coach and teammates. Perkins was an extremely popular player during his time with the Celtics and his trade to Oklahoma City stunned and disappointed many of his former teammates.

"It means a lot," he said. "When you win a championship with guys you kind of have a bond that nobody can break. For them just to embrace me still is an honor. I was laying in bed last night and I was watching TV and I seen (Rivers say that) and I had to catch myself. It's kind of hard, you get emotional at times but at the same time you got to focus on coming in and playing basketball.

"You miss everybody around (here). It's hard."

When asked if he was looking forward to tonight, he said: "In a way I've been dreading it. After I got traded for some reason, it wasn't like I had bad thought for (the Celtics). I didnt want them to struggle. I was still cheering them on. I found that strange because they traded me. But it's the love I got for the whole organization."

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

It's all about Kendrick Perkins tonight as the hard-nosed former Celtics center makes his first return to Boston in an opposing uniform. He brings with him an Oklahoma City Thunder team that might be the best team in the Western Conference. They're certainly playing like it so far. Perkins is averaging 5.7 points and 6 rebounds in about 26 minutes per game. He's a thoughtful, emotional player who has expressed gratitude for the eight seasons he spent in Boston, and the home crowd should give that right back to their former big man tonight.

Tip-off: 8 p.m.
Records: Celtics (4-7), Thunder (11-2)
Broadcast info:TNT (no local TV broadcast tonight), WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)

Probable starters:

Celtics:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Thunder:
PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Thabo Sefolosha
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Serge Ibaka
C: Kendrick Perkins

Injuries: Keyon Dooling and Chris Wilcox both missed shootaround this morning and are unlikely to play tonight.

Storylines:

Perk: There really won't be much focus on anything else tonight as far as Celtics fans are concerned. Perkins was never a big scorer or rebounder, but he's brought toughness to the OKC frontcourt. Everyone will be looking at Perkins vs. Jermaine O'Neal, but watch Perk and Kevin Garnett go at it. Does Perk make his teammates better defensively like KG used to make his? Will be fun to watch these two go at it.

Scoring: The Celtics have scored fewer than 90 points in each of their last five games, and they've lost four in a row.The Thunder just hung 104 points on the Knicks, and Kevin Durant is the league's best scorer. The C's are going to have to top 90 to win tonight.

Someone step up: Rajon Rondo will have the whole Russell Westbrook thing to motivate him, but someone, anyone, needs to step up for the Celtics. That's usually Paul Pierce, but not this season, at least not yet. Kevin Garnett took 19 shots Saturday night vs. Indiana. That's good! Take more. Get this offense going.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Kendrick Perkins returns to TD Garden Monday night for the first time with his new team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Perkins should be motivated and the crowd should shower him with love in his return. It will be flashback to not-too-distant, better times.

While Perkins will deal with a substantial media horde Monday, it was a little less than two months ago that Perkins was in town in a more intimate setting for Rajon Rondo's charity basketball game at Harvard. Perkins has always been thoughtful when speaking to the media, and it was clear he missed Boston by what he said to reporters after that November game.

"I never knew how much I missed being here," said Perkins. "Definitely missed the whole city of Boston, the whole area of New England. It just felt good to be back playing basketball in Boston. It was a whole lot of fun.

Perkins spent almost eight seasons in Boston, endearing himself to fans with his unselfish play and trademark scowl. The Celtics, as you may have heard, never lost a playoff series with a healthy starting lineup of Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett."

"This city's been good to me since I came into the NBA as a young man at 18," said Perkins. "I never take it for granted and I definitely appreciate all the support when I come back to the New England area. You know I hated to leave."

You can watch more of Perk's November comments in the video above. Leave a comment on Perk's return if you'd like.

Final, Pacers 97-83: Celtics never led again after losing a 24-19 lead and right now just aren't ready to compete with the Pacers, who improved to 9-3. They have lost four straight games but did show signs of progress. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett each scored 21 points.

Fourth quarter, 3:07, Pacers 93-77: Eventually the Celtics will reap the benefits of how hard they are working right now but not tonight. Indiana was too athletic and the Celtics missed too many easy shots.

Fourth quarter, 6:22, Pacers 87-71: Celtics are playing for pride at this point. They have made progress tonight, but not enough to beat good teams and Indiana is a good team. The Celtics are not there yet.

End of third quarter, Pacers 82-67: Indiana is just executing at every opportunity and Darren Collison scored 11 points in the quarter and that was a killer. Boston had several chances to make it close but would make a turnovers and the Pacers will counter with a couple of fastbreak baskets. There are signs of progress, but now for the Celtics are mired in a slump.

Third quarter. 3:23, Pacers 75-60: It's not if the Celtics aren't trying here. They are desperately trying to make this a game, but every time they are close to making it interesting, they miss a shot and Indiana responds with two baskets of its own. Ray Allen missed a 3-pointer that could have made it a 69-63 game and Indiana scored the next 6 points. It's frustration time here in Indiana.

Third quarter. 9:32, Pacers 62-52: The Celtics are showing signs of becoming themselves, they are making plays, passing the ball and have a combined 28 points from Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, but they can't get stops. Indiana is living at the free throw line.

Halftime, Pacers 56-48: A very bizarre game considering the Celtics are playing well in some facets and poor in others. They have 10 offensive rebounds, have been hustling for loose balls and making the extra pass but yet Indian has hit every off-balance shot and leaning runner. The Pacers are shooting 43.2 percent but have hit 16 of 17 free throws. The Celtics are at 38.6 percent and are led by Kevin Garnett with 13 points and Paul Pierce with 11.

Second quarter, 2:57, Pacers 47-38: It's crazy how the Celtics are hitting offensive boards (they have 10 already) but can't cash them in. Boston is shooting 33 percent, including 0 for 3 from Jermaine O'Neal and 2 for 9 from Brandon Bass and Mickael Pietrus. The Celtics just need to make some shots.

Second quarter, 5:50, Pacers 38-32:Indiana went on a 17-2 run over the first and second quarters to take a 10-point lead and the Celtics have been fighting back but they can't make a shot despite a lot of good looks. In one sequence Paul Pierce and Jermaine O'Neal missed layups and they committed a backcourt foul chasing an errant pass. Pierce is looking better and has 9 points.

Second quarter, 8:57, Pacers 35-26: The Celtics have hit one of their scoring skids, having score 2 points in the last 6:34 while Indiana has scored 16 points in that span. So the Celtics are trying to stay close until their offense returns. They are shooting 32 percent from the field and has hit one of their last 10 shots.

End of first quarter, Pacers 29-24: Celtics go scoreless for the final 3:31 of the period and Indiana goes on a 10-0 after trailing by 5. The Celtics shot just 36 percent in the quarter and Indiana made all eight of its free throws. Celtics need stops on defense.

First quarter, 2:21, Celtics 24-23: The Celtics are going back to basic and seem to be playing more relaxed away from home. The bench has helped greating so far but the problem is the defense. Indiana is getting easy layups off backdoor plays. Paul Pierce has 5 points for Boston.

First quarter, 5:43, Pacers 15-14: The Celtics may actually score 20 points in the first quarter, which is a major accomplishment given their slow starts. But they don't have an answer for Paul George, who already has 9 points and has attemptef four free throws.

First quarter, 8:25, Celtics 7-6: The Celtics are feeding Kevin Garnett in the post early to get him going while the Pacers are looking a little unfocused with three turnovers.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

The Celtics just can't seem to stay healthy as Chris Wilcox was injured again in Friday's loss to the Chicago Bulls. He will miss at least three games with a left calf strain, meaning the earliest he could return is Friday against the Phoenix Suns. Keyon Dooling remained in Boston with a knee injury.

The good news is Kevin Garnett, who limped out of TD Garden last night with a left ankle sprained in practice, will play tonight. Rivers also said former Purdue stad E'Twaun Moore will get some playing time with Dooling out. It's a homecoming for him and Boilermakers teammate JaJuan Johnson, an indianapolis native.

Probable starters:

Celtics:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Pacers:
PG: Darren Collison
SG: Paul George
SF: Danny Granger
PF: David West
C: Roy Hibbert

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

It's desperation time in Boston as the Celtics once again face a playoff-caliber team needing a win. But first, the Celtics actually have to begin competing when the game starts. They have been putrid in first quarters of the past five games, averaging just 16.6 points and shooting 33 percent. They have scored more than 18 points in the first period once in that span.

So fans may actually know the Celtics' fate before the Patriots kickoff against the Broncos an hour later. Hopefully they can keep the fans intrigued for longer than that.

Tip-off: 7 p.m.
Records: Celtics (4-6), Pacers (8-3)
Broadcast info:ESPN, CSNNE (Mike Gorman and Tom Heinsohn), WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)

Probable starters:

Celtics:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Kevin Garnett

Pacers:
PG: Darren Collison
SG: Paul George
SF: Danny Granger
PF: David West
C: Roy Hibbert

Injuries: Garnett was icing his left ankle but is expected to play. Keyon Dooling (knee) is out.

Storylines:

Who starts?: Doc Rivers said that Brandon Bass will start 70 percent of the time at power forward with Kevin Garnett at center. That is his way to get more athletic with the fresher legs of Bass running the floor. Jermaine O'Neal just hasn't rebounded enough to garner being a starter.

