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Wednesday, Apr. 19 7:00pm ET
Celtics' down season ends on up note | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Celtics ended their seventh straight losing season on a high note Wednesday night with a 112-85 win over the New York Knicks, who are headed toward their 13th consecutive playoff appearance. The Knicks, who are seeded third in the Eastern Conference and will face Toronto in the opening round, rested key players yet still led 56-55 at halftime. But they managed just 11 points in the third quarter, allowing the Celtics to take an 84-67 lead into the fourth. The Celtics (35-47) were led by Paul Pierce with 19 points, Kenny Anderson with 18 and Tony Battie with 17. They ended their season with five wins in their last six games after a 10-game losing streak ruined their playoff chances. The Knicks got 17 points from John Wallace and 15 from Patrick Ewing. Their starting backcourt took much of the night off as Allan Houston had 11 points in 28 minutes and Charlie Ward was scoreless, playing only the first 11 minutes. New York scored the first five points of the final period, cutting the lead to 84-72, but the closest the Knicks got after that was 94-82 with 5:20 remaining. The Knicks did score the first basket of the third quarter, a 16-footer by Latrell Sprewell that gave them a 58-55 lead. But they never led after Vitaly Potapenko hit a 3-pointer and two free throws for a 60-58 edge with 9:51 left in the period. Game notesThe Knicks lost their fourth straight road game. But they're 22-5 in their last 27 games against the Celtics at home and on the road. ... In its first 81 games, New York allowed its opponents to make just 42.2 percent of their shots. The Celtics hit 52 percent of theirs Wednesday. ... Boston is 90-124 in its three seasons under coach Rick Pitino. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard New York Clubhouse Boston Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 112 New York 85
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