C’s stomp Knicks

Injury bug bites again, but Boston rolls New York

NBA. It’s hard to imagine a team playing this well needing a break this bad.

Already thin up front, the Celtics lost two more big men to injuries in the first half last night, but got 24 points from Paul Pierce and 21 from newly-anointed All-Star Ray Allen to post a 111-103 victory over the Knicks, who saw Head Coach Isiah Thomas get ejected in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics won their last five games before the All-Star break and enter the intermission with a league-best 41-9 mark, but they continue to lose frontline players to injury. All-Star Kevin Garnett sat for the ninth straight time with an abdominal strain, and Kendrick Perkins missed his third consecutive game with a shoulder injury.

To make matters worse, starter Brian Scalabrine lasted less than three minutes before leaving with a strained right quadriceps, and rookie Glen Davis departed midway through the second quarter with the same injury to his left leg.

Center Scot Pollard was dressed but has not played in over a month due to a bum ankle, leaving Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers with just eight healthy players, none taller than 6-foot-8.

As Davis was carried off, Boston led 39-30, an advantage that would only grow. The C’s opened up a 13-point halftime lead and began the second half on a 14-0 run, capped by a lay-up by Rajon Rondo to make it 65-40.

They took their largest lead at 75-48 on a jumper by Pierce midway through the third.

Allen, who replaced injured Washington forward Caron Butler on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster, chipped in with eight rebounds for Boston. Rondo and Leon Powe both scored 18 points.

The Knicks, who lost 104-59 in their previous visit to TD Banknorth Garden, crawled to within sevenpoints just moments after Thomas was ejected. Jamal Crawford led New York with 26 and Quentin Richardson added 20.