Stretch ending: This difficult stretch of games ends Monday with Oklahoma City but the Celtics definitely don't want to go 0-4 against elite teams and just rack up wins beating the inferior teams. The Celtics need a confidence-boosting victory and they have two chances before Toronto comes to TD Garden Wednesday.

Rematch: The two teams played an ugly game on Jan. 6 with the Pacers prevailing 87-74 after the Celtics scored just 25 points in the first half, a franchise low. The Celtics do remember Danny Granger showboating after hitting a couple of garbage-time 3-pointers in the final minute and they have kept that memory in the back of their minds. Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass went a combined 5-for-24 shooting in that game.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Doc Rivers said before last night's game with the Bulls that he expected Paul Pierce to break out in a big way following his early-season struggles. But Pierce struggled as much as ever against the Bulls' Luol Deng. Pierce made 3 of 12 shots from the field against the lanky Deng and appeared overmatched on defense, allowing a monster game (21 points, 16 rebounds) to the Bulls small forward.

“I have to play better for us to win ball games, and I realize that," said Pierce. "Right now we’re going through a little lull, and we’ve just got to get through it.”

Pierce's production has sometimes been overlooked since the arrivals of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, but the Celtics are a much better team when Pierce is an elite scorer. Both Garnett and Allen's points come within the offense, while Pierce can create his own. That's especially important against teams like the Bulls.

"Listen, Paul’s playing hard," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "Like I told you, I’m using the minutes for him to try to get him in better shape and better rhythm. Is it the best situation for all of us? No. But we’ve just got to endure through this until he gets right."

Pierce missed much of training camp and is still getting his conditioning down, so there's a chance he gets it right sooner rather than later. But he's 16-of-51 from inside the 3-point line this season, a dismal 31.4 percent. As long as he's shooting like that, the Celtics don't stand much of a chance against the league's best.

-- The way the Bulls talked about the game afterward was telling. Deng was asked about the Celtics making a run, and his answer subtly lays out the new hierarchy of the Eastern Conference. It says that the Bulls -- and not the Celtics -- are the team dictating the wins and losses.

“We got to get better in not giving up leads," said Deng. "We knew that they were not going to go down easy. I knew they were going to come back and make a run. We are just a little disappointed that we allowed them to make that run, but once again, just answering that run I thought we did a great job."

There was a time not long ago when the only thing stopping the Celtics from winning games was how their own play.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Want a reason why the Celtics are 4-6 and have lost three straight games, look at the first quarter. The numbers are ugly as the Celtics continue to plague themselves with slow starts and spend the final three quarters chasing opposing teams. And the good teams -- such as Indiana, Dallas and Chicago tonight -- are good enough to stave off those rallies.

HERE ARE FIRST QUARTER NUMBERS FOR PAST 5 GAMES

Opponent -------- Shooting % ------- Score
CHI ----------------- 5-20 ------------ 13-26
DAL ----------------- 5-18 -------------15-23
IND ------------------6-16 -------------14-14
NJN ----------------- 8-18 -------------18-17
WSH -----------------9-27 -------------23-24

TOTALS ---------- 33-99 (33%) ------83-104

First quarter point average -- 16.6

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

The Celtics managed to combine futility and passionate basketball into a wonderfully frustrating, at times entertaining, 88-79 loss to the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden tonight.

The home team could not have possibly set expectations any lower with their early play, and just as it looked like coming into the game, Chicago and Boston looked like two teams going in opposite directions. But tonight's game was a tale of two halves, with the Bulls imposing their dominant defense on the Celtics in the first half before the Celtics got it together enough to make a significant run and cut the lead to one point early in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics scored 13 points in the first quarter on Friday the 13th, and a scarier offensive display from this group of Celtics hasn't been seen since the assemblage of the New Big Three. Every Celtics point in the first quarter came from Rajon Rondo himself or off of a Rondo assist.

So it didn't bode well for the Celtics when Rondo took a breather at the start of the second quarter. The Bulls started the period with an 8-0 run as Avery Bradley and the rest of the team struggled to find any kind of offense with Rondo out of the game. Things improved somewhat for the Celtics when Rondo came back into the game, but they were still outscored by six in the second quarter and found themselves down, 52-33, at halftime.

Normally that would mean game over, but the Celtics seem unwilling to label themselves as the aging, out-of-contention team they appear to be at times. Flashes of the old Celtics emerged in the third quarter as the team outscored the Bulls, 26-15, to cut the lead to single-digits. After being out-rebounded, 27-14, in the first half, the Celtics closed that gap to 11-10 in the third as Kevin Garnett got on the board for the first time and Jermaine O'Neal became a presence around the rim.

The Celtics scored the first seven points of the fourth period to extend the run to 25-6 spanning the two quarters and get within one point, 67-66. Just like they've done many times over the last four years, they had the building rocking and had fans remembering why it is they watch this team.

But they couldn't sustain it, and the Bulls used to 10-3 run to open up some distance and re-extend their lead before holding on for the win.

Rondo paced the Celtics with an almost-triple-double of 14 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds. Derrick Rose led all scorers with 25 points, while Luol Deng had 21 points and 16 rebounds for Chicago.

It's a broken record, but it doesn't get easier for the Celtics anytime soon. They're in Indiana tomorrow night for a rematch against a Pacers team who blew them out at TD Garden last week, and they return home to face the Western Conference favorites, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Monday night.

2:29 4th quarter, Bulls 82-73 Chicago picking apart the Boston zone. Rose makes a three and Ronnie Brewer hit a long jumper to increase the deficit.

6:08 4th quarter, Bulls 77-69 Bulls have found their offense again, led by Rose, whose penetration has opened up shots and for other players.

9:58 4th quarter, Bulls 67-66 They're almost all the way back. The Bulls have yet to score in the fourth and the Celtics have started the period with a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Mickael Pietrus. New ballgame. The Celtics' run is now 25-6 spanning the two quarters.

END 3d quarter, Bulls 67-59 Tremendous end to the quarter as the Celtics cut it to single-digits. That entire quarter was 26-15 run by the Celtics, and it felt like one too. Defense led to offense, and the Celtics finally showed a little tenacity on the glass. Rajon Rondo is going to run around this court as fast as he can until it kills him.

3:59 3d quarter, Bulls 63-50 Celtics showing signs of life, especially on the offensive end. Brandon Bass has two offensive rebounds, and one of them led to a 3-pointer by Pierce. A 17-11 run here by the Celtics. Not dominating, but better.

6:31 3d quarter, Bulls 61-43 KG finally makes two in a row.

11:42 3d quarter, Bulls 52-35 Brandon Bass hits his first shot to start the second half, an improvement over his 2 for 7 in the first.

Halftime, Bulls 52-33 It's going to get worse before it gets better. Rondo (8 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) is pretty much matching Rose (8 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds), but Rondo has no help. The Bulls are playing suffocating defense. The Celtics can't execute, and they haven't matched Chicago's energy.

2:17 2d quarter, Bulls 41-28 Rondo takes it at Derrick Rose on the fast-break and gets called for the charge. Rondo upset and gets a technical. Momentum killer.

4:31 2d quarter, Bulls 36-24 Finally some life. Pierce with a steal, Rondo with a run-out, and Chris Wilcox with a follow-up dunk.

5:49 2d quarter, Bulls 34-17 At this point it's hard to see where the offense will come from. Rondo's driving into the paint and finding no options when he gets there. The Bulls are getting their points too easily, especially with Rose out of the game.

Luol Deng has 12 points and 9 rebounds.

8:38 2d quarter, Bulls 30-13: Down to 19-percent shooting for the Celtics as the Bulls start the second quarter on an 8-0 run with Rondo out of the game.

END 1st quarter, Bulls 26-13: Never seen this group of Celtics play this badly in a quarter. Twenty-five percent shooting for the Celtics in the first, and they're getting out-rebounded 17-5.

2:23 1st quarter, Bulls 22-11: The Celtics are shooting 29 percent. Another dreadful offensive performance early on. They're not making it too difficult for Chicago, either. Bulls have 14 of their 22 points in the paint.

6:17 1st quarter, Bulls 14-6: Celtics getting run out of the gym so far. Bad shots on offense leading to run-outs and easy buckets for the Bulls. Paul Pierce is 1of 3, including a miss at the rim.

9:46 1st quarter, Bulls 5-2: Bass defending Noah, KG on Boozer, reversed on Chicago's side of the ball. Got it?

Lineup change: OK so apparently Brandon Bass is starting at center. Didn't know that before the game. Doc Rivers said Jermaine O'Neal was playing tonight. Maybe he will, he's in uniform.

Pregame: Friday night games are always fun. Good atmosphere in here.

Let's get it.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

The NBA rumor mill started churning in full force Thursday after Yahoo! Sports reported that Rasheed Wallace was contemplating a return to the NBA. The 37-year-old Wallace was one of the best power forwards of his era, and he was last seen playing for the Celtics in a Game-7 loss to the Lakers in the 2010 NBA Finals.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn't exactly express interest in bringing Wallace back to Boston Friday, but he did say that Wallace could return successfully if that was his intention.

"He can play," said Rivers. "With everyone, it's conditioning. If he's in great condition, then I'm sure he can play. If he's not then I'm sure it's going to be tough for him to play."

