RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
BOSTON (AP) -- For the first time all season, neither Antoine
Walker nor Paul Pierce led the Boston Celtics in scoring.
And that's probably why they won.
"It's a given that Antoine and Paul are going to give it to us
each night offensively. I'm a role player," guard Bryant Stith
said after scoring 29 points as the Celtics beat Washington 116-109
on Wednesday night to snap their four-game losing streak.
"They don't need my offensive contribution every night. What
they need for me is to go out and play defense on their top scorer.
Anything I give them on offense is a plus."
Walker had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Pierce had 20 points
and 10 boards. It was the first time three Celtics have scored at
least 20 points since March 1.
"They're our scorers, and they're going to score every night
regardless," guard Chris Herren said of Walker and Pierce, who are among the top 15 in the NBA in scoring. "We need someone to step up every night to make their jobs easier."
Mitch Richmond scored 28, Rod Strickland added 26 and Juwan
Howard had 25 for Washington, which hasn't won since Election Day.
Herren, a Fall River native playing his first game in the
FleetCenter for the Celtics, had 13 points, including a 3-pointer
to give Boston a seven-point lead with 4:23 left. The Wizards never
threatened again.
"Herren hit a big 3 and Stith was active on both ends," Howard
said. "When you've got to defend Walker and Pierce, you don't
concentrate on those other guys as much."
Boston took a 15-point lead after one quarter before Washington
rallied to tie it at 81 with 3:04 left in the third. The Celtics
answered with a 15-1 run to take another 15-point lead at 99-84
with 9:21 left in the game.
"I'm more concerned with what happened in the first part of the
game, when we got down 15 and had to fight back," Wizards coach
Leonard Hamilton said. "Any time you come back, it takes a lot out
of you. You just can't afford to dig those holes."
Washington mounted an 18-7 run, capped with 3-pointer's by Richard Hamilton and Richmond that made it 106-102 with 4:36 left. But Herren hit his 3, then Jahidi White missed two free throws with
a chance to cut Boston's lead to five points with 1:19 left.
White who had 12 rebounds but only two points on the night.
Game notes
Three of Boston's four losses were by two points. ...
Starting with Wednesday's game, Boston plays six of its next seven
at home. ... The Wizards are 2-4 on the road and 0-3 at home. ...
Some Boston fans waved Dominican flags in honor of Washington's
Felipe Lopez. The group was much smaller than the one that cheers
for Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez at Fenway Park. ... There was a
brief and inconsequential shoving match in the fourth quarter when
White and Vitaly Potapenko were called for technical fouls. ... The
Celtics took a 15-point lead after one quarter when Walker hit a
3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left to make it 37-22. The Wizards cut
it to nine points, 65-56, at the half.
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NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 116
Washington 109
Philadelphia 107
Cleveland 98
Indiana 92
Detroit 88
Milwaukee 84
Atlanta 74
Minnesota 92
Golden State 90
New Jersey 93
Miami 91
Phoenix 99
Dallas 78
LA Clippers 78
New York 74
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