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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Another Milt Palacio moment – along
with another dominating performance by the duo of Paul Pierce and
Antoine Walker – ruined the night for the New Jersey Nets.
|  | | Antoine Walker, who scored 29 points, prepares to receive a pass from Jerome Moiso, left. |
Pierce scored a career-high 44 points, Walker added 29 and the
Celtics made a season-high 14 3-pointers in defeating the Nets
113-98 Thursday night in a game in which New Jersey rookie Kenyon
Martin fractured his right leg.
Palacio, who beat the Nets with an off-balance, 40-foot
3-pointer at the buzzer in their last meeting, kneed Martin in the
back of his calf midway through the third quarter. The collision
caused a non-displaced fracture of Martin's fibula.
The bone was the same one Martin broke around this time last
year while playing for the University of Cincinnati. The location
of the injury was different and it will not require surgery, Nets
spokesman Aaron Harris said.
Martin had 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 28 minutes.
"We're falling like flies," Nets coach Byron Scott said.
The Celtics (30-38) are going the opposite way. In winning their
third straight road game, they moved within a half-game of idle
Indiana (30-37) in the race for the eighth and final playoff berth
in the Eastern Conference.
"You have to realize what is at stake for us," Pierce said.
"It's the last 14 games of the season. There is no tomorrow. You
have to finish strong. It's up to me and the rest of these guys to
turn up our play now."
Keith Van Horn added 19 and Stephon Marbury had 17 points and 11
assists in returning from a hip injury that forced him to miss two
games.
The Celtics broke the game open in a 35-point third quarter,
during which they hit five 3-pointers.
New Jersey, which trailed 60-53 at the half, got within 62-59 on
a drive by Marbury.
Pierce, who has six 40-point games this season including three
in his last five games, then ignited a quarter-closing 33-10 spurt
with a 3-pointer. He had 14 points in the quarter, which was capped
with Walker hitting a pair of showboating 3-pointers.
"It doesn't matter to me, scoring big," said Pierce, who hit
15 of 26 shots. "I'm just trying to play as hard as I can and win.
If I am going, I am capable of putting up huge numbers. But I just
want to win."
"Paul is a tough guard for most teams," Celtics coach Jim
O'Brien said. "The fact that he is willing to pass the basketball
and the fact you have two superstars who can pass the basketball at
all times, it makes for a tough tandem, and Paul has been putting
up some big numbers for us lately."
Game notes
The Celtics previous high for 3-pointers was 13, which they
accomplished twice. Pierce's previous high was 42, which he reached
in back-to-back games against the Lakers and Phoenix on March 13
and 15. Walker and Pierce have now combined for 60 or more points
11 times. ... Boston is 18-16 since Jim O'Brien replaced Rick
Pitino. ... New Jersey committed 23 turnovers to Boston's nine.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
Nets rookie Martin breaks right leg for second time
RECAPS
San Antonio 115
Atlanta 101
Cleveland 109
Vancouver 95
Boston 113
New Jersey 98
Portland 101
Utah 99
Phoenix 91
Seattle 88
LA Clippers 97
Houston 92
Sacramento 103
Detroit 98
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