Rivers said he was not surprised that Wallace would be contemplating a comeback.

"I was surprised that he retired, honestly," said Rivers. "Things didn't end great, but he did play well in the first half of that Game 7, and then the cramps and all that stuff took its toll on him. But I think he still had basketball left in his body ... I think sometimes you talk yourself into it, and then when you get home you think, 'What have I done?', and I think that's what he's going through. I think he thinks he left a year or two out there."

-- Is tonight the night Paul Pierce breaks out in a big way? Rivers thinks he's close.

"He missed camp, that hurts your conditioning, and I think he's working around it," said Rivers. "He didn't play well the other night, but I saw it coming. You can see it coming with him. I can see it coming. I wouldn't be surprised in the next two or three games you'll see a big Paul Pierce game."

-- Rivers said we may see rookie E'Twaun Moore get some time tonight in the absence of Keyon Dooling.

"You can make the case that running the point guard spot, he may be our best option," Rivers said. Rivers said he likes to use Dooling as a shooting guard, and tonight's game might give him a chance to see how Moore and Avery Bradley do backing up Rajon Rondo.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Celtics backup point guard Keyon Dooling will sit out tonight's game against the Bulls to rest a sore knee. Dooling said he felt OK but was not well enough to play in a basketball game today. He expects to return to the court sometime in the next few days, though he won't make the trip to Indianapolis for tomorrow night's game against the Pacers.

League MVP Derrick Rose just told the Globe's Gary Washburn that he's playing tonight. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said a few minutes earlier that Rose was probable tonight, depending on warm-ups. Expect to see him on the court.

"The core of the team is still intact, and that team is always going to be tough to beat," said Thibodeau. "The adjustment is more with the new guys. As those guys get acclimated to what they're doing, they're going to be right there with everyone else."

Thibodeau earned a reputation as an outstanding defensive coach during his time as a Celtics assistant, and he has his Bulls playing tenacious defense with younger bodies. Still, the coach praised the Celtics -- and Paul Pierce in particular -- for being experienced defenders who will turn it around.

"It's a team that will put a lot of pressure on you," said Thibodeau. "They're going to be tough."

Thibodeau also praised Rajon Rondo, calling him "an offense unto himself."

-- Celtics center Jermaine O'Neal will play tonight, according to Celtics coach Doc Rivers. O'Neal sat out of Thursday's practice.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Welcome to TD Garden, where the Boston Celtics (4-5) will take on the Chicago Bulls (10-2) at 8 p.m. Note the late start time for national television.

Derrick Rose is probable tonight, which could be a good thing for Celtics fans watching this game. At least someone will score. The Bulls play the best defense in the NBA under former Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, and they scored just 78 points without Rose in a win over Washington Wednesday. Chicago's own scoring problems during last season's playoffs cost them a chance at a title, and the Celtics have visibly struggled on offense at times in this early season.

Would be a great night for one of those vintage Paul Pierce games.

We're nine games into the season and Rajon Rondo's 31 points on Christmas is still the Celtics' high-scoring game by any player. Ray Allen's 28 against Miami is second. Rondo's spectacular play is not a bad thing, but the Celtics need someone else to have a big scoring night. If they want to win tonight, Rondo needs to explode in addition to another Celtics player.

The Celtics are going through a closed walkthrough on the parquet floor at the moment. The Bulls had their shootaround here this morning, from which the Globe's Gary Washburn reported that Rose was more likely to play than not.

Should be a good one here tonight. We'll keep you updated on injuries and chatter from both locker rooms throughout the night.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Former Celtics assistant and current Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau expressed confidence this morning that his former team will be a factor in the Eastern Conference.

The 4-5 Celtics face the 10-2 Bulls tonight in what could be a critical game for Boston. The Celtics have the ninth-best record in the east.

"They're fine," he said. "I think tough schedule with (Paul) Pierce being hurt. The core of the team is intact. (Rajon) Rondo is a superstar now, so they have four star players. They got a great coach. So the adjustment is probably with the new guys on the bench. As Pierce gets healthy, the experience of their team, they'll be fine."

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Derrick Rose missed the Bulls' win over the Washington Wizards with a sprained big toe but he was able to participate in part of Chicago's shootaround this morning at TD Garden and coach Tom Thibodeau said he could play tonight against the Celtics.

Thibodeau did not make a firm decision and Rose did not talk to reporters, but it appears the Bulls may have their MVP guard for the showdown with Boston.

"We're hopeful," Thibodeau said. "He did some of the shootaround. He's feeling a lot better. He'll warm up tonight and we'll see if he can go."

Rose is averaging 20.6 points and 8.7 assists this season. Thibodeau said C.J. Watson and Richard Hamilton are also expected to miss the game.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

The Celtics might catch a break if Derrick Rose (above) has to sit out tonight's game with a sprained left big toe. Rose is a game-time decision for the game, and his absence would be welcome as the Celtics play their second game in a four-game gauntlet spanning the weekend. Of the team's next three games, tonight's is likely the most difficult, though it's not like things get much easier at Indiana tomorrow or home against OKC on Monday.

The Bulls scored just 78 points without Rose in a win over the Wizards Wednesday. So you're saying there's a chance.

Tip-off: 8 p.m.
Records: Celtics (4-5), Bulls (10-2)
Broadcast info:ESPN, CSNNE (Mike Gorman and Tom Heinsohn), WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)

Probable starters:

Celtics:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Bulls:
PG: Derrick Rose/John Lucas III
SG: Ronnie Brewer
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Carlos Boozer
C: Joakim Noah

Injuries: Rose (toe) is questionable, as is Celtics guard Keyon Dooling (knee). Jermaine O'Neal sat out of Celtics practice Thursday but is expected to play.

Storylines:

Minutes: Doc Rivers might be preemptively setting his lineup for the weekend by giving a status update on Dooling Thursday. The Celtics play at Indiana tomorrow night, so don't be surprised if Rivers holds back certain players tonight or tomorrow. ONeal could play heavy minutes in one of the two games, while Greg Stiemsma could see some time in the other. Don't expect Garnett, Pierce, or Allen to play big minutes in both.

Where's Paul?: Pierce took just five shots from the field Wednesday against the Mavericks. The disappearing act was concerning for the Celtics, who looked to be back to their old selves when Pierce returned. If Pierce is still slowed by injury, the Celtics are going to struggle to score. They started Wednesday's game 1 of 10.

Scoring: The Bulls are the best defensive team in the league, which will make it even more difficult for the Celtics to score. Pierce needs to get on track, Garnett needs to be aggressive, and the Celtics need some scoring off the bench. Brandon Bass and newcomer Mickael Pietrus could provide some offense, and the Celtics will also have to prove they can run some kind of a productive offense with players like Avery Bradley and Chris Wilcox on the floor.

Keyon Dooling is questionable for the Celtics' game against Chicago Friday after missing practice Thursday, according to coach Doc Rivers.

Jermaine O'Neal also sat out Celtics practice but will likely be available Friday.

"Keyon's knee is bothering him," Rivers said. "We’ll see tomorrow. I think J.O. (O'Neal) will go."

Globe NBA reporter Gary Washburn provides his postgame analysis after the Mavericks beat the Celtics 90-85 last night at TD Garden.

"There's a great deal of doubt, it seems, whether the Celtics are ready to compete in the Eastern Conference," Washburn says.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Kevin Garnett bumped and jostled Dirk Nowitzki off his spots in a superb defensive effort tonight, holding the Mavericks superstar to 11 field-goal attempts in 38 minutes. Garnett came up one stop short, though, as Nowitzki got off a runner with 5.1 seconds left that put Dallas up, 88-85. Still, it was a remarkable defensive effort for a player who has looked a step slow at times this season, especially considering the matchup difficulties that Nowitzki can provide.

"I just tried to make tough for him," said Garnett. "A player like Dirk, man, that man has like a million moves. I just tried to play the consistencies and just make it tough for him. He made a hell of a shot."

Garnett credited his teammates for slowing down the Mavs sharpshooter in what ended up a 90-85 Dallas win.

"I don't play Dirk by myself, I play him with the other four guys out there on the floor," said Garnett. "We don't do anything individual other than shower here. Other than that, we do things together."

The Celtics have struggled to a 4-5 record this season, and Garnett stressed to the media that the team is working hard to correct it. He also stressed that they can't just flip a switch.

"This is not easy," said Garnett. "I know we made it look easy in the past. It's not easy by far."

UPDATE, Thurs, 5:53 p.m. Watching the replay of the game and Garnett gave up another play to Nowitzki that might be Garnett's worst defensive effort since he arrived in Boston. At the 10:26 mark in the fourth, Garnett fails to box out Dirk on a jumper by Lamar Odom, allows Dallas's 11th offensive rebound, and stands like a statue as Dirk spins by him for two.

-- Garnett had plenty of praise for Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who finished with 24 points and 7 assists. Rondo made 8 of 12 free throws.

"Rajon's amazing, period," said Garnett. "Talking about big things are coming, big things are here. He's keeping us alive every night, we've just got to make sure we follow his lead."

Doc Rivers agreed with Garnett that it's time for Rondo to take on a bigger role.

