Already without suspended Rajon Rondo, absent Kevin Garnett and injured Brandon Bass, the Celtics lost starters Jermaine O'Neal (sprained left wrist) and Chris Wilcox (right adductor strain) in the third quarter.
Boston has lost four in a row, and six of seven.
Rondo was suspended two games without pay for throwing a ball at an official during a game. Stu Jackson, the NBA's executive vice president for basketball operations, announced the suspension yesterday, a day after Rondo received two technical fouls and was ejected late in the third quarter of Boston's 96-81 loss at the Detroit Pistons.
In other games:
* At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 31 points apiece and the Thunder beat the New Orleans Hornets, 101-93, for their 10th straight home win.
* At Houston, Kyle Lowry scored 24 points, Kevin Martin added 22 and Courtney Lee hit four key free throws down the stretch as the Rockets held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 97-93.
* At Milwaukee, Dwight Howard had 28 points and 16 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 15 points and the Orlando Magic beat the Bucks, 93-90. The win was Orlando's third over Milwaukee in 10 days and the third straight time the Magic have overcome a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Bucks.
* At New York, Deron Williams scored a season-high 38 points, outplaying Jeremy Lin and leading the New Jersey Nets to a 100-92 victory over the Knicks. Lin began his remarkable run against the Nets about 2 weeks ago, but Williams and the Nets were ready for him this time.
Lin finished with 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, but Williams outscored him 36-11 through three quarters, when the Nets led by 18.
Carmelo Anthony, clearly rusty in his return from a seven-game absence with a strained right groin, shot 4-for-11 and scored 11 points.
