Celtics rout Kings for 9th straight win

It wasn’t that long ago that the Boston Celtics were in full panic mode.  Their 19 game win streak had ended, and the team immediately started slumping badly losing 7 of their next 9 games.  During this time questions started to emerge about the team’s depth—particularly in the backcourt, which prompted talk of trying to acquire New York Knicks’ pariah Stephon Marbury to give the team some depth.  During that time, Kevin Garnett was a voice of reason suggesting that it was only a matter time before the Celtics regained their footing and resumed stomping the rest of the NBA.

From the looks of things, Garnett knew what he was talking about—on Wednesday night the Celtics put the hapless Sacramento Kings out of their misery by halftime en route to a 119-100 win that showcased the team’s depth.  The victory was the Celtics 9th straight win, and as the current win streak grows the panicked talk of late December/early January becomes an ever more distant memory.

Reserve guard Eddie House led all scorers with 28 points on 8-9 shooting from three point range.  Rajon Rondo added 24 points and 9 assists with Glen Davis and Kevin Garnett posting 14 apiece.  The lopsided victory allowed Boston to rest their starters, with Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen playing less than 30 minutes.  It also allowed the Celtics to give valuable minutes to their bench, which responded with three reserves scoring in double figures.

Sacramento was led by 22 from John Salmons and 21 from Jason Thompson, with Kevin Martin chipping in for 18 points.  Behind the long distance heroics of House, the Celtics’ bench outscored their Sacramento counterparts by a lopsided 61-24 margin.  After the game, the Celtics’ superstars used their media time to advocate for House’s inclusion in the upcoming All Star weekend three point shooting contest.  Garnett served as spokesman for the group:

"He needs to be in the 3-point contest. That's what this press conference is about:  Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are here to say that we think Eddie House needs to be in the 3-point contest."

Kings’ coach Kenny Natt was more exasperated than enthusiastic, but also raved about House’s 3 point shooting effort:

"I wish I could have thrown a net out there and held him on one end of the floor. Give the guy credit: He is a great shooter and his teammates looked for him and he moved well without the basketball."

The Kings’ dropped their seventh straight game, and their record dipped to 10-37.  They’ll host the Chicago Bulls at Sacramento’s Arco Arena on Friday night, with the Oklahoma City Thunder coming to town on Saturday.  They’ll then head out on the road with a game scheduled in Phoenix on Monday night. 

Boston will head to the Motor City for a game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, return home for a Sunday afternoon contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves and then take a short trip south to Philadelphia for a matchup against the 76ers on Tuesday night.