The Celtcs got trapped down in Charlotte, N.C. in the second game of a back-to-back on Monday night, falling to the Bobcats, 94-89. The difference in the game were the performances of both teams benches, with the Bobcats reserves outscoring the Celts by a 44-15 margin.
Ray Allen paced the C's with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He connected on both of three-point attempts, leaving him just two shy of Reggie Miller's all-time record. Paul Pierce added 22 points for Boston, though he missed a crucial layup with 22 seconds left that would have cut the Charlotte lead to 1. Rajon Rondo had 10 points and 14 assists, but committed six turnovers and missed nine of his 13 field goal attempts.
Charlotte lost leading scorer Stephen Jackson to two technical fouls in the first half, so the Bobcats turned to their bench. Backup point guard Shaun Livingston had a season-high 18 points while second-year swingman Gerald Henderson chipped in with 15. It was the Bobcats first win over the Celts in their last seven meetings and just their sixth in 24 contests overall.
The Celtics played short-handed, hitting the court without three of their four centers, as well as Marquis Daniels, who will be out 1-2 months after suffering a bruised spinal cord in Sunday's win over Orlando. In addition to Jermaine and Shaquille O'Neal, Semih Erden was also out with a strained adductor. The Celts dressed just 10 players for the game, including rookie Avery Bradley, who was recalled from the team's D-League affiliate following Sunday's game.
Kevin Garnett grabbed 14 rebounds for the Celtics, but the Green were outboarded 50-37 by the Bobcats, who were led by Gerald Wallace's 16 and Kwame Brown's 13. The Celts (38-13) now have a couple days off before hosting the Lakers on Thursday night.