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Celtics dominate Bobcats for 10th straight victory

Dec 12, 2010 - 5:50 AM Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Glen Davis came off the bench to score 16 points and help the Boston Celtics to their 10th consecutive win, a 93-62 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Kevin Garnett provided 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who earned the victory in considerably easier fashion than Thursday's 102-101 decision in Philadelphia. Boston took that win only after Garnett tipped in a layup with 1.4 seconds to play.

But Saturday's game was a totally different story. The Celtics held Charlotte to a season-low point total on 33.8 percent shooting, and also recorded their fifth consecutive win over the Bobcats.

Nazr Mohammed scored 14 points to pace Charlotte.

"We're playing against a quality team that's on a mission," said Bobcats head coach Larry Brown. "If you're going to play soft and don't execute and don't play hard, you're going to get embarrassed, and we got embarrassed."

A big factor in the game was Boston's ability to get to the foul line and sink shots. The Celtics made 23-of-28 free throws, compared to just 13-of-23 for the Bobcats.

Boston managed a 20-16 lead after the first quarter, but wasn't able to take control until late in the half.

With under six minutes remaining, Paul Pierce sank a jumper to start a 7-1 Celtics burst. Garnett's basket with 4:14 left ended it, giving Boston a 33-24 advantage.

The Bobcats battled to get within five later in the half, but Boston scored the final five points and carried a 42-32 lead to the break.

The substantiality of a 10-point lead is relative, but on a night when Charlotte averaged 15 1/2 points per quarter and faced a stern Boston defense, it was an enormous advantage.

Early in the third quarter, Ray Allen sank a turnaround jumper before hitting a three-pointer. The shots started a nine-point run that Garnett capped with a 20-footer midway through the period. It had Boston ahead by a 53-37 margin and made the prospects of a Bobcats comeback very slim.

"Second half I thought we blew the game open with just our defense," Garnett said. "I thought it led to some easy baskets and some flow."

The Celtics held a 64-47 advantage moving to the fourth quarter and outscored Charlotte by 14 in the final 12 minutes.

Game Notes

Allen finished with 16 points for Boston...The Bobcats have dropped seven of their last 10 games overall...The Celtics have won five consecutive road games and improved to 9-3 away from home...Boston took a 92-59 victory over Charlotte on October 28, 2009...Boston center Shaquille O'Neal did not play because of a sore right calf. Semih Erden started in his place and contributed 10 points and seven boards in 40-plus minutes.