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Celtics finish road trip in Sacramento

Feb 1, 2011 - 3:43 PM (Sports Network) - Coming off one of their more impressive wins of the 2010-11 season, the Boston Celtics will close out a four-game western road trip tonight against the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena.

The Celtics handed the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers a 109-96 setback on Sunday in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals at Staples Center. The Lakers defeated Boston in an epic seven-game series last season to win their 16th NBA crown, but couldn't handle the C's this time around.

Paul Pierce finished with a team-high 32 points and Ray Allen added 21 for Boston, which is 2-1 on the trip and 14-8 away from Beantown this season.

"It was definitely an emotional game," Pierce said. "The guys were really up for this one. We were able to keep our tempo in the second half and Rondo was able to keep them off balance. When we play together, we are a tough team to beat."

Kevin Garnett had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Rajon Rondo ended with 10 points and 16 assists in a winning cause. The Celtics were able to bounce back from a tough loss in Phoenix. Allen is 12 three-pointers away from tying Reggie Miller (2,560) for the all-time lead.

Sacramento has won two straight and three of four games, and opened a six-game homestand with Saturday's 102-96 victory over the New Orleans Hornets, who had won a season-best 10 straight contests.

Rookie DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, while reigning Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans posted 18 points for the Kings, who were coming off a big win over the Lakers at Staples Center. Samuel Dalembert and Beno Udrih had 16 and 14 points, respectively, in a winning cause.

"It was a pretty satisfying night for us," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "It felt like real progress for our team."

The Kings will also host the Spurs, Jazz, Mavericks and Thunder, and are 7-17 in California's capital this season. They shot 50 percent or better from the field for the second straight game and outrebounded New Orleans, 39-35. Cousins has scored in double figures in four of the last five games.

Sacramento has dropped seven in a row to Boston and sustained a 119-95 loss to the Celtics back east on Jan. 12 this season. Pierce scored 25 points to lead the victors, while Carl Landry posted 17 points off the bench for the Kings.

Boston is unbeaten in its last three visits to Arco Arena.