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Celtics look for second straight win after franchise-record skid

Feb 20, 2007 - 2:10 PM Boston (13-38) at Sacramento (22-29) 10:00 pm EST

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- The Boston Celtics can breathe a sigh of relief before they start a West Coast trip against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.

The Celtics snapped a franchise-record 18-game losing streak in their last contest before the All-Star break with a 117-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Boston snapped the longest losing streak in team history with a 117-97 victory over Milwaukee. The Celtics were just five games shy of tying the NBA single-season record of 23 straight losses, set by Vancouver-Memphis franchise and Denver.

Cleveland dropped 24 in a row, bridging two seasons, including the final 19 games of the 1981-82 campaign and the opening five in 1982-83.

In just his third game back from injury, Paul Pierce scored 31 points and Slam Dunk champion Gerald Green added 21 off the bench.

However, continued success will be tough for Boston, which embarks on a road trip against Sacramento, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah and Houston.

The Kings had problems of their own in a 110-93 loss against New Orleans last Wednesday. Ron Artest, who had tied a career high with 39 points in a loss to Houston last Tuesday, scored 18 and reserve Corliss Williamson added 16 for Sacramento, which lost for the third straight time.

Kevin Martin had 15 points and Francisco Garcia added 12 off the bench for the Kings, who will start a four-game road trip after facing the Celtics.

Sacramento defeated Boston, 96-91, on January 19, sending the Celtics to their sixth loss in their franchise-worst skid.