Bulls run out of steam in 116-93 loss to Celtics

Posted March 06, 2008 10:00 pm

Associated Press

BOSTON _ Paul Pierce scored 22 points and Kevin Garnett added 16 and eight rebounds before the Celtics starters sat out the fourth quarter on Friday night in a 116-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls, Boston's seventh consecutive win.

Kendrick Perkins had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which started the fourth quarter with a garbage-time lineup of Brian Scalabrine, P.J. Brown, Eddie House, James Posey and Tony Allen. Newly signed backup point guard Sam Cassell did not dress for the game, or he would surely have been on the court, too.

Boston, which won its 10th consecutive home game, led by 12 after one and 20 after two. It was 88-68 late in the third when the subs opened a 26-point advantage.

But Chicago took advantage of sloppy passing to score seven straight points, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers put point guard Rajon Rondo back in. Brown, who was making his 2007-08 debut, got a breather after he grabbed six rebounds in 6 minutes.

Even against the second and third string, though, Chicago never threatened.

Ben Gordon scored 20, and Joakim Noah had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, who missed a chance to move into a tie with New Jersey for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Starting forward Drew Gooden had three points in 15 minutes before he was ejected late in the first half for drawing two technicals complaining about a foul.

Brown, who was signed off the street last week, checked in with 1:24 left in the third quarter for his Celtics debut, wearing No. 93. He received a standing ovation, and another big cheer from the crowd when he converted a three-point play with 9:23 left.

Interim Chicago coach Jim Boylan was called for a technical early in the third quarter, after the Bulls fell behind 74-49. And Larry Hughes was called for a T with 1:13 left in the third quarter.

Notes:@ Garnett moved seven points short of 20,000 for his career. He would be 32nd player in NBA history to reach the milestone. ... Rivers, a Chicagoan, predicted that the Bulls would make the playoffs. "They could be our first-round opponent," he said before the game. "You can't take any of these teams lightly." ... Scalabrine shaved his head for a charity, St. Baldrick's Foundation, that raises money for childhood cancer research. ... Both Rivers and Boylan went to Marquette. ... Glen "Big Baby" Davis took out several seats at the scorer's table pursuing a loose ball in the final minutes.

Summary

Date:03/07/2008 10:51 PM

Slug:BC-BKN--Bulls-Celtics,1st Ld-Writethru

Headline:Pierce scores 22 points to lead Celtics to seventh straight win

Byline:By JIMMY GOLEN

Byline Title:AP Sports Writer

Priority:u (3)

With Photo:

Dateline:BOSTON

Lead

Editors' Note:Eds: Celtics 116, Bulls 93; ADDS details.

Word Count:433

File Name (Transref):i0622 BXG104 BXG106

Editorial Type:Lead

AP Category:s

Format:bx

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.