"I think this is his team right now," said Rivers. "We need him to be aggressive. We need him to be a scorer and attack. That’s a change, but that’s what it is right now until everybody else gets it going, because they are not."

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Celtics guard Rajon Rondo talks about his team's poor offensive execution and the addition of forward Mickael Pietrus.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Despite the 1 for 10 start and the vanishing act from Paul Pierce (who left without speaking to the media), the Celtics found themselves very much in tonight's game vs. the Mavericks late in the fourth quarter. Pierce tied the game with a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left before Dirk Nowitzki put Dallas back up by 3 points on a drive and finish past Kevin Garnett. The Celtics got the ball back with 5.1 seconds left, and the betting man's choice for who they would look for was Ray Allen.

Allen was the intended target of the play, but Rajon Rondo threw an awkward pass to Allen on the sideline closest to the Dallas bench, and Allen could not handle the pass as the ball went out of bounds.

"It just kind of skipped underneath me," said Allen. "Rajon's angle, the way he had to throw it, the ball just kind of dove at my legs. I didn't know if I was open or not but I was certainly going to shoot it."

Allen never got the chance as Jason Terry converted a layup for the final margin of victory.

The Celtics dropped to 4-5 with the loss and are seemingly struggling to find their identity as either a contender or something less. Allen vehemently denied that there was any concern among him or his teammates.

"No, there's none," said Allen. "We've been here before. We've been in tough situations, and that's what makes us champions. We know where we need to go to get this thing rolling. Everybody feels the same way."

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Defense was evident against the defending champs, but the Celtics botched a late inbounds play and fell to the Dallas Mavericks, 90-85, at TD Garden tonight. The Celtics fall to 4-5 with the loss and face a daunting three-game stretch the rest of the week.

Paul Pierce couldn't hit a shot all game because he barely took any, but he hit the tying 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining to give the Celtics hope. Pierce finished 2 for 5 in the game and gave up some time to newcomer Mickael Pietrus, who played 17 minutes of sticky defense.

The Celtics dug themselves into an early hole, missing 9 of their first 10 shots from the field on the way to shooting 28 percent in the first quarter. They were lucky to trail by just 8 points after one.

The Celtics threw themselves fully into their defense in the second quarter, holding Dallas to 30-percent shooting. The increased effort led to 5 fast break points, a welcome sight after the team had difficulty scoring in the first. The Celtics shot 62 percent in the second and trailed, 42-41, at the break.

Rick Carlisle's ejection early in the third quarter put his team down temporarily, but the coach's emotions were well-spent, with the Mavericks finishing the quarter on a 25-12 run to take a 9-point lead into the final frame.

The Celtics fought back to tie in the fourth, but Rajon Rondo's pass found Ray Allen, whose foot was on the sideline. The Celtics gambled and gave up an easy bucket to Jason Terry for the final tally.

One bright spot for the Celtics was Kevin Garnett's defensive effort. Garnett harassed Dirk Nowitzki to 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting, though Nowitzki did have the last laugh, putting Dallas ahead, 88-85, with a key drive late in the game.

It only gets harder for the Celtics in the immediate future. The Bulls come to town Friday night, the Celtics turn it around quickly in Indiana on Saturday, and Kendrick Perkins and the Oklahoma City Thunder crash the Garden on Monday.

Final: Mavericks 90, Celtics 85 Ray Allen was out-of-bounds as the Celtics attempted to tie the game, and that's your ballgame.

5.1 seconds 4th quarter, Mavericks, 88-85 Dirk with the drive past KG and the bucket plus the foul. Garnett fouled Nowitzki before the shot as well. Great strength by Dirk.

0:25 4th quarter, Tied at 85 Nothing going right for the Celtics and Pierce hits a 3-pointer to tie it. Unbelievable.

1:32 4th quarter, Mavericks, 84-80 Pierce is usually the go-to guy in these spots, but he's been non-existent. Do the Celtics still run a play for him?

2:42 4th quarter, Mavericks, 84-79 The Jet lands two baskets to put Dallas ahead. Terry leads the Mavericks with 16 points off the bench.

3:36 4th quarter, Tied at 79 Vince Carter scores and ends up in the stands right in front of Danny Ainge. Ainge screams at Rondo to push the ball before Carter can get back, and Rondo hits a layup.

6:04 4th quarter, Tied at 77 Tie ballgame. Mickael Pietrus is playing great defense, though he just asked to come out of the game. Not sure if it's for a breather or if he tweaked something. This game is ugly, but maybe that's how the Celtics need to play now.

8:07 4th quarter, Mavericks, 75-71 Paul Pierce has taken just four shots in the game.

9:12 4th quarter, Mavericks, 74-66 Getting chippy now. Rondo T'd up, then Doc Rivers. The emotion is good, but those free throws hurt.

10:02 4th quarter, Mavericks, 70-66 Keyon Dooling bringing the Celtics back with some outside shooting.

END 3d quarter, Mavericks, 68-59 Not the quarter the Celtics wanted: just six field goals. Pierce and Allen have 9 points combined.

2:35 3d quarter, Mavericks, 63-53 Celtics have scored 1 point in almost four minutes. They're losing this.

4:28 3d quarter, Mavericks, 56-52 What an up-fake by Brandon Bass. Dirk Nowitzki flies by. Chris Wilcox into the game for the first time.

5:46 3d quarter, Mavericks, 53-52 Surprised we haven't seen more of Greg Stiemsma with Jermaine O'Neal logging just three rebounds in 21 minutes.

7:25 3d quarter, Mavericks, 51-49: The Celtics are playing tough, physical defense, and Doc Rivers has to be pleased with that. This can and should be the team's identity.

10:34 3d quarter, Celtics, 47-42: Rick Carlisle just got hit with two technical fouls and was tossed from the game. He was upset with how physical Kevin Garnett was playing Dirk Nowitzki.

Halftime, Mavericks, 42-41: What a difference a quarter makes as the Celtics clamp down on defense and frustrate the Mavs. Dallas shoots just 7 of 23 in the second quarter. Rajon Rondo leading the charge for the Celtics with 16 points and an impressive 8 for 10 shooting free throws.

2:22 2d quarter, Mavericks, 43-37: The defense has been much better, but the Mavs have 8 second-chance points to none for the Celtics. Mavs have scored 26 points in the paint.

4:27 2d quarter, Mavericks, 34-32: Defense turned up to 11 for the Celtics. They're playing with passion. Doc's plan appears to be to play KG until he passes out.

6:43 2d quarter, Mavericks, 32-26: Celtics turning up their defense to good effect. Avery Bradley has earned his six minutes with hustle and has gotten to the rim twice for buckets. Pietrus is already providing good energy. Brandon Bass needs to pass the ball at least once a game. He got swallowed up there and turned it over.

9:16 2d quarter, Mavericks, 27-20: Mickael Pietrus hits his first shot as a Celtic, a 3-pointer. Still a lot of confusion on offense.

END 1st quarter, Mavericks, 23-15:Terrible start for the Celtics, who are lucky to be down just 8. The Celtics shoot 5 for 18 and give up 55-percent shooting to the Mavericks. This team is lacking an identity at the moment, and that first quarter was a perfect example.

1:25 1st quarter, Mavericks, 19-12: Mickael Pietrus checks in for the first time. Believe it's pronounced "McHale" Pietrus.

2:46 1st quarter, Mavericks, 17-9: So much for the 5-5-5 with Kevin Garnett. KG plays eight-plus minutes and leaves when Dirk leaves, giving way to Brandon Bass. Doc must like having KG guard Dirk, though it would seem to be a major mismatch in favor of Dallas at this point.

4:49 1st quarter, Mavericks, 15-6: Shawn Marion hits his second 3-pointer of the game. Offense is coming for the Celtics, but what a bad hole to dig themselves into from the jump.

7:07 1st quarter, Mavericks, 10-2: The Celtics have had 13 possessions and have scored on one of them. They're 1 for 10.

9:20 1st quarter, Mavericks, 4-0: Delonte West with the first 4 points of the game. Beats moving sectionals.

Pregame: Mickael Pietrus in a Celtics uniform. Good crowd, good energy. Will Pietrus be a difference-maker? Celtics just need him to help.

Let's get it.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Mickael Pietrus said he will play for the Celtics tonight vs. the Mavericks, adding to the team's depth at the small forward position.

"The thing I think he'll give us right away is defense," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "He understands the schemes already and plays so hard defensively. The thing we want him to do is just make those open shots."

Rivers said he was worried about giving Pietrus time to get into basketball shape, though he said he came to the team in great physical shape, and that was evident by seeing him up close before the game.

-- Delonte West is making his return to TD Garden tonight as an opponent. While he's very happy he landed on a good team, West said Boston will always have a place in his heart, and that he plans to play "for 20 more years" and hopes to end up a Celtic again someday.

Rivers said the Celtics miss West, but he stressed that they preferred Keyon Dooling.

You're going to miss [West's] toughness," said Rivers. "And that's big for your team. He's an instigator. You need a lot of them."

On his offseason, which included applying for a job at Home Depot and working for a furniture store, West said, "It taught me that the league-minimum isn't that bad."

-- Rivers put aside any notion that the Celtics were somehow saving themselves because of the condensed season.

