BOSTON, Massachusetts - Kevin Garnett waited more than a month to get back on the court with the Phoenix Suns. When he did, he had plenty of answers for them.

Garnett scored 28 points with 11 rebounds to help the Celtics win 115-103 on Wednesday night and bounce back from a Jan 28 loss in Phoenix that prompted Suns coach Alvin Gentry to say he had "lost a little respect" for Garnett.

"I play the game really hard. I play with my heart. I never go around making excuses about that, so who cares about what they're talking about?" said Garnett, who picked up a technical foul with 17 seconds left in the game. "Alvin Gentry was asking me for tickets for the first round of the playoffs and I told him I'd hook him up. That's what that (the tech foul) was about."

Paul Pierce scored 16 points with 13 rebounds - picking up a technical foul of his own - and Rajon Rondo scored 16 with 15 assists to snap Phoenix's four-game winning streak. Rondo was also involved in some hijinks at the final buzzer when he decided to put up a 3-pointer while virtually everyone else was walking off the court.

Jared Dudley fouled him, forcing the referees to review the play, put time on the clock and send Rondo to the line for three meaningless free throws.

"It was an intense game, but it wasn't," Rondo said. "We had it under control the whole game."

It was the first time the teams played since Garnett poked Channing Frye in the groin during an 88-71 Suns victory that left Gentry criticizing Garnett. That was Phoenix's third straight victory over Boston.

The Celtics put an end to that quickly.

Garnett scored 12 points in the first quarter on Wednesday as they jumped to a 13-point lead, and they led by 29 in the second half before Phoenix scored the last nine points in the third quarter and the first nine of the fourth. But the Suns, who had won four straight, never again got closer than eight points.

"I think all our guys were" extra motivated," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "That's what the explosion early was about. ... I thought their bench, their coaches were talking, which I don't think you should ever (do) if you have a suit and tie on and actually can't play. I don't think you should be doing a lot of talking to the players on the floor."

Aaron Brooks scored 17 points, Dudley had 15 and fellow reserve Marcin Gortat had 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Suns played the last 17 minutes without Vince Carter and Frye, who banged heads and left the game.

Gentry said any talk of carry-over from the previous game was "making a big deal out of nothing".

"In the grand scheme of things, it's one game that we play, and he played great," Gentry said. "You've got to give him credit. He played great defensively, and offensively, made everything going to the basket, made some jump shots. He's tough to guard in those situations."

Associated Press

(China Daily 03/04/2011 page24)