BOSTON — Eddie House scored 28 points on a career-high eight 3-pointers, and Rajon Rondo had 24 points and nine assists Wednesday night to lead the Boston Celtics to their ninth win in row, 119-100 over the Sacramento Kings.
It was the seventh straight loss for Sacramento, which opened a 10-point lead in the first quarter before Boston scored the next six points. The Celtics went on a 25-9 run to start the second quarter and turn a two-point deficit into a 14-point lead.
The Celtics led by 24 in the fourth, when House was 4-for-5 from 3-point range.
House has hit at least seven 3-pointers in three of the last four games and his teammates have been campaigning for him to be invited to the 3-point shooting contest at All-Star weekend. The crowd agreed, chanting “Eddie! Eddie! whenever he touched the ball in the fourth and giving him a standing ovation when he left with 4:02 left and Boston leading by 23.
John Salmons scored 22 points, and Jason Thompson had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who lost to Boston by 45 earlier this season. Sacramento is 0-20 against the Eastern Conference — the only NBA team that has been blanked by entire conference so far.
Kevin Garnett had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Paul Pierce added eight points and eight assists while playing 27 minutes — most of it in foul trouble. It was Pierce’s second consecutive game in single-digit scoring, the first time he has had such back-to-back duds since 1999.
Sacramento took a 23-13 lead with five minutes left in the first quarter, but Boston quickly cut it to four points. In the second, House was 4-for-4 from 3-point range, scoring 16 points in the quarter as Boston turned a 30-28 deficit into a 19-point lead.
Tony Allen had 10 points and eight rebounds in his first game back from an 11-game absence for a sprained right ankle.
Notes: Pierce had three fouls and a technical in the first
quarter. … Ex-Celtic Scot Pollard watched the game from courtside. … House outscored the Sacramento bench 28-24. … The Kings are 1-17 in their last 18 trips to Boston. … Boston’s Brian Scalabrine missed the game because of a concussion. He is expected to be out 7-10 days.
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