"We haven't played well," said Rivers. "It has nothing to do with the approach. We're not pacing ourselves. We're not winning games, we've got to play better."

-- Sasha Pavlovic and JaJuan Johnson are inactive for tonight's game.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Welcome to TD Garden, where the Celtics (4-4) will face the defending champion Mavericks (5-5) at 8 p.m. Note the late start time for national television.

Should be a lovefest in here for Delonte West tonight, and the former Celtics guard should start at the point for Dallas with Jason Kidd injured. Just had a discussion with CSNNE's Jessica Camerato on the level of the ovations for West, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen Davis in their respective returns, and we both agreed that the order -- from loudest to softest -- would be Perkins, West, Davis. Delonte was well-liked here for playing hard much in the same way Perkins was.

The big issue the Celtics will obviously need to contend with tonight is Dirk Nowitzki. The Celtics don't start anyone who can guard him, and Brandon Bass would appear to get the assignment off the bench. Will be interesting to see if Dallas goes right to Dirk with Kevin Garnett on him early in the game.

This should be a tough test for the Celtics, but it might also be the easiest of their next four games. No pressure or anything.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Celtics swingman Marquis Daniels participated in shootaround today and said he could be available for tonight's game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Daniels sat out the past two practices because he sustained a migraine, not the flu as the team initially reported. Daniels said he starting feeling symptoms in a Sunday workout and did not return to the court until this morning in Waltham.

"I feel a whole lot better," he said. "Bad migraines. Darkness, no sound, it was awful. I feel a lot better now. It was the first time I've ever had it."

Daniels is 7 for his past 32 from the field and is shooting just 27.1 percent this season. Many of those misses have been layups and it could be attributed to rust after missing most of last season and then enduring the long lockout.

"I just need to get in the gym more, keep working on my shot," he said. "Just keep trying to get better, regardless of me being ill or whatever. I just need to get my rhythm back, I need to get in here. It's valuable for me. Those are shots I normally make. They are going to fall."

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

The Celtics are 4-4, and we still don't have much of an idea of what kind of team they'll turn out to be. The defending champion Mavericks are in the same boat, having evened their record with a win over the Pistons last night. Tonight begins a brutal stretch for the Celtics in which they face the Bulls on Friday, travel to Indiana on Saturday, and face the Thunder back home on Monday. Given that gauntlet, tonight's game may be the easiest to win of the next four, and that's not saying at all that it will be easy.

Tip-off: 8 p.m.
Records: Celtics (4-4), Mavericks (5-5)
Broadcast info:ESPN, CSNNE (Mike Gorman and Tom Heinsohn), WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)

Probable starters:

Celtics:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Mavericks:
PG: Delonte West
SG: Vince Carter
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Brendan Haywood

Injuries: Jason Kidd (lower back) is out for the Mavericks. Marquis Daniels was present at Celtics shootaround this morning and is questionable.

Storylines:

Pietrus might debut: Swingman Mickael Pietrus (above) should make his Celtics debut tonight, welcome news for a team that has struggled on the wing after losing Jeff Green for the season. Pietrus should provide defense and long-range shooting. If he can spell Pierce effectively, he'll be a welcome addition to the rotation.

Energy: The Celtics have been off since Friday and have no excuse to start off slowly. This should be a game in which the Celtics come out with energy and intensity. If they don't, it's a bad sign of things to come on this little four-game swing.

Blueprint?: The Mavericks were thought of as a blueprint for the Celtics after winning the title with an aging team last season, taking one superstar and a collection of really good team players and beating Miami. This season, the Mavericks are struggling as badly as the Celtics are early on. Neither team knows how this will turn out. Are the Mavericks an example to be followed or a sign that the Celtics' decay is also near?

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Jeff Green is resting comfortably at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio after surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm Monday that will sideline him the entire season. His agent, David Falk, told the Globe that Green's surgery was "100 percent successful" and he should be able to return to the NBA next season.

"The doctor said he would have an easier return than if he came back from an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament)," Falk said. "We're not going to give any details other to say the surgery corrected the problem and the next step will be rehab.

Green condition was discovered during a Celtics' physical before training camp began. After the diagnosis, the Celtics rescinded the qualifying offer to Green at $9 million, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Celtics may have been seeking more cap relief with the move but coach Doc Rivers said at practice Tuesday that he hopes Green is back with the Celtics next season. If he does decide to return, the Celtics would have to compete with any other interested team for his services.

"I think Jeff has an important future value to the Celtics. He has a very positive feeling about Boston. I think that it will be one of a short list of teams that he will talk to when the time comes."

"I said it was unexpected (the Celtics' rescinding the offer), not something we bargained for," Falk said. "But I think the Celtics had their own reasons why. It was something important for them to do. I respect that. I think it was welcome news for Jeff after receiving some difficult news to digest. It's not something we initiated, not something we requested, not something we bargained for. It was a decision made by Celtics management for their own reasons."

Falk said he would not accept any other offers for Green this past summer and would agree to a one-year deal.

"Now that he's unrestricted and he has the legal right to talk to every team, Boston is obviously a team he is very interested in," Falk said. "We're going to continue our discussions with an appropriate time with Boston. I don't think his status is going to change their need for him or his interest in talking with them."

Celtics' captain Paul Pierce was concentrating on successes rather than negatives after practice Tuesday.

"I went 3 for 17?" Pierce asked, regarding his performance in an 87-74 loss to Indiana Friday. "I have already forgotten about it."

Pierce then talked about his off-season fishing expedition with South Florida Fish Adventures, referring reporters to a website displaying pictures of him with his catch off Key Biscayne: http://www.sf-fishingadventures.com/

Mikael Pietrus plans to make his Celtic debut against Dallas Wednesday. Pietrus, recovering from knee surgery, participated in his first full-scale practice with the team Monday.

"I went through my first practice and It’s good to be a Celtic," Pietrus said. "I think I’ll be ready on Wednesday -- no pain, and I said I would be ready in two weeks,

"It feels good. I mean, look around, so many banners. So, I’m in a great spot and just try to work hard and be ready to go on Wednesday.I haven’t played for eight months -- but, defensively, you can always help your team to do those things to be a great team."

By Lenny Neslin, Boston.com Staff

The Celtics' 74 points against the Pacers Friday was their lowest output at TD Garden since March 28, 2010. They shot 39 percent from the field, and the Pacers shot 40 percent.

"Both teams set offense back about 50 years today," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "It was awful to watch."

Paul Pierce shot 18 percent on 17 attempts, but Rivers didn't think it was the Pacers' defense that was bothering him.

"He was human, you know?" Rivers joked. "I thought he tried to do too much off the bounce, especially early. And then I thought he got frustrated a little bit. That's going to happen.

"Without Ray [Allen] shooting today, we would've shot 20%"

Actually, they would've shot 35 percent. Allen led all scorers with 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting, including four 3-pointers after sitting Wednesday.

"I felt fine personally," Allen said. "The more we move the ball with advance passes, it helps our offense so much better than taking the extra dribble."

Allen and the Celtics will get plenty more rest, as they're off until Wednesday's affair against the Mavericks at TD Garden.

"It will give us a chance to get some good practice time in," Pierce said. "I haven't had any practice this year so it'll be good for me to get back in and refreshed with some of the things we're doing, add to our playbook, which we haven't been able to do because of our lack of practice."

Boston's 25 points in the first half tied an all-time franchise low, dating back to 1995 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics scored 25 points in the second half of a 1999 matchup against the Bucks.

The Pacers allowed 118 points to the Heat Wednesday, but played tight defense against the Celtics Friday at TD Garden to walk away with an 87-74 victory.

"We have confidence that we can beat any team in any building and this was a game that we knew to win here, we'd have to make it like an Eastern Conference playoff-type battle," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. " And both teams defended at an extremely high level. All of our guys contributed."

The Pacers' bench outscored the Celtics' 33-14.

"There's going to be nights like that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I would say this: Brandon [Bass] was 2-for-7 and he missed five great shots. So, that's going to happen. We do have to get more out of our bench."

Allen, who returned to the starting lineup after being held out Wednesday with flu-like symptoms, led the Celtics with 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting, four of which from beyond the arc.

Six Pacers were in double figures: Darren Collison (14), Paul George (12), Danny Granger (15), Roy Hibbert (11), George Hill (13) and Tyler Hansbrough (12).

"It seemed like they played harder than us for four quarters, and that can't happen," Allen said.

2:48 4th quarter, Pacers, 77-70: Costly turnover by Pierce in the waning minutes. Allen is on tonight and Danny Granger knows it. He was waiting for that pass.

3:30 4th quarter, Pacers, 77-70: The Celtics will need a big run they've been lacking in order to extend their winning streak to five.

6:00 4th quarter, Pacers, 75-65: The Celtics are still getting crushed on the boards, 44-29, and it's reflecting on the scoreboard, too.

10:10 4th quarter, Pacers, 67-60: Allen has all five points for the Celtics in the final quarter -- a layup and a 3-pointer.

END of 3d quarter, Pacers, 63-55: Paul George helped the Pacers stay on top with four buckets, while Pierce is 3 of 15 from the floor.

3:30 3d quarter, Pacers, 53-47: Allen is perfect on three attempts from beyond the arc and leads the Celtics with 14 points. The Celtics seem to have the momentum this quarter but the Pacers aren't going away.

