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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- It's no surprise that Kevin Garnett and DeMarcus Cousins got under each other's skin a bit during the Kings' 120-95 throttling of the Celtics Friday night at Power Balance Pavilion. What's more noteworthy might have been the praise that Garnett heaped on Cousins following the game.

Cousins chipped in 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists over 25:30. He earned a technical foul for being a little too amped after a putback over Garnett and Paul Pierce, but was a pest for Garnett all night.

While Garnett is often limited in his praise of younger players, especially ones that tend to spar with him on the floor (say, Chicago's Joakim Noah), Garnett was highly complimentary of both Cousins and the Kings as a whole after Friday's loss.

"Man, you know, he’s crafty," Garnett said of Cousins. "He’s better. His antics and all that stuff, that come with him, it's just part of the game. He was aggressive, he got looks with being aggressive. The times when he had a chance to score, he took advantage of them.

"Collectively, I thought [the Kings] played well tonight. I probably watched their last four or five games [before Friday's visit] and they weren’t playing this together. When the first option broke down, they went individual. They weren’t rebounding like this. They’re not a defensive team, but they do and can put up points. Tonight they played more collectively together. They looked like a unit and played like a unit."

Garnett finished with 10 points and nine rebounds over 27:46, one of his quieter efforts recently since moving to the center position.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- During Friday’s morning shootaround, Celtics coach Doc Rivers asked his players to identify the leading scorer for the Sacramento Kings.

“Everybody kinda looked at each until Keyon [Dooling] said [Marcus] Thornton,” said Rivers. “He was the only one who knew right away. Because you don’t see this team, [DeMarcus] Cousins -- because he gets most of the press -- you would just assume it was him. But it wasn’t.”

And at that moment, Rivers kinda knew it was going to be a long night. He never gets those sort of blanks stares when he asks questions about the key personnel in Los Angeles or Miami or Chicago.

Thornton erupted for a season-high 36 points to fuel a Sacramento offense that shot 53.5 percent from the field overall and exploded for 41 third-quarter points en route to a 120-95 thrashing of the Celtics at Power Balance Pavilion.

As captain Paul Pierce sighed after the game, “It was just one of those good ol’ fashioned butt-whoopings.”

Yes, it was obvious early that the Celtics were lifeless and Rivers tried, as he dubbed it, “junking up the game," hoping to give his team any sort of a spark. He went small, he switched to zone, but none of the gimmicks worked. By midway through the fourth quarter, Rivers had pulled his starters with Sacramento out front by 20 and the tail end of a back-to-back looming Saturday in Denver. But not before Pierce had twisted his right ankle stepping on Thornton’s foot trying to set a fourth-quarter screen and soon limped off to the locker room.

Yes, it was just one of those nights.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce suffered a mild right ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Friday's loss to the Sacramento Kings, but said the injury was minor and hoped to play Saturday against the Denver Nuggets.

"It’s a little sore, I just twisted it at the end," said Pierce. "It should be fine, though. We'll see how it goes. It's sore, but hopefully it won't swell up on the plane."

Pierce said he stepped on the foot of Sacramento's Marcus Thornton while setting a fourth-quarter screen right before Boston's starters were about to be subbed out with the team down 20 with 6:24 to go. Pierce got examined by team trainer Ed Lacerte on the bench then departed for the locker room.

Pierce appeared to be moving well after talking to reporters before departing Power Balance Pavilion. Celtics coach Doc Rivers still expressed mild concern about the injury.

"I’m always concerned, but I don’t think it’s bad," said Rivers. "We don’t know. I was about to take him out anyway, so I just hope [Pierce going to the locker room is] more that than anything else."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Rapid reaction after the Sacramento Kings defeated the Boston Celtics 120-95 Friday night at Power Balance Pavilion:

HOW THE GAME WAS LOST
Marcus Thornton erupted for a game-high 36 points on 13-of-24 shooting with five steals, four assists and four rebounds over 45 minutes. Jason Thompson added 21 points and 15 rebounds, while DeMarcus Cousins chipped in 20 points and seven boards for the Kings. Ray Allen scored a team-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting (5-of-10 beyond the arc) for Boston, while Paul Pierce overcame some early shooting woes to chip in 19 points (but was a minus-24 overall for the game, illustrating just how much the C's starters struggled on this night).

