SACRAMENTO, California (AFP) — The Boston Celtics returned to their winning ways with a vengeance, routing the Sacramento Kings 108-63 to snap a two-game National Basketball Association losing streak.
Kevin Garnett scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes, and the Celtics defense smothered the Kings as Boston bounced back after losing the first two games of a four-game West Coast road trip.
The NBA champion Celtics lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day in a rematch of last year's NBA finals.
That defeat halted Boston's franchise record winning streak at 19 games, and the Celtics dropped another game to Golden State on Friday.
On Sunday, they never let the Kings get a look-in.
The Celtics led 59-34 at halftime, holding Sacramento to 9-of-35 shooting in the first half while connecting on 55 percent of their shots.
Garnett scored six quick points as the Celtics opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run to remove any doubt.
With less than eight minutes to play in the third, Boston had twice as many points as Sacramento at 72-36.
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