By CHARLES ODUM By CHARLES ODUM ADVERTISING AP Sports Writer ATLANTA — Ray Allen isn’t focused on the Celtics’ modest seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings or the two-game losing streak they brought to Atlanta. The 16-year veteran guard
By CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA — Ray Allen isn’t focused on the Celtics’ modest seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings or the two-game losing streak they brought to Atlanta.
The 16-year veteran guard insists he likes this Boston team — especially when it plays as it did in the fourth quarter against the Hawks.
Allen hit two 3-pointers in Boston’s 13-0 run in the fourth quarter and protected the lead with two free throws in the final seconds as the Celtics held on to beat Atlanta 79-76 on Monday night.
“I love what I’m seeing from this team,” Allen said, referring to the Celtics’ resiliency after their offensive struggles through three quarters.
“We could have easily been beaten tonight,” Allen said. “We took their hit and we counterpunched.”
Kevin Garnett, who had 16 points, also applauded the Celtics’ passion.
“I don’t know why we look like we’re running in mud these days,” Garnett said. “But our fight’s there, man.”
The Celtics, who led 73-58 at the end of the run, had to survive the Hawks’ late surge.
Joe Johnson, who had 25 points, had three late 3-pointers as the Hawks rallied. Johnson’s 3 with 11.8 seconds remaining cut the lead to 77-76.
Allen, who had 19 points, made two free throws with 10.9 seconds remaining.
Jeff Teague launched an air ball on Atlanta’s final possession.
“I overshot it,” Teague said, adding he was closer to the basket than he thought on the 3-pointer that could have tied the game.
“We got lucky,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who said his team escaped with the win despite “a plethora of mistakes to end the game.”
Allen helped the Celtics gain momentum for the final period by sinking a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third period. He scored on a pass from Rajon Rondo, who had 10 points and 13 assists.
Paul Pierce had 13 points for Boston, which took charge with a 17-2 run, including 13 unanswered points, after a 56-56 tie in the final period.
Zaza Pachulia had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta, which now leads Boston by 1½ games in the race for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.
“I told my guys I take my hat off to them, because they very easily could’ve folded the tent when we were down (15),” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “We cut it to one. It really comes down to making plays at the end. We had opportunities … but we just didn’t make the plays at the end that we should have.”
The Celtics managed only 31 points in the first half and shot only 35 percent from the field through three quarters to trail the Hawks 51-50.
Each team struggled with poor shooting in the first half. The Hawks matched a season low with 15 first-quarter points and set a low for points in a first half, but led the Celtics 33-31.
Fouls became a growing problem for Boston in the third period. Pierce and Brandon Bass drew their fourth fouls with a span of 2 minutes midway through the period.
Bass drew a flagrant-1 technical foul for knocking Pachulia to the floor with 7 minutes remaining in the third. Less than a minute later, Pachulia again was knocked to the floor again by an elbow thrown by Greg Stiemsma under the basket. No foul was called, but Pachulia was bleeding badly from a cut on the top of his head, and he had to be taken to the locker room.
Stiemsma remained in after he was called for his fourth foul with 3 minutes remaining in the period.
Pachulia, who needed stitches, returned for the start of the fourth period.
76ERS 105, BOBCATS 80
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jrue Holiday had 20 points and six assists as the first-place Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Charlotte Bobcats to snap a three-game losing streak and sweep the three-game season series between the teams.
Holiday, coming off a career-high 30 points in Saturday’s night loss at Chicago, was 8-of-13 shooting from the field and made all four shots from the free-throw line.
Doug Collins said before the game the key to snapping the losing skid was to get a more balanced scoring attack from his players and he got just that.
Thaddeus Young also had 20 points and Louis Williams chipped in with 19 for the 76ers.
Gerald Henderson had 14 points for the Bobcats, who failed to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
CAVALIERS 105
NETS 100
NEWARK, N.J. — Tristan Thompson scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and gave Cleveland the lead with a tip-in with 1:11 to play, leading the Cavaliers over the New Jersey Nets.
Fellow rookie Kyrie Irving added 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds as the Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak and sent the Nets to their third straight loss.
Newcomer Gerald Wallace had 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead New Jersey. Deron Williams added 28 points, but threw the ball away with roughly 16 seconds to play when he passed up a 3-point attempt to make a pass underneath with New Jersey down 103-100.
Irving, who scored the Cavaliers’ final six points, was fouled after the turnover and pushed the lead to five.
BULLS 85, MAGIC 59
ORLANDO, Fla. — Carlos Boozer scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds, John Lucas scored 20 points off the bench and the Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic.
Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau also became the fastest coach in NBA history to earn 100 career victories. The Bulls won for the fifth time in six games.
They also improved to 3-1 over the past four games playing without guard Derrick Rose, who continued to nurse a sore groin.
Dwight Howard had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Magic, who had 19 turnovers.
The Magic have lost three of their last four since posting a three-game win streak. They’ve also gone six straight quarters without scoring at least 20 points.