TURNING POINT
The Celtics survived a somewhat ugly first half, giving up 30 points in the paint and 18 fastbreak points, but managed to trim as much as an 11-point deficit to a single point (52-51) at the intermission. But evidently the team didn't pack its defense when departing San Francisco. The Kings erupted for a ridiculous 41-point third quarter, scoring the first 14 points of the second half. The only thing that broke up the shutout was a technical foul on Cousins, who was a little too emphatic after outworking Kevin Garnett and Pierce for a putback. Boston switched to a 2-3 zone and trapped Cousins, temporarily stopping the bleeding, only for the Kings to start finding the seams to rip apart both the zone and the game. Jason Thompson scored eight consecutive points for the Kings at one point, hitting a pair of trifectas and a hook shot as the lead went from nine to 21 in a hurry.

BOLD PLAY OF THE GAME
Four Kings starters -- Cousins, Thompson, Thornton and Isaiah Thomas -- combined to connect on 14 of 20 shots (70 percent) and make all 10 free throws they attempted as part of the third-quarter eruption. Sacramento thrived in transition and couldn't be stopped going at the rim (either getting buckets or getting to the charity stripe).

ADDING INJURY TO INSULT
Pierce suffered a mild right ankle sprain and departed the game with 6:24 remaining (as all the starters did when Celtics coach Doc Rivers waived the white flag with his team down 20 and a back-to-back looming Saturday in Denver). Pierce removed his shoe on the bench and got some attention from team trainer Ed Lacerte before leaving for the locker room.

WHAT IT MEANS
Rivers implored his team not to relax now that the trade deadline has passed. And what did the Celtics do? They seemingly took their foot off the accelerator after a strong start to this road trip, not mustering any energy against a Sacramento team that going was coming off three straight losses (including a 26-point defeat to the Golden State team Boston had beaten two days earlier). The Celtics don't have much time to lick their wounds, traveling back one time zone in advance of a game with the Nuggets on Saturday night.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- With his son playing his first NCAA tournament game some 2,200 miles away, Celtics coach Doc Rivers was trying to balance pregame responsibilities (both those with the media and, you know, getting his team ready for a game against the Kings) while keeping an eye on the Duke-Lehigh game.

It would have been a whole lot easier to ignore the TV if second-seeded Duke (featuring his son, Austin) had been taking care of business, but 15th-seeded Lehigh hung around all night and pulled off the upset in Greensboro, N.C.

It's fair to say that Rivers' bracket is in disarray. On Thursday, he offered a big vote of confidence for Missouri (featuring Phil Pressey, son of Rivers' former Boston assistant Paul Pressey), only to watch 15th-seeded Norfolk State stun the second-seeded Tigers on Friday afternoon.

Reporters tried to help Rivers out by limiting questions to a mere 123 seconds before letting him sneak back to his office (Duke had a slim second-half lead at that point). Rivers probably wishes he stayed out in the hallway outside the locker room.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A handful of nuggets after the Celtics engaged in a shootaround Friday morning at Power Balance Pavilion, where they visit the Sacrament Kings this evening:

* Doc Rivers preached throughout this West Coast trip that he believed the team would still be intact on Friday. That didn't stop him from joking about the situation when the team gathered for shootaround. " I told them I was surprised to see them all," quipped Rivers.

* Given Boston's penchant for making deadline moves, did Rivers expect a trade? "I thought we were going to get [Lakers stars Pau] Gasol and [Andrew] Bynum and Kobe [Bryant]. But they turned down the second-round draft pick that we offered," he deadpanned. "No, I didn’t think so. I really didn’t. I didn’t think we were going to do much."

* Rivers had one other one-liner in him. While explaining how he communicated with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge during the deadline process, Rivers noted, "We didn’t talk a lot this year. That was the point I was making to guys. In years previous, we’ve had a ton of conversations. I could just feel that it was pretty quiet and we didn’t talk much. If we did, we talked about Marquette spanking BYU [in the NCAA tournament]."

* Rajon Rondo took a little jab at all the media coverage centered on him before the deadline, particularly those who opined on his demeanor while trying to explain why the Celtics might be interested in moving him. "I had fun with it," said Rondo. "Everybody was complaining about me, how my attitude is and stuff like that. I had fun listening to everybody’s opinion that doesn’t know me."

* While the future is a bit more clearer because the Celtics know their core will be intact, Kevin Garnett said the team wasn't looking too far ahead, especially knowing that an injury could be crippling to an already thin-on-depth squad. "You try to focus on what’s in front of you, try to focus on the priority, and the task at hand," he said. "I think we do a good job of that. I don’t really necessarily think about tomorrow. I hope that I wake up to see tomorrow, to be honest."