8:20 3d quarter, Pacers, 37-35: Allen hit a 3-pointer, Pierce took a charge, Rondo made a layup, and the Celtics are right back in it. Their offense is very explosive and tough to silence at TD Garden.

12:00 3d quarter, Pacers, 33-25: The Celtics had a huge third quarter Wednesday to pull away from the Nets. Tonight they trail by 8. We'll see in a few minutes if the Celtics try something different or stick to their system in the second half -- more likely the latter. It's worked in their previous four games.

END of 2d quarter, Pacers, 33-25: Notes: The Celtics shot 26.5 percent from the floor in the first half while the Pacers weren't much better at 33.3 percent. The Celtics are +6 with Rondo, the only Celtic in the positives. Hibbert and David West have seven rebounds apiece, and the Pacers outrebounded the Celtics 30-18.

2:24 2d quarter, Pacers, 29-25: The last time Roy Hibbert played the Celtics he scored 26 points but didn't have to face O'Neal. Tonight, Hibbert is 2-for-8 after O'Neal just stuffed him in the paint. O'Neal has three blocks and we aren't even at halftime yet.

3:28 2d quarter, Pacers, 27-25: Pacers guards aren't fooling anyone. Rondo has two steals and nearly had a third with a deflection.

5:50 2d quarter, Pacers, 25-21: Allen made a 3-pointer and has played aggressively on the offensive end. Flu? What flu?

9:36 2d quarter, Pacers, 20-14: Allen re-entered at the 11-minute mark. The Celtics need him healthy now, trailing by 6. Hansbrough made back-to-back buckets for the Pacers.

END 1st quarter, Celtics, 14-14: We're all square at the first break. Pierce is scoreless after leading the Celtics with 24 points Wednesday night and Danny Granger is 1 of 5 from the floor. The Pacers shot under 20 percent from the floor as a team, but are tied with the Celtics because of their free throw shooting: 5 of 6.

0:50 1st quarter, Celtics, 13-12: Jermaine O'Neal blocked Tyler Hansbrough's layup, then took a charge against a driving George Hill on the same possession. He's showing Doc Rivers why he belongs on the floor: Defense.

3:14 1st quarter, Celtics, 13-9: So Allen is human. He missed his first free throw attempt tonight, and has gotten off to an unusually "slow" start from the line this year (11 of 15). Allen was the first Celtics starter to exit after playing the first eight minutes.

5:27 1st quarter, Celtics, 10-9: Rajon Rondo has hit two layups and Paul Pierce has missed his first three attempts. It didn't take long for Allen to get on the scoreboard: 82 seconds.

7:45 1st quarter Some fans are booing David West whenever he touches the ball. If you didn't hear, he said earlier today that the Pacers were a better option to sign with this past offseason.

12:00 1st quarter: Ray Allen is on the floor for the first time since Monday's win against the Wizards. We'll have updates on him and the rest of the Celtics throughout the game.

Tip-off: 7:30 p.m., TD Garden
Records: Celtics (4-3), Pacers (4-2)
Broadcast info: CSNNE (Mike Gorman and Tom Heinsohn), WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)

Probable starters:

Celtics:

PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Pacers:

PG: Darren Collison
SF: Danny Granger
SF: Paul George
PF: David West
C: Roy Hibbert

Story lines:

Ray's back: After missing Wednesday's game against the Nets and not practicing Thursday, coach Doc Rivers confirmed Ray Allen will start tonight. "He should be well-rested if nothing else," Rivers said. "You just never know when a guy is sick, what he has in his tank, so we'll see."

Does Danny Granger compare to Paul Pierce? Depends on which coach you ask. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before the game that he saw a lot of Pierce in Granger, while Rivers quickly dismissed the comparison. "They're both great scorers, but no I don't see a big similarity just because of their size difference and how they play. Paul is crafty." Vogel worked with Pierce closely as an assistant coach for the Celtics from 2001-05.

On the rebound: The Pacers were blown out in Miami Wednesday night, 118-83. Vogel devoted all of yesterday's practice to defense and said that will be the key against the Celtics.

Remember me? Jermaine O'Neal played eight of his best seasons in Indiana and tonight he'll get a chance to play against his old team.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

David West made what was perceived as an unusual free-agent decision last month, choosing to sign with the smaller-market, building Indiana Pacers over a potential opportunity with the Celtics.

The Celtics were working out a deal to acquire West as long as he agreed to a long-term extension to stay in Boston beyond this season. Instead of a three- or four-year deal at about $9 million per season, West accepted a two-year $20 million offer from Indiana.

The Pacers come to TD Garden tonight for the first of two meetings in eight days with the Celtics, and West (right, courtesy of AP) will make his first visit to Boston since his decision.

West is averaging 11.8 points and seven rebounds in six games for the 4-2 Pacers.

"I just felt like it was the best opportunity for me right now," West said of the Pacers. "They're a team and where I was in terms of my career, the fact they were the main team that came after me in terms of my free agency played a big part of it."

West said the Boston deal was overblown.

"I think a lot of that was a lot more media than actual substance," he said this morning. "I found out like everybody else did on TV that I was close to signing. There were in discussions but I just don't think in terms of the seriousness of what was going on, people really know what was out there for me."

Ray Allen said last month that West made a mistake by passing on the Celtics and an opportunity to win a title in favor of a team perhaps expected to do nothing more than make the playoffs.

"Man he just didn't know that facts, all the things that were involved in the situation," West said. "I don't get caught up in stuff like that. It's one of those things when guys don't know all the information that's out there, it's kinda of a situation where they are more responsive about where they were and the situations there were dealing with."

West made a pointed statement about the perception of the Celtics. He noted a reason he did not want to sign a long-term deal here was that the window is closing quickly, perhaps faster than he wanted.

"In Boston, everybody is kinda realistic about the window that the Celtics have," he said. "Me looking at where I'm at. I think my window is a little bit wider. This young team here (the Pacers), the next few seasons have the piece to be able to compete."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he "had no problem with" David West's decision to reject a Celtics’ offer to sign a free agent contract with Indiana.

“He had two good decisions," Rivers said before practice Thursday. "He could look at us as a team trying to win it right now and Indiana in the thick of it and they’re growing. To me it was a win-win situation, a good place to be.”

Rivers on Brandon Bass: “He’s already a very good individual defender. If you told Brandon to just guard his guy, he’s probably our best at that because he can move his feet extremely well and he can switch on smaller players. He’ll get it (the Celtics’ defensive scheme). I’m not that concerned about it."

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Glen Davis is shooting too much in Orlando.

That's the sentiment of Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who called out Davis after Orlando's 103-85 win over the Washington Wizards Wednesday night. Davis made 2 of 10 shots from the field and drew criticism from his coach afterward.

"He's not playing well, and I'm not sure his mind's on the right things right now," Van Gundy said. "What we need him to do is defend, which he has done pretty well, rebound better than he's rebounding and move the ball and set screens."

Van Gundy's criticisms hardly qualify as news to most Celtics fans. Doc Rivers had some much-publicized trouble keeping Davis in line during his time with the Celtics. In 2010, Davis complained to the media about not knowing what his role was.

"No, I'm not even worried about Glen Davis," Rivers said at the time. "I think he's living up to [his Big Baby nickname] ...Let me put it like this: If Baby doesn't know his role by now, he's going to be sitting down a lot."

Davis didn't sit much during his time in Boston, and in a couple of ways Rivers had no choice but to play Davis extended minutes. Injuries, including one to Kevin Garnett during the 2009 playoffs, vaulted Davis into the starting lineup. But Davis's play in stretches also earned him time. In almost 30 minutes per game last season, Davis averaged career highs of 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds.

But with the good came the bad, including poor shot selection, with the video below being the most notorious example (you can see Rivers mouthing, "A three?" after a late-game attempt at one by Davis in 2010). About half of Davis's shots came from outside of 12 feet or further last season, according to Van Gundy, but that number is more like 2/3 this season.

"I've seen the guy play very well," said Van Gundy. "He's a good player. He's a smart guy. He should be able to figure it out. Sometimes it takes time."

The player and the coach talked about the comments today, and they appear to be getting back on the same page.

"He can certainly get numbers," said Van Gundy. "But a lot of what he does will never show up on the stat sheet: taking charges and diving on loose balls and setting screens and moving the ball and his team defense -- things that are extremely important to your team winning games but will not get him a lot of media attention."

Said Davis, "There is a temptation to do well. You see Brandon Bass, who's doing great. You see Ryan Anderson, who's doing great. And you just want to contribute. You want to do something, because you know you can. But sometimes putting a lot of pressure on yourself, it's not good. You end up doing the opposite."

Bass has done very well so far with the Celtics, averaging 14 points and 6.6 rebounds per game to Davis's 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds. Bass is not shy himself, but he's a more accomplished offensive player who -- like it or not -- commits to a move on the offensive end and carries it out. At this point, he fits in better with what the Celtics are trying to do.

Rivers always had a complicated relationship with Davis, but he refused to throw Davis under the bus on his way out. There's a sense that Rivers likes Davis an awful lot and wants him to do well, though the coach's comments on Bass are very telling.

