• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Without Pierce, Celtic aim to hand 76ers 13th straight loss

Dec 22, 2006 - 3:14 PM Philadelphia (5-19) at Boston (10-14) 8:00 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Prior to a disappointing loss on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics were playing their best basketball of the season. They now will take on one of the worst teams in the NBA.

The Celtics will host the Philadelphia 76ers, who have lost 12 straight games and continue on a downward spiral without superstar Allen Iverson.

On Wednesday, Paul Pierce collected 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 96-95 loss to Golden State as the Celtics had their season-high five-game winning streak snapped.

Pierce, who will be out at least two weeks with a stress reaction in his left foot, had a chance to win the game but attacked a triple-team and was tied up with less than one second remaining.

On Tuesday, the 76ers traded Iverson, a four-time scoring champion and the face of their franchise. Along with little-used forward Ivan McFarlin, Iverson was sent to the Denver Nuggets for guard Andre Miller, forward Joe Smith and two 2007 first-round picks.

Without its primary option for most of the skid, Philadelphia has lost 12 in a row and is entangled in the seventh-longest losing streak in franchise history and the longest slide since 1996-97, when they dropped 13 games in a row during Iverson's rookie campaign.

Kyle Korver and Andre Iguodala scored 20 points apiece and Samuel Dalembert chipped in 16 and 13 rebounds for the Sixers, who dropped a 101-93 decision vs. Indiana on Wednesday.