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the still-intact Boston Celtics (23-19, 7-11 away) roll into Power Balance Pavilion on Friday night (10 p.m., CSN) reach the midway point of a season-long eight-game road trip in visiting the Sacramento Kings (14-29, 10-9 home). To preview the matchup, we go 2-on-2 with CelticsHub's Brian Robb.

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1. What about the Sacramento Kings should worry the Celtics on Friday?

Robb: DeMarcus Cousins. We all saw how tough of a time Kevin Garnett and company had dealing with Andrew Bynum on Sunday. With Cousins, you have another young skilled center, that may not be at Bynum's level, but has more range and is certainly capable of putting up plenty of points and dominating the glass. With still no added depth to the frontline (yet) the C's will have to stay disciplined and out of foul trouble to keep Cousins under control.

Forsberg: Beyond Cousins, let's not sugarcoat it: Sacramento is not a very successful team. The Bulls, Heat, and Thunder have a combined 30 losses to this point; the Kings have 29 alone. Offensively, Sacramento ranks 26th in the league, averaging a mere 0.875 points per play, according to Synergy Sports data. The one area you gotta watch them is in transition, where the Kings rank seventh (1.16 ppp). Boston absolutely has to make Sacramento play a half-court game and that means limiting turnovers and getting back defensively. The Kings won't win a battle of jump shots. One other area to watch with Cousins in mind: The Kings generate a lot of second-chance opportunities with their activity on the offensive glass, meaning Boston absolutely must be diligent in limiting the hosts to one shot per trip (especially given their high pace of play).

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At this point, Nate Robinson serves as the ultimate test of patience for Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

Rivers watched as Robinson shot a mere 2 of 11 (0 of 7 on 3-pointers) in the Celtics' first two games of their just-concluded four-game Western Conference road swing, before seriously considering benching him Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers. In the end, he elected to give Robinson a go, and his patience was rewarded, as the reserve guard broke out of his self-admitted shooting slump and rattled off 11 key points on 4-of-7 shooting in Boston's 109-96 victory.

Given Robinson's positive turnaround, it only made sense for Rivers to stick with him Tuesday night in the finale of the road trip against the Sacramento Kings. Yet leave it to Robinson to compartmentalize the woes and wonders of an entire trip into a single game. In the first half of the Celtics' eventual 95-90 victory over the Kings, Robinson very much resembled the helter-skelter guard who came up mostly empty against the Portland Trailblazers and the Phoenix Suns in back-to-back games last week.

Post-halftime Robinson, though, was very much like the one that took the Staples Center floor in Los Angeles on Sunday -- full of energy, and, at times, a critical game-changer.

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Rapid reaction after the Boston Celtics defeated the Sacramento Kings 95-90 Tuesday night at ARCO Arena:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Ray Allen splashed 4-of-7 trifectas, trimming his chase of Reggie Miller's career 3-point record to nine, while also spurring the Celtics with a game-high 22 points. Allen finished 9-of-15 shooting from the field overall, adding six rebounds and two assists over 36:56. An attack-mode Rajon Rondo added 17 points, 10 assists, and four steals in a game in which Boston leaned heavy on its starters. DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans chipped in 20 points apiece for Sacramento.

TURNING POINT
The Celtics trailed by nine coming out of halftime, but leaned on their starting unit's defense while erasing that deficit in the third quarter. Boston limited Sacramento to a mere two field goals over the first 7:38 of the frame, embarking on a 17-7 run during that span and a pair of Kevin Garnett free throws with 4:52 remaining in the quarter put the Celtics out front, 62-61.

STAT OF THE GAME
Kendrick Perkins hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds over 24 minutes off the bench as the Celtics continued their recent trend of dominating the glass, finishing with a 43-36 edge over Sacramento.

UNSUNG HERO
Reserve guard Nate Robinson, equal parts frustrating and tantalizing, registered five steals, including three in the final frame as Boston's defense tightened up. Robinson took some ill-advised shots early on, but redeemed himself enough to play the entire fourth quarter and finish out the game as the team's primary ball-handler.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics wrapped up a fairly daunting four-game road trip at 3-1. Considering the challenging scheduling and some quality opponents (even the Kings were playing inspired ball), to come away with three wins is quite the feat. The Celtics now get two days off (they'll need it given the weather woes that will prevent them from flying home after Tuesday's tilt) before Dallas visits to kick off a grueling home slate in the month of February.