"I like that he just plays hard," said Rivers."He's low maintenance, just plays hard every night.”

Ray Allen missed practice Thursday and is questionable for Friday’s game against Indiana, according to coach Doc Rivers.

“Ray is feeling lot better,” Rivers said. “We told him to stay away, you know, we don’t need anyone else getting sick.”

Asked about Allen’s availability for Friday’s game, Rivers replied: “I think he’ll play but I have no idea.”

Despite having cold and flu symptoms, Allen played in the Celtics' 100-92 victory over Washington Monday, then missed the Celtics' 89-70 win over New Jersey Wednesday.

By Lenny Neslin, Boston.com Staff

Paul Pierce said that riding the bench in the fourth quarter might be his new role, causing reporters to crack up in the locker room.

But he wasn't kidding.

After missing the first three games of the season, in which the Celtics went 0-3, the Celtics have won their last four games and Pierce has only played in one of those fourth quarters (the final 5:28 against the Wizards Monday).

With a comfortable 63-47 lead through three periods, coach Doc Rivers had an easy decision to bench Pierce.

"He'd played too many minutes at that point anyway," Rivers said. "He was already at 29, I think, so I was going to not put him in no matter what the score was until the last five -- if they had made a run. ... I mean, he's still working his way back."

Pierce scored 24 points in three quarters tonight against the Nets, shooting 8 of 14 from the field and 3 of 5 from long distance. He also had six rebounds, five assists, one steal and one turnover. Pierce isn't complaining.

"It’s good though, it’s giving me a lot of added rest, especially with a season like this, games so compact, that I’m able to sit in the fourth quarter is saying a lot about what we’re doing in the first three quarters," he said.

The Celtics haven't faced the stiffest competition in this four-game winning streak. They beat the winless Wizards twice, the 2-4 Pistons and tonight the 1-5 Nets.

Pierce spoke highly of shooting guard Avery Bradley, who had 11 points on 50 percent shooting and two steals in 23 minutes.

"He works so hard, he’s a guy who can really defend the ball about as good as anybody in the NBA. If he can do that and then if he’s able to knock down shots, open shots from distance, he can be a hell of a player in this league,” Pierce said of Bradley, the Celtics' first-round draft pick in 2010.

Rivers agreed that Bradley provided a boost off the bench.

"I thought Avery was sensational tonight," he said. "You know, he missed some shots early and a lot of people have been making a lot of talk about his shots, but his defense was infectious."

By Lenny Neslin, Boston.com Staff

The Celtics didn’t need Ray Allen to beat the Nets. Not even a little bit.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics above .500 for the first time this season with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists in the 89-70 win over the Nets at TD Garden.

Brandon Bass (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (14, 12) both had double-doubles, Rajon Rondo dished out 12 assists, and Ray Allen sat on the bench with the flu. His status is uncertain for Friday’s game against the Pacers.

The Celtics led by as many as 24 points in the second half after trailing by one point at halftime, outscoring the Nets 29-12 in the third quarter.

"They really turned up the pressure, clamped us down, and smothered us," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "They're a championship team with a lot of experience. [Kevin] Garnett disrupted a lot of our offense just with his activity and his length and [Rajon] Rondo with turnovers."

End 4th quarter, Celtics, 89-70: The Celtics move above .500 for the first time this season, and the Nets drop to 1-6. Reactions from coaches and players coming up. Stay tuned.

2:55 4th quarter, Celtics, 79-58: Celtics forward Greg Stiemsma took a charge for Jordan Farmar's fifth foul. Farmar has 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting.

5:48 4th quarter, Celtics, 75-55: Garnett has made 6 of 7 for 14 points and has 12 rebounds. Rondo has 12 assists, eight points, three steals and three turnovers.

9:14 4th quarter, Celtics, 67-51: Kevin Garnett played 21 minutes in the first three quarters and entered two minutes into the final period. Then he quickly made a 21-foot jumper to force a Nets timeout.

END 3d quarter, Celtics, 63-47: In 12 minutes, a one-point deficit turned into a 16-point lead for the Celtics. Paul Pierce had something to do with that.

1:33 3d quarter, Celtics, 59-46: Celtics with their best quarter yet. Avery Bradley hit a 3-pointer from the corner, then Bradley made a nice play on the sidelines to force a turnover.

4:55 3d quarter, Celtics, 52-44: A 3-pointer by Pierce forced another Nets timeout. He's up to 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting (2 of 4 from beyond the arc).

6:09 3d quarter, Celtics, 47-44: Nets injury report: Forward Damion James left the game at the end of the 2d quarter with a sore right foot. His return is questionable. He has two points and four rebounds tonight.

7:11 3d quarter, Celtics, 45-44: Nets guard Sundiata Gaines had two straight buckets, then missed a free throw that would have tied the score.

9:18 3d quarter, Celtics, 40-38: Garnett tied the score with a free throw, then a few plays later Rondo rushed down the floor for a layup.

Halftime, Nets 35-34: Kevin Garnett cleaned up on the glass for the Celtics with seven boards, and Rajon Rondo dished out six dimes in the first half. The Celtics led by as many seven in the 2d quarter, but now trail by 1.

End 2d quarter, Nets, 35-34: Neither team shot very well in the first half -- 39.4 percent for the Celtics and 38.5 percent for the Nets -- but the Nets are on top. Brooks leads all scorers at the half with 15 points (7 of 13, two steals), and Pierce is the only other player in double figures with 13 points (5 of 9, five rebounds).

1:45 2d quarter, Nets, 33-31: Shelden Williams tied the score on a dunk and gave the Nets a two-point lead on a jumper. Anyone expect this against the 1-5 Nets?

5:54 2d quarter, Celtics, 28-22: Former Patriots offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi is at tonight's game and got a standing ovation from the home crowd.

6:29 2d quarter, Celtics, 28-22: Celtics starters are back in. Time to pull away?

8:53 2d quarter, Celtics, 22-17: Kevin Garnett had a pretty turnaround 7-foot jumper off the glass before Avery Bradley's two free throws. Garnett makes it look so easy.

END 1st quarter, Celtics, 18-17: The Nets cut the deficit to 1 with a Shelden Williams jumper, a Jordan Farmar free throw and an Anthony Morrow jumper to close the quarter.

1:59 1st quarter, Celtics, 18-12: Pierce has made four of his first five attempts and leads all scorers with 10 points.

7:28 1st quarter, Celtics, 9-4: Paul Pierce forced a Nets timeout with a two-handed dunk on a nice bounce pass from Keyon Dooling.

11:01 1st quarter, Celtics, 3-2: The Nets' leading scorer (in the lineup) MarShon Brooks got the Nets their first points with a turnaround baseline jumper. They'll have to rely on him tonight without Deron Williams.

Check back for live updates throughout the game tonight. We're about to get underway here at TD Garden. Here are tonight's starting lineups:

NEW JERSEY NETS

G: Sundiata Gaines
G: MarShon Brooks
F: Damion James
F: Shelden Williams
C: Mehmet Okur

BOSTON CELTICS

G: Rajon Rondo
G: Keyon Dooling
F: Paul Pierce
F: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Ray Allen is out tonight with the flu, Doc Rivers said. Keyon Dooling will start in his place.

Dooling is averaging 7.5 points per game and has shot 8 of 18 from beyond the arc in limited action this season. He posted 18 points against the Heat on Dec. 27.

By Lenny Neslin, Boston.com Staff

The Celtics continue their five-game home stand tonight at TD Garden and look to capture their fourth straight victory against an injury-beleaguered Nets squad.

Jermaine O'Neal participated in shootaround this morning and is listed as a starter for the Celtics, and the Nets will be without Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries. The Nets have lost seven of their last eight in Boston and haven't faced each other yet this season. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

In other news, NBA All-Star ballots opened today. Each of the Celtics' Big Four was voted as a reserve for the East last season, and that likely won't change this year. Cast your vote here or send a text message with the player's last name to 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA"). Fans can vote for up to 10 different players per day.

We're only six games into the season, but at this point Rajon Rondo probably has the best chance to overtake a starting job for the East. He'll have to beat out last year's starters -- Bulls guard Derrick Rose and Heat guard Dwyane Wade -- which is no easy task, but he's having a great year at the point. His 16.5 points per game are six points better than his average last season, and he's still averaging 10.5 assists, six rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

Stay here for live updates throughout the night.

Tip-off: 7:30 p.m., TD Garden
Records: Celtics (3-3), Nets (1-5)
Broadcast info: CSNNE (Mike Gorman and Tom Heinsohn), WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)

Probable starters:

Celtics:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Nets:
PG: Sundiata Gaines
SG: MarShon Brooks
SF: Damion James
PF: Shelden Williams
C: Mehmet Okur
Storylines:

End of soft schedule: The Celtics have raced back to .500 with wins over Detroit and Washington, and the final downtrodden team comes tonight in New Jersey. After tonight, the combined records of the Celtics last three opponents is 3-13. That will change when Indiana and Dallas come to town in the next two games.

The Nyets:New Jersey has been in rebuilding mode for a few years but that has been derailed because of injuries. Brook Lopez is out after foot surgery, Deron Williams is out with sore ribs while Kris Humphries will not play with a shoulder injury.

