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Banged-up Celtics shoot for 13th straight win vs. Pacers

Dec 19, 2010 - 3:49 PM (Sports Network) - The red-hot Boston Celtics will attempt to win an NBA season-high 13th straight game this afternoon when they resume a three-game homestand versus the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden.

The C's improved to a gaudy 11-1 in Beantown on Thursday when Ray Allen and Glen Davis scored 18 points apiece to lead six Boston players in double figures, and the Celtics extended their winning streak to 12 with a 102-90 victory over Atlanta.

The 12-game run is tied the league's longest so far this season with San Antonio (Nov. 1-24), Dallas (Nov. 20-Dec. 11) and Miami, which beat Washington on Saturday for its 12th straight triumph.

Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Paul Pierce added 15 points and 10 assists in a well-rounded effort for a Boston team that was playing without stars Rajon Rondo and Shaquille O'Neal.

"I trust our guys. They just play well. They're executing well," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

Rondo, the Celtics' All-Star point guard, will miss "a couple of weeks" because of a sprained ankle, according to team president Danny Ainge. Meanwhile, O'Neal missed his fourth straight game with a right calf injury.

Of course Boston has also been without big men Jermaine O'Neal, who has been sidelined since early November with a balky left knee, and Kendrick Perkins, who has missed the entire season so far after tearing an ACL in the NBA Finals against the LA Lakers last June.

Shaq practiced Saturday and will be a game-time decision today as is fellow center Semih Erden, who tweaked his groin Thursday while making his fourth straight start in place of "The Big Shamrock."

The Pacers, meanwhile, stopped a three-game slide on Friday when Danny Granger poured in 30 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds to lead Indiana past Cleveland, 108-99, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Roy Hibbert, Mike Dunleavy and Brandon Rush each added 15 points for the Pacers, who have won all three meetings against the Cavs this season.

"Coach (Jim O'Brien) told us all about being more assertive and you must be assertive on defense and set up the offense," Granger said. "We got on a roll and were able to turn this around. We must stay focused and concentrate on each opponent one at a time."

Boston has won two straight and five of the past six meetings in the series.