(36-11, 14-8 away)

-- vs. --

(12-33, 7-17 home)

at ARCO Arena, Sacramento, 10 p.m. | CSN, WEEI (850 AM)
GAME PREVIEW (via Stats Inc.)

With Sacramento playing without star guard Tyreke Evans (sprained ankle), the Kings didn't have much luck guarding Boston's shooters when it visited TD Garden on Jan. 12. The Celtics shot 52.1 percent overall -- hitting a season-high 12 of 20 3-pointers -- in a 119-95 rout, their seventh consecutive win in the series.

Nate Robinson and Ray Allen hit four 3s apiece in that win. When Allen has hit three or more from beyond the arc -- as he did in scoring 21 against the Lakers on Sunday -- Boston is 19-1.

The Kings, however, seem to be making some defensive adjustments that weren't there when they saw the Celtics three weeks ago. They've allowed an average of 96.9 points in going 4-5 in their last nine games, 6.3 points fewer than they allowed in their first 36 games.

That improved defense has paid off as Sacramento has won consecutive games for the first time since Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The Kings held the Lakers to 41.3 percent shooting in a 100-95 road win Friday, then limited New Orleans to 43.2 percent in a 102-96 home victory Saturday.

"We've shown great strides in both focus and poise," coach Paul Westphal said. "We had some hard knocks early in the season, helping us deal with the bumps in the road."

If Sacramento plans on knocking off a third straight stellar opponent, it'll likely need DeMarcus Cousins to keep producing. The rookie center had 27 points against the Lakers, then had 25 points, 12 boards and a season-high seven assists versus the Hornets.

"[Cousins] is intelligent, he learns," Westphal said. "He's learning what works and what doesn't. He's changed some habits offensively."

The Kings will have Evans back to deal with Rajon Rondo in this meeting, but Cousins might have to do some extra work in the paint. Power forward Jason Thompson left Saturday's win with a sprained ankle and was in a walking boot after the game, leaving his status for Tuesday in doubt.

Read the full preview HERE.

FORSBERG'S THREE THINGS TO WATCH

• Groundhog Day: It'll be Feb. 2 on the East Coast by the time the Celtics and Kings wrap up and Boston would be well served to avoid an all-too-familiar letdown against a sub-.500 team. Fortunately for the visitors, they had a day off following Sunday's emotional triumph over the Lakers and, with another two-day break looming after Tuesday's game, there's no real excuse for not bringing high energy. Need more motivation? Rapping up this four-game road trip at 3-1 simply sounds better than 2-2, and a daunting February home slate awaits.
• Bow to the Kings: With back-to-back wins over the Hornets and Lakers, the Kings enter with a little momentum of their own that ought to have the Celtics' antennae up. Here's one thing the Celtics need to exploit: Even in those wins, the Kings remain dreadful in the mid-range game and are shooting a mere 36.3 percent there this season (second worst in the NBA, ahead of only the Clippers). Boston thrives on forcing teams to settle for those 16- to 23-foot jumpers.
• Which Rondo appears?: Will the Celtics get the Rajon Rondo that struggled through the first 10 quarters of this road trip, or the Rondo that produced 15 assists and spearheaded the Boston offense in the second half of Sunday's win over L.A.? The Kings actually rank in the top 10 in the NBA in opponent's assist rate (a measure of possessions that end in an assist) and one of their keys will surely be limiting the damage that Rondo does as a distributor.

BOSTON -- Everything you need to know after the Boston Celtics defeated the Sacramento Kings 119-95 Wednesday night at TD Garden:


Rapid Reaction | Game Recap | Box Score

--FORSBERG: ERDEN'S PLAY JUST WHAT DOC ORDERED--

Steve Babineau/NBAE/GettySemih Erden showed a surge in energy and matched his career high with 10 points.

Semih Erden was toast, the thought of chasing his defender off one more pick-and-roll simply too daunting, so he hedged the ball-handler a little more emphatically than necessary, picking up his sixth foul and ending his night 60 seconds before the Boston Celtics sealed a 119-95 triumph over the Sacramento Kings. Erden, who had played a mere 11 minutes, 47 seconds since Christmas, logging eight DNP's during that span, posted a whopping 33:29 on Wednesday, filling a frontcourt void as center Jermaine O'Neal sat out with swelling in his troublesome left knee. What's more, Erden matched one career high with 10 points and established another with eight rebounds. "He ran out of gas, there's no doubt about that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said with a smile.

