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Celtics run streak to 12 with victory over Hawks

Dec 17, 2010 - 5:52 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Ray Allen and Glen Davis scored 18 points apiece to lead six Boston players in double figures, and the Celtics extended their winning streak to 12 games with a 102-90 victory over Atlanta.

Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Paul Pierce added 15 points and 10 assists in a well-rounded effort for a red-hot Boston team that was playing without Rajon Rondo and Shaquille O'Neal.

Atlanta got 26 points from Marvin Williams and shot 62 percent from the floor in the second half, but still lost by 12 to a Celtics team that is the hottest in the NBA.

Rondo, the Celtics' All-Star point guard, will miss "a couple of weeks" because of a sprained ankle, team president Danny Ainge said earlier Thursday.

O'Neal, meanwhile, missed his fourth straight game with a right calf injury.

Rondo was a casualty of Wednesday night's thrilling 118-116 victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, won by Pierce's shot with 0.4 seconds left.

Overnight, the game turned into one of the best of the young NBA season.

But Pierce and the rest of the Celtics had no trouble coming off such an emotional win, although the Hawks didn't go down without a fight despite turning the ball over 18 times.

"I trust our guys. They just play well. They're executing well," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

Atlanta, trailing 22-20 after the first quarter, went ahead by as many as seven points before halftime, but still trailed 44-43 after the Celtics ended the half with a 10-2 run.

"The first half was a grind," Rivers said. "You could just feel it, emotionally, coming off of last night's game."

The Hawks tied the game once early in the third quarter on a three-pointer by Mike Bibby that made it 53-53.

But an 11-3 Boston run, spearheaded by eight points apiece from Garnett and center Semih Erden and capped by a three from Pierce, gave the Celtics an eight-point lead on the way to a 75-69 advantage after 36 minutes.

Atlanta cut its deficit to two points early in the fourth quarter, but Boston responded with a 12-3 run to go ahead by 11 on Nate Robinson's three-pointer to make it 89-78.

Robinson ended with 14 points in the game, Erden had 10 and the Celtics never let Atlanta get closer than seven the rest of the way.

Boston's lead reached as high as 14 in the final minutes.

"Too many turnovers, way too many turnovers. Especially being on the road," Hawks coach Larry Drew said.

Game Notes

The Celtics shot 53 percent for the game, while Atlanta shot 50 percent...Jeff Teague scored 18 points off the bench for Atlanta, while Bibby had 11...Boston recorded a 99-76 win over the Hawks on November 22 in Atlanta and has won nine of the last 13 meetings.