Golden State (3-7) at Boston (8-3)
The Boston Celtics don’t seem overly concerned about their first rough stretch of the season.
The Celtics look to avoid a third consecutive loss when they host the undermanned Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
Since opening the season with six straight wins, Boston (8-3) has dropped three of five and is trying to get back on track after its first back-to-back losses of the season. The Celtics fell 97-86 to Atlanta on Friday before losing 113-104 at Indiana on Saturday.
The latest setback showed signs that Boston might be losing some of its composure.
Ray Allen(notes) had 24 points and a hobbled Paul Pierce(notes) added 15, but the Celtics were slapped with three technical fouls and allowed the Pacers to shoot 52.6 percent while giving up their highest point total of the season.
Boston matched its season-low point total in the loss to Atlanta.
“I wouldn’t call it slippage,” forward Kevin Garnett(notes) told the Celtics’ official Web site. “Slippage is when you stop being disciplined; you stop being consistent with what you started with, and I don’t think we’re (doing) that.”
Boston needs a healthy Pierce, who’s averaging a team-leading 18.4 points but has been bothered by a knee injury. He expects to be ready for this contest despite shooting 4 of 10 from the field and struggling to keep up on the defensive end at Indiana.
“I obviously hurt us,” Pierce said. “I was a step slow all night and it really hurts. I’m really going to take that one on the chin right there.”
Pierce is averaging 24.7 points in 19 career games against the Warriors.
Allen is averaging 26.9 points in his last 13 games against the Warriors, but was held to seven in the teams’ last meeting, a 99-89 Golden State victory on Dec. 26.
Though the teams split the two-game season series in 2008-09, Boston has won consecutive games and five of six at home over Golden State.
The Warriors (3-7) will also try to avoid a third straight defeat after losing 114-108 at Cleveland on Tuesday to fall to 1-3 on a five-game road trip.
Playing its first game since trading the disgruntled Stephen Jackson(notes) and Acie Law(notes) to Charlotte for Raja Bell(notes) and Vladimir Radmanovic(notes) on Monday, Golden State had seven healthy bodies Tuesday.
“I don’t know what you can do,” Golden State coach Don Nelson said. “Just play and see what happens. Full roster or not, it was going to be a tough go coming into these next two games. We realized that.”
Monta Ellis(notes) scored 23 points, Corey Maggette(notes) had 19 with 11 rebounds and Radmanovic added 11 points as the Warriors remained competitive despite being short-handed.
Bell, who averaged 12.0 points in five games for the Bobcats, likely won’t play before undergoing wrist surgery next week that could sidelined him up to five months.
The Warriors are also without forward Kelenna Azubuike(notes), lost to a season-ending knee injury, and guard C.J. Watson(notes) (swine flu).
Ellis has paced the Warriors, averaging 19.7 points on the season and 23.7 on 49.2 percent shooting in his last three contests. He has totaled 47 points in his last two games versus Boston.
Maggette is averaging 21.8 points in his last four games for Golden State, which is averaging a NBA-leading 111.2 points per game but allowing a league-worst 113.7 per contest.
Maggette had 32 points in a 119-111 loss at Boston on Nov. 26.
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