--POSTGAME NOTES: DOC JOINS AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB--

Celtics coach Doc Rivers joined an exclusive club last month when he notched his 300th win with the team, becoming only the fourth head coach in Boston's storied history to reach that plateau. With Wednesday's win over Sacramento, Rivers leapfrogged K.C. Jones with his 309th victory in his seventh season on the Boston bench. Rivers now sits behind only Red Auerbach (795) and Tommy Heinsohn (427 wins), but struggled to put what that means to him into words.

--PREGAME NOTES: KG REMAINS OUT; J.O'NEAL JOINS HIM--

Celtics forward Kevin Garnett will miss his eighth consecutive game Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings and Boston's frontcourt will be further thinned as reserve center Jermaine O'Neal will not play because of soreness that has returned in his left knee. Rivers indicated that Garnett could also be held out of Friday's visit from the Charlotte Bobcats with an eye toward getting him three extra days of rest before the Orlando Magic come to town Monday.

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BOSTON -- A collection of news and notes after the Boston Celtics defeated the Sacramento Kings 119-95 Wednesday night at TD Garden:



Celtics coach Doc Rivers joined an exclusive club last month when he notched his 300th win with the team, becoming only the fourth head coach in Boston's storied history to reach that plateau.

With Wednesday's win over Sacramento, Rivers leapfrogged K.C. Jones with his 309th victory in his seventh season on the Boston bench. Rivers now sits behind only Red Auerbach (795) and Tommy Heinsohn (427 wins), but struggled to put what that means to him into words.

"I don’t know what that means, honestly," Rivers said. "It’s awesome, I guess. I just don’t know what that means yet, because I’m not thinking about it much, I’m not done. But it’s nice. And, listen, it’s [Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny Ainge at the end of the day. I’m fully aware of that. We were bad for two years and he stuck with me and believed in me. So, at the end of the day, it’s Danny Ainge more than me.”

Rivers' players, and Ainge himself, might argue otherwise. Sure, Rivers got an influx of talent when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were brought in to form the new Big Three in 2007, but since that date, Rivers has had to not only coach, but manage an array of personalities and egos.

Maybe never more so than with this 2010-11 squad. But the Celtics just keep winning, earning a world title during the 2007-08 season and making deep playoff runs each of the past two seasons. Rivers thought about walking away from the Boston bench this summer, but returned on a one-year deal for a chance to join Jones and Heinsohn as Boston coaches with two world titles on their resume. Auerbach, of course, is another stratosphere.

In an NBA where you're only as good as your last season, job security can be fleeting. Rivers is one of only four active coaches to win 300 games with his current squad. The others? Utah's Jerry Sloan (1,114), San Antonio's Gregg Popovich (756) and Los Angeles Lakers' Phil Jackson (570). Denver's George Karl (298) will soon join the list as well.

Asked if he was gunning for the top spot on Boston's all-time win list, Rivers, who is 486 wins behind Auerbach, laughed at the light-hearted question.

"No, that ain't going to happen," he said. "I can guarantee you that."

--PIERCE'S EARLY EXPLOITS IGNITE TEAM EFFORT--

The Celtics put eight players in double figures and all 14 players that touched the floor scored Wednesday. But the win might not have been quite so breezy if not for captain Paul Pierce's desire to get to the rim in the first quarter.

Pierce erupted for 15 first-quarter points, most obtained by attacking the basket, and added four rebounds and two assists over the first 12 minutes. He connected on 6-of-8 shots, including a pair of trifectas, during an outburst that helped Boston build a six-point first-quarter cushion that only grew from there.

Pierce finished with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting with 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists over 26:30.

"Paul was more aggressive," Rivers said. "I thought last game Paul -– the whole team, really -- we were not a hard-cutting team; we didn’t do anything hard. It’s amazing, [Tuesday] in practice, after showing them the film, we practiced hard. The cuts were hard and you could see it. [The coaching staff was] just hoping there would be a carryover to today and there was."

As he has done often in the face of injuries to others, Pierce stepped up his game and set the tone. His teammates soon followed his lead.

"It’s huge," said Rivers. "Paul knew last game that none of us, as a group, came with the right mental approach. That’s what leaders have to do, and that’s what he did."

