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Celtics look to run their streak to 12 vs. Pacers

Dec 7, 2008 - 7:36 AM Boston (19-2) at Indiana (7-12) 6:00 p.m. EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- The Boston Celtics are the best defensive team in the NBA, while the Indiana Pacers have suddenly forgotten how to score.

The Celtics will look to keep the Pacers' offense down and post their 12th consecutive win on Sunday.

Boston won its 11th straight on Friday, 93-78 over the Portland Trail Blazers, giving the franchise its longest winning streak since a 14-game spurt in 1986. The Celtics - just like last season - are doing it with defense, allowing an NBA-best 89.7 points per game.

Rajon Rondo has been a key to Boston's play lately as well, threatening to make the "Big Three" of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett into a "Big Four." The third-year point guard has scored 16 points in each of the last three games while averaging 12 assists.

Rondo's best game of the season came against Indiana on Wednesday, when he notched his first-career triple-double with 16 points, 17 assists and 13 rebounds in a 114-96 win in Boston.

Ray Allen added 31 points in the trashing, which came as revenge for one of Boston's two losses this season, here on November 1. The Pacers topped the defending champs, 95-79, in that one while forcing 24 turnovers.

Indiana is in the midst of a brutal stretch. The Pacers beat the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Tuesday before falling to the Celtics on Wednesday and turning in their worst offensive performance of the year at Cleveland on Friday.

Having never scored less than 91 points this season coming into Friday's game, Indiana was held to 40 percent shooting in a 97-73 loss to the Cavaliers. The night was especially frustrating for leading scorer Danny Granger, who finished with a season-low four points on 2-of-7 shooting.

Granger scored 20 points in both previous matchups against Boston.