Celtics, Pacers Put Winning Streaks On The Line

The Boston Celtics aim for their fourth straight win this evening, when they pay a visit to the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Boston will try to work on its 17-5 road record tonight after handing the San Antonio Spurs a 98-90 loss at TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday. Paul Pierce poured in 35 points to lead the way and Ray Allen added 19 points for the Celtics, who are a perfect 16-0 against the Western Conference this season.

Rajon Rondo chipped in five points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists in a winning effort. Boston continued to play without star center Kevin Garnett, who is still sidelined with an abdominal injury. Garnett has missed seven games in a row and the team is 5-2 without him in the lineup. The former MVP of the league is out indefinitely.

After the Atlantic Division-leading Celtics visit the Pacers, they will return home to host New York before embarking on a five-game swing out west against Denver, Golden State, Phoenix, Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Indiana, meanwhile, has posted back-to-back wins since a seven-game losing streak, and recorded a 101-93 victory over the Trail Blazers on Saturday in the opener of a brief two-game homestand.

Danny Granger scored 29 points and Travis Diener added 15 points and nine assists for the Pacers, who beat Portland for the ninth straight time. Troy Murphy tallied 13 points and eight rebounds, while Mike Dunleavy ended with 11 points in a winning cause.

The win ended a five-game slide at home for the Pacers, who are 10-14 as the host in 2007-08. On the injury front for Indiana, Dunleavy (knee) is listed as questionable for Tuesday's game against Boston.

Tuesday's game between Boston and Indiana is the second of three matchups this season. Boston, which posted a 101-86 win on November 13 at Conseco Fieldhouse, has won six of the last 10 meetings with the Pacers.

Despite the latest win in Indiana, the Celtics have lost 17 of 22 and 29 of its last 35 contests as the visitor in this series.

 

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