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Celtics and Nets clash at The Rock

Dec 5, 2010 - 3:48 PM (Sports Network) - The red-hot Boston Celtics shoot for their season-high seventh consecutive win this afternoon when they visit the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center.

The C's have dominated the Nets recently, winning 13 of 14 in the series, including a 89-83 triumph in Beantown back on Nov. 24. Boston was without star point guard Rajon Rondo in that one but veteran big man Shaquille O'Neal responded with a season-high 25 points to help the Celtics triumph.

Most recently for Boston, Kevin Garnett scored 20 points and pulled down 17 rebounds on Friday, as the Celtics led by as many as 18 in a dominating 104-92 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

"He's playing at a high level ... especially when the young disrespectful cats come out, he steps his game up," O'Neal told the Celtics' website when discussing Garnett.

Paul Pierce added 18 points against Chicago while Rondo, who leads the NBA with 14.1 assists per game, had 12 and 19 helpers for the Celtics, who moved to an impressive 9-1 this season at TD Garden.

A win tonight would give Boston its longest winning streak since an 11-game run from Nov. 22-Dec. 14 of last year.

The Nets, meanwhile, dropped their third straight on Friday when Stephen Jackson returned from a one-game suspension and posted 25 points, six assists and five rebounds, and the Bobcats outlasted the Nets in overtime, 91-84, at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Charlotte used solid defense to make up for its own shooting woes, holding New Jersey to 31.9 percent from the field -- including a 2-for-12 effort in the extra session.

Travis Outlaw and Anthony Morrow netted 21 and 19 points, respectively, for New Jersey, which was coming off a three-overtime loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday and playing without their own star point guard Devin Harris.

"In overtime we didn't run our offense properly and it affected our defense," Nets head coach Avery Johnson said.

Harris has missed the Nets past two games with a sprained knee and although Jordan Farmar has done yeoman work in his absence, averaging 22.0 points and 9.5 assists, New Jersey traditionally struggles without its quarterback, compiling a miserable 5-28 mark without Harris since the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign.

Harris is expected back in the lineup this afternoon.

Boston has won its last nine games in New Jersey and is 6-3 on the road so far this season.