Celtics hand Cavs 18th straight loss
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The Boston Celtics brushed aside Cleveland in a 112-95 blowout on Tuesday to send the NBA-worst Cavaliers to an 18th consecutive defeat.
Paul Pierce scored a team-high 24 points in just 24 minutes and the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics used a 15-3 second-quarter run to pull away from the Cavaliers in Boston.
The Celtics led by 22 at halftime and never looked back.
Center Kendrick Perkins made his season debut for Boston (34-10) in his first action since injuring his knee in last season's NBA Finals. He finished with seven points and six rebounds in limited action.
"It felt good to be on the floor," Perkins said. "When (coach Doc Rivers) came and got me in the fourth, I really wanted to stay out there just to keep working on my rhythm and good things and just getting game time.
"It was just cool to be out there."
Shaquille O'Neal missed a second straight game with an injury but the Celtics didn't need him, getting 18 points from Ray Allen in the rout.
Christian Eyenga had 15 points for the Cavaliers (8-37), who have not won in over a month and have lost 28 of their last 29 games.
Cleveland has endured a nightmare season after franchise cornerstone LeBron James left the team as a free agent to join the Miami Heat.
One season after posting the NBA's best record (61-21), the Cavaliers now sit at the bottom of the league standings.
The team is one defeat away from tying a franchise-record 19 straight losses, which was set in 1981-82.
Elsewhere on the court, it was: Lakers 120, Jazz 91; Mavericks 112, Clippers 105; Nuggets 120, Wizards 109; and Bobcats 94, Kings 89.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers led all the way in defeating Utah, handing the Jazz their fifth straight loss overall and on the road.
Kobe Bryant scored 21 points in three quarters and Pau Gasol added 20 points for the Lakers, who won their seventh in a row at home.
Deron Williams scored 17 points for Utah.
In Dallas, reserves Jason Terry and J.J. Barea helped Dallas erase an early 15-point deficit and beat the Clippers.
Terry scored a season-high 28 points and Barea added 25 for Dallas, which turned things around with a 23-6 spurt in the third quarter.