--MISSING A VOICE WITH GARNETT SIDELINED--

What does Rivers miss most about Garnett when he's not on the floor? His ability to quarterback the defense.

"You can get somebody to provide energy -- Luke [Harangody] plays with a lot of energy. What we miss is his voice. Kevin is the best talker on defense in the NBA, maybe in the history of the NBA. It doesn't matter what you do. Watching our transition defense the last two games, and how awful we were, it's clear what was missing -- that guy running down the middle of the floor pointing at everyone to 'Get over there,' or 'Go over there.' We just don't have a guy like that and you can't replace that."

Rivers said Garnett might miss Friday's game against the Bobcats, allowing him three extra days to rest before a potential return for Monday night's blockbuster against the Orlando Magic. Click HERE to read more on Garnett's absence (as well as Rivers' concern about Jermaine O'Neal's injury setback).

--LOOSE BALLS: REF TAKES A TUMBLE; LUKE TAKES A CHARGE; GINO TIME--

* Referee Bob Delaney needed brief on-court attention from Celtics trainer Ed Lacerte when he landed hard on his backside after getting snagged between two players after Semih Erden and Jason Thompson whiffed on a second-quarter jump ball.

"I thought he got hurt pretty bad," Rivers admitted. "He's tougher than I thought. He's a tough cop, but I didn’t know he could hang in like that. I'm very proud of Bob Delaney."

Delaney, working his fourth Celtics game of the season, simply needed a minute on the ground and remained in the game. He previously drew the ire of Shaquille O'Neal for what the 38-year-old center considered questionable calls while fouling out quickly against the Magic on Christmas Day.

Shaq drew a $35,000 fine for his postgame outburst.

* Harangody drew his first career charge, absorbing a shoulder from Sacramento's Carl Landry early in the fourth quarter ... Glen Davis picked up his 33rd charge of the year in the second quarter, giving up his body against Thompson. It was Davis' 39th offensive foul drawn of the season. The Celtics have drawn 55 charges as a team.

* Gino, the JumboTron dancer who gyrates through the final moments of lopsided wins, made only his fourth appearance of the season, showing off his American Bandstand boogie with 1:57 remaining and the Celtics out front by 22.

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the Boston Celtics defeated the Sacramento Kings 119-95 Wednesday night at TD Garden:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Paul Pierce scored 15 first-quarter points to light the fuse on a night eight Celtics ended up in double figures in one of the season's breeziest wins. Pierce finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting over 27 minutes, doing much of his damage while attacking the rim. Nate Robinson chipped in 16 points off the bench, while Marquis Daniels added 12 more for a bench mob that combined for 56 points with extended floor time.

TURNING POINT
The Celtics boasted a six-point lead before Rajon Rondo went end-to-end for a driving layup just before the end of the half. Boston then came out of the intermission looking to put the game away and connected on 10 of its first 12 shots (one of those misses turned into a putback) as the lead ballooned to 22 after back-to-back layups by Pierce seven minutes into the third frame.

STAT OF THE GAME
Boston rank 29th in the league in 3-pointers attempted (only the Memphis Grizzlies take fewer), but the Celtics connected on 12 of 20 attempts (60 percent) Wednesday with Robinson and Allen splashing four apiece.

UNSUNG HERO
After playing a mere 12 minutes total since Christmas, Semih Erden stepped into an elevated role in the absence of Jermaine O'Neal (left knee soreness) and made the most of his time. Erden scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds before fouling out after 33 minutes of court time.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics snap a two-game losing streak by making this one a laugher. Gino, the JumboTron dancer in lopsided wins, appeared with 1:57 to play and Boston up 22. All 14 players that entered the game scored. It's a feel-good win that could get this six-game homestand back on track after a hiccup to start against the Rockets.

BOSTON -- Celtics forward Kevin Garnett will miss his eighth consecutive game Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings and Boston's frontcourt will be further thinned as reserve center Jermaine O'Neal will not play because of soreness that has returned in his left knee.

Rivers indicated that Garnett could also be held out of Friday's visit from the Charlotte Bobcats with an eye toward getting him three extra days of rest before the Orlando Magic come to town Monday.

