Hot-shooting Celtics rout Pistons

Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce was one of three Boston players to record 15 points and the Celtics surged to a big halftime lead before beating the short-handed Detroit Pistons, 119-93, at TD Garden.

Ray Allen and Michael Finley also scored 15 as the Celtics won for the sixth time in nine games and bounced back from an 11-point loss at Cleveland Sunday afternoon.

Kevin Garnett notched 14 points and eight rebounds, while Glen Davis scored 13 for the Celtics, who shot 62.2 percent from the field. That included an incredible 13-of-15 effort in the fourth quarter.

Boston, which also received 11 points from Kendrick Perkins and Marquis Daniels, is a half-game behind idle Atlanta for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit center Ben Wallace missed his seventh straight game due to a sore right knee. The team, which is also playing without Rodney Stuckey, lost forward Tayshaun Prince to a back injury in the first quarter.

Will Bynum had 16 points and seven assists for Detroit, which lost for the ninth time in 11 games. Jason Maxiell chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons, who have dropped seven in a row on the road.

With 4:53 remaining in the opening quarter, Prince went to the hoop and collided with Perkins. As he was falling down, Prince's back hit the knee of Maxiell. Prince remained on his stomach in obvious pain for a few minutes before finally being helped to his feet and to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

The Celtics sparkled with a 16-1 burst in the first quarter, a period dominated by Pierce's 12 points -- all of which came during the run for an 18-7 lead. The flurry helped Boston to a 31-15 lead after 12 minutes.

Allen's three-pointer ended an 11-2 flurry for a 55-29 cushion with 3:35 left in the half, and it was 64-35 at intermission.

Even though the Pistons shot 12-of-17 in the third quarter, they still looked up at the scoreboard through 36 minutes, trailing 89-70. The Celtics then put the game away by scoring nine straight early in the fourth for a commanding 102-72 margin following a Finley jumper inside eight minutes remaining.

Game Notes

Boston has a better road record (22-12) than home mark (20-12) this season...Detroit fell to 7-26 on the road...The Celtics won the season series, 2-1...Bynum was in the starting lineup again for Stuckey, who missed his fifth straight game after collapsing on the bench during a loss in Cleveland on March 5...Richard Hamilton had 14 points for Detroit...Boston converted 18 Detroit turnovers into 27 points.

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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

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''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

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