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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
DENVER (AP) – When Bryant Stith was banished to Boston in a
trade last October, he was disheartened to learned he wouldn't end
his career in Denver. Five months later, it looks like the Nuggets
did him a favor.
Stith, who spent his first eight seasons in Denver, scored 17
points and hit three 3-pointers as the Celtics kept pace in the
playoff race, beating the Nuggets 87-83 on Friday night
"I look at it as a new opportunity for me – to come to Boston
to resurrect my career," Stith said. "Everything is done for a
reason and I was brought to Boston for a reason."
Voshon Lenard and Tariq Abdul-Wahad were the main reasons Denver
dealt Stith away by Nuggets coach Dan Issel, who believed Stith had
lost some of his quickness and outside shooting ability.
Lenard has played well but is 3-for-19 in his last two games.
Abdul-Wahad is on the injured list after playing sparingly all
season, and the Nuggets are all but eliminated from the playoff
race.
"I was happy that he was able to step up and have a great
game," Celtics guard Paul Pierce said. "This was a great addition
to our ballclub and made significant contributions for us all year
long. I'm glad Denver traded him here."
Pierce had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Antoine Walker scored
21 points to help the Celtics remain percentage points ahead of the
Indiana Pacers for the eighth playoff spot in the East.
Stith is hoping Boston can grab the final playoff spot and then
surprise the No. 1 seed like the Nuggets did against the Seattle
SuperSonics seven years ago.
"It is ironic," Stith said. "The last time Denver was in a
playoff race, we made an impact. The Celtics are almost in an
identical situation."
Boston won its second consecutive road game after losing six
straight away from home. The Celtics also beat Denver for the fifth
straight time.
Antonio McDyess, who had missed four of five games with a
dislocated left kneecap, led Denver with 17 points and 19 rebounds.
Nick Van Exel had 17 points and 15 assists but was 6-for-19 from
the field. James Posey added a season-high 19 points.
"It was tough," Van Exel said. "I had a lot of looks and
missed some crucial shots down the stretch. That's pretty much it.
That's what I saw out there. We missed a lot of perimeter jump
shots."
The Nuggets went 3-for-19 from 3-point range after hitting 10 of
21 against Indiana two nights earlier.
Stith, welcomed back warmly by the Denver crowd, hit three
3-pointers and had 11 points in the third quarter to help the
Celtics take a six-point lead to the fourth.
"That's the kind of guy Bryant is," Issel said. "He is going
to accept that challenge and step up, and he hit some hit
3-pointers for them."
The Nuggets opened the final quarter with a 9-2 run to take a
70-69 lead with 6:29 remaining, but Walker and Randy Brown combined
for Boston's next eight points and Denver never got closer than two
the rest of the way.
Brown finished with 10 points as the Celtics got a balanced
attack following consecutive 42-point performances by Pierce.
"Antoine and Paul realize there are more ways to help the team
other than just scoring," Boston coach Jim O'Brien said. "Antoine
had a nice passing night, and Paul was big on the glass. They did a
great job of contributing, but it was the other guys that stepped
up and allowed us to win this game."
Boston used a 12-2 run to take an eight-point lead early in the
second quarter, but the Nuggets outscored the Celtics 15-7 over the
last eight minutes to tie the game 43-43 at halftime.
Game notes
Denver center Raef LaFrentz sat out with a sprained left
ankle. He averaged 18.3 points, 14.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in his
three previous games. ... McDyess moved past Danny Schayes (3,086)
for ninth on Denver's career rebounding list. McDyess has 3,098
rebounds with the Nuggets. ... Former Nuggets coach Doug Moe
watched the game from the first row behind the Denver bench. He
heckled current coach Dan Issel, who played for Moe for five
seasons. "You want me to yell at you so you can feel at home?"
... Boston improved to 4-9 in the second of back-to-back games.
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NBA Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
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RECAPS
Indiana 103
Atlanta 97
Sacramento 100
Philadelphia 79
LA Lakers 101
Washington 89
Cleveland 114
Charlotte 109
Orlando 103
Vancouver 99
Seattle 90
Chicago 80
San Antonio 95
New Jersey 86
Boston 87
Denver 83
Portland 90
Utah 87
LA Clippers 94
Golden State 76
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