Post by Adam Chernoff on Dec 7, 2005 17:54:36 GMT -5
The Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Hornets will each try to get their struggling offenses back on track when the teams meet at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
Boston suffered its fifth loss in eight games, 91-73 to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. The Celtics posted season lows in scoring and field goal percentage, shooting only 34 percent (23-of-67) from the field.
Leading scorer Paul Pierce, averaging 34.3 points in his previous three games, scored 20, but shot 3-of-10 from the field. While Pierce was 13-for-13 from the free throw line, he got into early foul trouble and struggled to defend Houston's Tracy McGrady, who scored a season-high 35 points.
Delonte West added 12 points and Al Jefferson had 12 and 10 rebounds for Boston, which was coming off its first road win of the season, 102-99 at New York Sunday. Instead, it fell to 1-5 away from home and concludes its five-game road trip at defending champion San Antonio and Dallas.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Celtics - F Raef LaFrentz, F Pierce, C Kendrick Perkins, G Ricky Davis, G West. Hornets - F Mason, F West, C Brown, G Paul, G J.R. Smith.
TEAM LEADERS: Celtics - Pierce, 26.6 ppg and 8.7 rpg; Davis, 5.4 apg. Hornets - Paul, 16 ppg and 6.6 apg; Brown, 8.5 rpg.
Boston suffered its fifth loss in eight games, 91-73 to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. The Celtics posted season lows in scoring and field goal percentage, shooting only 34 percent (23-of-67) from the field.
Leading scorer Paul Pierce, averaging 34.3 points in his previous three games, scored 20, but shot 3-of-10 from the field. While Pierce was 13-for-13 from the free throw line, he got into early foul trouble and struggled to defend Houston's Tracy McGrady, who scored a season-high 35 points.
Delonte West added 12 points and Al Jefferson had 12 and 10 rebounds for Boston, which was coming off its first road win of the season, 102-99 at New York Sunday. Instead, it fell to 1-5 away from home and concludes its five-game road trip at defending champion San Antonio and Dallas.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Celtics - F Raef LaFrentz, F Pierce, C Kendrick Perkins, G Ricky Davis, G West. Hornets - F Mason, F West, C Brown, G Paul, G J.R. Smith.
TEAM LEADERS: Celtics - Pierce, 26.6 ppg and 8.7 rpg; Davis, 5.4 apg. Hornets - Paul, 16 ppg and 6.6 apg; Brown, 8.5 rpg.