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Grizzlies beat Celtics for 1st time since '06

Mar 11, 2010 - 4:20 AM By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer

BOSTON(AP) -- The Memphis Grizzlies keep winning on the road.

And now they're even beating Boston.

Rudy Gay scored 28 points on Wednesday night to lead Memphis to a 111-91 victory over the Celtics and give the Grizzlies a franchise-record seventh straight road win. The previous six were against non-contenders, but this was Memphis' first victory over the Celtics in seven tries.

"It wasn't about them. It was more about us," Gay said. "When you look at their lineup you have to respect them. They have three Hall of Famers."

O.J. Mayo scored 17 points and Zach Randolph had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis.

Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo scored 17 points apiece, and Rondo added eight assists for the Celtics. It matched Boston's worst loss of the season, tying a 20-point loss to Cleveland last month that was the worst loss for the Celtics with Kevin Garnett in the lineup.

"They just came in and totally annihilated us," said Garnett, who scored six points in 26 minutes. "We're not looking down to May and April right now, right now we need to be taking care of March. That's the mindset. We've got to do it soon, and do it immediately."

The Celtics lost 86-84 in Milwaukee on Tuesday night to snap a four-game winning streak, then flew back to Boston. They fell to 7-6 in the second half of back-to-back games.

"It's a big win and we're happy with the win, but we know we caught a break because the Celtics played last night," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. "They had a tough game in Milwaukee last night and had to travel home. In my mind, they're still one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers stood on the court with his arms folded and his jaw clenched during one fourth-quarter timeout as the fans, who booed the team into the locker room at halftime, filed for the exits. He opened his talk with reporters by joking that the only positive for him was when the announcer said, "Two minutes left in the game."

Even his jokes were flat.

"The disappointing thing about tonight and other games is our lack of offense is dictating how we play defense," Rivers said. "They get an offensive rebound and make a 3, and you can see the heads hanging again. ... We just didn't seem like we had the fight to fight through that."

Memphis led by 15 after the first quarter, by 22 at the half and by 19 after three. The Grizzlies led by as many as 29 in the fourth quarter, when Garnett never got off the bench.

Celtics fans weren't about to sit still, though.

They emptied the TD Garden during midway through the fourth quarter, with Boston trailing by 25. The 20-point defeat matched the worst with Garnett. They had a 31-point loss, also to Cleveland, in a game that Garnett missed last April with a knee injury.

Allen, who was 0 for 3 on Tuesday night, scored a team-high six points in the first quarter against Memphis - the only Celtic to make more than one basket in the period.

Memphis scored the last eight points of the quarter to take a 27-12 lead - a season low in points for Boston in the first quarter. The Grizzlies scored nine of the last 11 in the second quarter to make it 55-33; the 33 points also were a season low for a first half for Boston.

NOTES: Each Celtic had a signed boxing glove from Manny Pacquiao in his locker before the game. "Pacquiao is a huge Celtics fan," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "He tried to get in our locker room before our game in Los Angeles." ... Brian Scalabrine was inactive for matchup reasons, Rivers said. ... Randolph returned to the floor after missing Memphis' previous game with tightness in his lower back. ... Michael Finley made his first appearance in Boston with the Celtics, scoring 10 in 14 minutes.