"My conversation with [team trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] was, ‘Is he ready to go?’ And he said: ‘Well, if it was a playoff game then yes, but I think we should hold him out for a couple more days," Rivers said. As for Friday's game, Rivers added, "It will really depend on what we do [Thursday]. My guess is no, because after that we have two days off, and my thinking right now is, unless he comes out and practices the whole practice and looks great, it’s probably off Friday. Then what do we play Monday? I can’t guarantee that, but that’s my thinking."

Rivers reiterated that Garnett is probably getting a little antsy to play, but the team is exercising its typical caution, while stressing to him not to be discouraged.

"He’s so emotional, we just want to make sure he doesn't get down about stuff," Rivers said. "That’s where I'm always concerned with him -- him starting that, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ stuff. You don’t want him to go there. It’s not a bad injury. He doesn’t like missing games. I think his goal was to play all 82. The fact that that’s not going to happen [makes him angry]. That's just who he is and that's a good thing in the long run."

While Rivers remains unconcerned about any sort of larger issue with Garnett, the same can't be said for O'Neal. Rivers learned that O'Neal's left knee, which has already sidelined him for 20 games this season, swelled up this morning. He found out O'Neal wouldn't be able to play about 75 minutes before tip-off.

"I’m concerned," said Rivers. "Listen, he’s gone two weeks now and a practice, and his knee swelled up. First off, it has to be extremely frustrating for him. He worked his butt off to get back and he’s playing well. Secondly, we all have common sense and that’s the concern: Why is this happening? We have to figure that out."

Rivers then lightened the mood by adding, "Well, not me, obviously, but someone else."

O'Neal sat out the second half of a win over the Raptors on Friday, but said it was merely precautionary in a lopsided game with a back-to-back looming the next night in Chicago. O'Neal did admit to soreness that night and clearly that pain has increased.

Expect rookies Luke Harangody and Semih Erden to get an uptick in minutes again with the frontcourt ailing. Rivers stressed that he'd like to see more energy from Erden. Harangody has gotten most of the available minutes lately thanks to his energetic play.

(28-9, 16-3 home)

-- vs. --

(8-27, 2-12 away)

at TD Garden, 7:30 p.m. | CSN, WEEI (850 AM)
GAME PREVIEW (via Stats Inc.)

Despite their defensive struggles recently, the Boston Celtics aren't going to rush Kevin Garnett back from a calf injury even as they try to avoid losing a season-high third straight game.

They may not need him right away.

Garnett is expected to sit out again Wednesday night when the Celtics go for their seventh straight victory over the Sacramento Kings, losers of 11 straight on the road.

Boston (28-9) is coming off a pair of lackluster efforts at Chicago and against Houston. After shooting 37.8 percent in a 90-79 loss to the Bulls on Saturday, the Celtics returned home and fell 108-102 to the Rockets on Monday, allowing them to shoot 52.7 percent.

It was the highest shooting percentage by a team visiting TD Garden since Memphis shot 55.0 percent in a 111-91 victory on March 10.

Before the losses, Boston had won four straight.

"These games mean a lot," said Paul Pierce, who scored 16 against the Rockets. "We have to put our hard hats on and take advantage of it. It has to come from everybody. They have to look at themselves and ask themselves, 'Are we giving enough as a team?'"

Garnett has missed the last seven games with a calf injury, but the Celtics are 4-3 without him.

Coach Doc Rivers told the team's official website that Garnett, who is averaging 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds, is unlikely to return Wednesday.

"He's close, very close, but you know how I am with that," Rivers said. "I think he wants to play, I'll put it that way. I just don't think he should play yet."

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FORSBERG'S THREE THINGS TO WATCH

• Avoid the trap (again): The Kings have lost 11 in a row on the road and may be without Tyreke Evans, which is a recipe for success when visiting Boston (just ask the Houston Rockets, which arrived Monday with a five-game losing streak and played without Kevin Martin and still won, or the Oklahoma City Thunder, which won despite not having Kevin Durant or Jeff Green earlier this season.) The Celtics already started this six-game homestand off on the wrong foot and need to protect their home turf.
• Avoid weaknesses: Two of the (few) things the Kings rank high on in the league is rebounding and forcing turnovers, which just happens to be two of Boston's most glaring weaknesses. A Celtics team likely without Kevin Garnett for an eighth straight game, needs to put a renewed focus on the glass and value the ball throughout the night.
• Fireworks in the snow: The Kings have allowed opponents to average 116 points on 52.5 percent shooting over the last four games. That could be mean a big night for a Boston offense that has lived above the 50-percent mark this season and is the best shooting team in the league.