BOSTON – The Indiana Pacers hadn’t won a game in Boston since the Big 3 was assembled in the summer of 2007. New coach Frank Vogel had an idea how to end the slump.
“We have confidence that we can beat any team in any building,” Vogel said Friday night after the Pacers beat the Celtics 87-74 to snap a seven-game losing streak in Boston. “We knew to win here we’d have to make it like an Eastern Conference playoff-type battle..”
Additional Photos
Danny Granger had 15 points, and Roy Hibbert scored 11 with 12 rebounds for the Pacers. Indiana shot just 40.5 percent from the field but held the Celtics to 39.4 percent, including a 26.5 percent first half in which Boston tied a franchise low with 25 points.
“Both teams set offense back about 50 years today. It was awful to watch,” Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. “I just thought offensively we were horrible. But I give Indiana a lot of the credit.”
Ray Allen returned after missing one game with an illness and scored 23 points for the Celtics, who for the first time this season lost with their starting lineup intact. Paul Pierce, who missed the first three games, all losses, scored 10 points on 3-for-17 shooting.
“He was human,” Rivers said. “I thought he tried to do too much off the bounce, especially early. And then I thought he got frustrated.”
76ERS 96, PISTONS 73: Spencer Hawes had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Jodie Meeks scored 21 points and Philadelphia won at home.
KNICKS 99, WIZARDS 96: Carmelo Anthony made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15.5 seconds to play and scored 37 points for visiting New York, which rallied to keep Washington winless.
NETS 97, RAPTORS 85: Deron Williams had 24 points and nine assists, Anthony Morrow also scored 24 and New Jersey won at Toronto to snap a six-game losing streak.
HAWKS 102, BOBCATS 96: Atlanta went to overtime for a second straight night, winning at Charlotte, N.C., behind 23 points and 13 rebounds from Josh Smith.
THUNDER 109, ROCKETS 94: Kevin Durant scored 26 points, top reserve James Harden added 23 and Oklahoma City won at home.
NUGGETS 96, HORNETS 88: Danilo Gallinari scored 23 points and Denver went on a 19-0 run spanning the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth at New Orleans.
BULLS 97, MAGIC 83: Derrick Rose and Luol Deng each scored 21 points, and visiting Chicago held off a fourth-quarter surge by Orlando for its sixth straight victory.
CAVALIERS 98, TIMBERWOLVES 87: Antawn Jamison had 22 points and six rebounds to help Cleveland win at Minneapolis.
NOTES
Hawks forward Tracy McGrady missed the game against the Bobcats because of a bruised knee. Sacramento center Chuck Hayes is expected to miss 3 to 4 weeks with a dislocated left shoulder. Bobcats forward Corey Maggette will miss 2 to 4 weeks with a strained left hamstring. Hornets guard Eric Gordon will miss 2 to 3 weeks because of a sore right knee.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.