MarShon starts: The Celtics actually drafted Providence high scorer MarShon Brooks but traded him to New Jersey for the pick to draft JaJuan Johnson. Brooks has paid immediate dividends and will start tonight in place of Williams. He is second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points in just 21.5 minutes. Brooks is a professional scorer.

O'Neal expected to play:Jermaine O'Neal participated in shootaround and is expected to play tonight. He missed the previous win over Washington with a tight left hamstring.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

WALTHAM -- Jermaine O'Neal, who missed Monday's win over the Washington Wizards with a tight left hamstring, participated in the team's morning shootaround and is expected to play tonight against the New Jersey Nets.

That means rookie wonder Greg Stiemsma, who contributed 13 points and seven rebounds in O'Neal's absence is likely headed back to the bench. O'Neal told reporters he wanted to play but was overruled by head trainer Ed Lacerte.

Final score, Celtics, 100-92:Ray Allen scored 27 points and Kevin Garnett steadied the Celtic defense with a 12-minute stint in the final quarter.

Fourth quarter, :30.7, Celtics, 98-91:The Wizards' Andray Blatche
dunked out of a timeout, the Celtics shot an airball, and John Wall scored in the lane. But Paul Pierce hit a 3-pointer out of a timeout with three seconds on the shot clock.

Fourth quarter, 1:30, Celtics, 95-87:Ray Allen's sixth 3-pointer (in seven attempts) regained an eight-point advantage.

Fourth quarter, 4:29, Celtics, 89-80:Ray Allen hit a 3-pointer off another Kevin Garnett assist (his fifth) to cap a 9-4 Celtic run.

Fourth quarter, 6:32, Celtics, 82-76:The Celtics found an effective combination with Brandon Bass and Marquis Daniels joining starters Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo. Bass capped a 10-2 run with a jumper off a pick-and-pop combination with Allen.

Fourth quarter, 8:39, Celtics, 75-74:The Celtic starters started filtering back into the game. Kevin Garnett passed up an open shot to assist Ray Allen's 3-pointer as the Celtics took the lead for the first time in the quarter.

End of third quarter, Wizards, 70-69:The Celtic starters struggled to take control, only Greg Stiemsma and Paul Pierce presenting an offensive threat for most of the quarter.

Third quarter, 2:20, Celtics, 67-66:The Celtics were going with the second unit for the final minutes of the quarter.

Third quarter, 4:55, Celtics, 63-62: Greg Stiemsma scored eight points in the opening five minutes of the half. Stiemsma converted twice from the baseline and once from the right elbow.

Halftime, Celtics, 48-47:Paul Pierce's 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining in the half regained the lead for the Celtics. The Celtics led by as many as 8 points in the opening half, Ray Allen finishing with 16 points.

Second quarter, 5:56, Celtics, 37-34:

First quarter, 2:14, Celtics, 23-17:The Wizards upped their technical foul count to five in the first 8:12 of play with a defensive three-second call. The Celtics turned that sequence into a Ray Allen free throw, then a Rajon Rondo post-up on the in-bounds.

First quarter, 7:04, Celtics, 16-10: Washington coach Flip Saunders was ejected 66 seconds into the contest, after contesting a non-call on a Greg Stiemsma block. Ray Allen scored 10 points in the first 3:27 of play.

The Celtics return home after a solid 94-86 win last night over the Washington Wizards to face the Wizards again but this time they will be shorthanded.

*Jermaine O'Neal will not play with a sore left hamstring. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said that trainer Ed Lacerte suggested O'Neal take a night off after tweaking the hamstring last night and Rivers obliged. Rookie Greg Stiemsma will make his first NBA start.

*Chris Wilcox (sore left shoulder) will return after missing the past three games. Wilcox still doesn't remember how he hurt the shoulder last week against the Miami Heat.

*Rivers said he likes the competition for minutes with Avery Bradley facing off with E'Twaun Moore and Sasha Pavlovic and Marquis Daniels. Pavlovic was a healthy DNP-coach's decision last night.

*Wizards center Ronny Turiaf will miss five to six weeks with a broken left hand sustained against the Celtics.

STARTING LINEUPS

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

PG John Wall
SG Nick Young
SF Rashard Lewis
PF Andray Blatche
C JaVale McGee

BOSTON CELTICS

PG Rajon Rondo
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF Kevin Garnett
C Greg Stiemsma

Final, Celtics 94-86: The Celtics spend the last three quarters staving off Washington rallies and hold on for a solid win. Kevin Garnett finished with 24 points and nine rebounds while Rajon Rondo collected his eighth regular-season triple double with 18 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. Ray Allen added 13. Nick Young scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half for Washington.

Fourth quarter, 4:14, Celtics 91-77:Fourth quarter, 4:14, Celtics 91-77: Celtics have restored order after the Wizards got to within 7 points. Kevin Garnett is having the best game of the season with 20 points and nine rebounds while Rajon Rondo needs two rebounds for a triple-double -- he has 18 points and 13 assists. Ray Allen has 13 points and Paul Pierce a quiet 9 in 28 minutes.

Fourth quarter, 7:48, Celtics 80-73: Washington is on a 6-0 run as the Celtics can't seem to put the feisty Wizards away. They are committing silly turnovers in the second half and have lacked that killer instinct. The Wizards have played better defense and are looking to run at every opportunity. The Celtics bench was responsible for this latest Washington run.

End of third quarter, Celtics 73-60: Washington actually cut the deficit to 7 before the Celtics ended the quarter on an 8-2 run. Rajon Rondo carried the Celtics in the quarter and he has 16 points and 11 assists. Kevin Garnett has 14 points and nine rebounds while Paul Pierce has 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Nick Young scored 10 points in the quarter for the Wizards.

Third quarter, 2:19, Celtics 65-58: The Wizards have scored 24 points in 10 minutes after tallying 34 in 24 minutes in the first half. Nick Young has caught fire while the Wizards are taking advantage of poor Celtics shooting. The Green are 6 for 15 from the field in the quarter.

Third quarter, 5:43, Celtics 58-49: Boston is off to a slow start and the Wizards are pushing the ball and creating scoring opportunities. John Wall and JaVale McGee have combined for 27 points and 18 rebounds. The rest of the Wizards have essentially taken the night off.

Halftime, Celtics 51-34: Best half of the season for Boston, which shot 55.6 percent and got points from 10 players. Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 12 points and six rebounds while Rajon Rondo has 6 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds. John Wall and JaVale McGee have 20 of Washington's 34 points. The Wizards are shooting 28 percent.

Second quarter, 3:30, Celtics 44-27: Celtics respond with a run of their own and look as sharp as they have all season. Kevin Garnett has 12 points and six rebounds while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen each have 6 points. Rajon Rondo has eight assists in 14 minutes.

Second quarter, 7:38, Celtics 32-25: Sorry for the technical difficulties. Celtics have led most of the way but the Wizards are on a 6-0 run. Celtics are shooting 56 percent and gotten points from nine players, including Kevin Garnett with 6.

The Celtics are trying to change the trend of playing badly on the road against lesser teams and they need a victory tonight in the first game of a back-to-back against the Washington Wizards.

*Chris Wilcox is out with a strained left shoulder but Doc Rivers said he could return tomorrow night in the rematch.

*Paul Pierce came off his season debut Friday with his body sore but his bruised right heel fine. He will start.

*Washington's Jan Vesely is out with a sore right hip. He was the sixth overall pick in the draft.

STARTING LINEUPS

BOSTON CELTICS

PG Rajon Rondo
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF Kevin Garnett
C Jermaine O'Neal

INACTIVE: Chris Wilcox, Mickael Pietrus

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

PG John Wall
SG Nick Young
SF Rashard Lewis
PF Andray Blatche
C JaVale McGee

INACTIVE: Hamady Ndiaye, Jan Vesely

OFFICIALS: Bill Spooner, Eric Dalen, James Williams

Tip-off: 6 p.m., The Verizon Center, Washington D.C.
Records: Celtics (1-3), Wizards (0-3)
Broadcast info: CSNNE (Mike Gorman and Tom Heinsohn), WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)

Probable starters:

Celtics:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Wizards:
PG: John Wall
SG: Nick Young
SF: Rashard Lewis
PF: Andray Blatche
C: JaVale McGee

Storylines:

Back-to-back: The Celtics and Wizards will play back-to-back games, with the teams meeting tomorrow night in Boston. Tonight is a chance for the Celtics to get their first back-to-back wins of the season. The Celtics have a soft stretch of games coming up, two with the Wizards and one with the New Jersey Nets.

Beating bad teams:The Verizon Center is not the friendliest of places for the Celtics, who have struggled there in the past and lost to some bad Wizards teams. Washington is hungry for a win and would like to jump-start its season by beating the Celtics. John Wall and JaVale McGee give Boston's aging lineup problems, so tonight will be a challenge.

Pierce back: The Celtics were happy to bring back Paul Pierce from a bruised right heel injury and he returned to score 12 points with 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 23 minutes. Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave the club New Year's Eve off and also did not conduct a shootaround, so they should be fresh for the back-to-back.

No Wilcox:Forward Chris Wilcox will miss his third consecutive game with a bruised left shoulder sustained against Miami. Wilcox said he does not know how he suffered the injury.