• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Celtics suffer franchise-record 14th straight loss

Feb 3, 2007 - 4:56 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- The storied Boston Celtics franchise set a dubious record, thanks to Elton Brand and the streaking Los Angeles Clippers.

Brand had 26 points and a season-high 19 rebounds as the Clippers handed the Celtics a franchise-record 14th straight loss, 100-89.

Boston, which has won an NBA-high 16 championships, eclipsed the previous low-water mark of 13 consecutive setbacks, reached also during the 1993-94 and 1997-98 seasons. Perhaps even worse, Boston has lost a franchise record 11 straight home games and is 2-21 since a season-high five-game winning streak, including a 100-77 road defeat against the Clippers on December 27.

"It's been challenging for a while, obviously," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "But I think we get a group every night that seems like they still have it, and then we have a group every night that seems like they're searching. And you lose this many games in a row, I can't imagine it (confidence) being any different."

Boston has not won a title since the 1985-86 season, has not been to the Finals since 1986-87 and has advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals just twice since. The franchise has not won a playoff series since the 2002-03 campaign.

"It's a tough challenge because you come in this locker room when we are away and it's the game as the last 14 games," said Boston forward Ryan Gomes, who had 16 points and seven rebounds. "It's hard to keep high spirits because things aren't working out the way we wanted them to."

Cuttino Mobley scored 20 points and Corey Maggette added 19 for the Clippers, who have won eight of nine.

"Two weeks ago we were out of the playoffs and now we are in the seventh seed," Brand said. "We are peaking right now. We've won some games in a row and seven out of eight."

Rookie Rajon Rondo scored a career-high 23 points in his first start for the Celtics, who last won on January 5 against Memphis. Al Jefferson scored 21 points and Delonte West added 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics.

Boston overcame a five-point halftime deficit and took a 69-67 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Raptors opened some breathing room with 13-4 run for a 91-81 advantage with 3:25 left.

Maggette started the burst with two free throws and added a three-point play before Mobley hit a 3-pointer from the left corner. Tim Thomas knocked in a shot from the arc and Brand hit a turnaround in the lane.

"I thought we let them hang around way too long," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "I thought we did a good job getting in the bonus, most of the game. Sometimes we went away from it and it hurt us.

"This is a scary team. Anytime you're playing somebody who is ready to set a record of any kind of futility, you know they're going to come out and play hard. They have a lot of pride. That's what we try to preach to our guys early on is that you've got to try to knock these guys out early."

If there was any good news for Boston, it was the fact leading scorer Paul Pierce - who has missed the last 22 games with a foot injury - spent 40 minutes shooting prior to the game.