In fact, cranky would best describe the Celtics’ mood as they packed for a trip home to play Milwaukee tonight.
“It was a win, that’s all it was for us,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “It was a good way to end the losing streak, but we have to be better than that. That was awful.”
Ray Allen scored 22 points and Kevin Garnett added 18 as Boston, which couldn’t hold a 16- point lead in the first quarter, avoided its first six-game skid since dropping seven in a row from April 4- 15, 2007. The Celtics’ big lead became a five-point deficit in the third quarter, making the last 12 minutes a possessionby possession game until Boston finally made enough plays to pull it out.
“Hopefully, this was just a little All-Star hangover,” Paul Pierce said. “We’re making it hard on ourselves.”
Kyrie Irving returned from a bruised elbow that sidelined him late in the second quarter and led Cleveland with 24 points, 19 in the second half.
Irving hit two free throws with 1:21 remaining to give Cleveland an 81-80 lead. After Allen missed a 3-pointer, Garnett tipped Irving’s pass, leading to Allen’s dunk with 48.6 seconds left that put Boston ahead for good.
“I got my hand on it and I got the ball to Ray for a layup,” Garnett said. “Nothing special about it.”
A moment of silence was observed before the game for the victims of Monday’s shootings at Chardon High School, located approximately 30 miles from Cleveland. Three students were killed and two were wounded.
The Celtics lead the Cavaliers by 2 1/2 games for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Boston lost its final five games before the All- Star break.
“We’ve got to fight through this,” Garnett said. “This is going to be a true grind right here, physically and mentally.”
Notes — Boston forward Brandon Bass, who had missed the past six games with a sore left knee, and center Chris Wilcox, who didn’t play in the final game before the All-Star break because of a strained right adductor, both returned. Bass scored 12 points, while Wilcox had five points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
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