Chandler helps Knicks upset slumping Celtics

NEW YORK(AP) It's definitely a slump now. The Boston Celtics can't even beat the New York Knicks anymore.Wilson
Chandler scored a career-high 31 points and the Knicks snapped an
eight-game losing streak against the sputtering Celtics with a 100-88
victory Sunday night.Al Harrington added 30 for the Knicks, who
hadn't beaten Boston at Madison Square Garden since March 23, 2005,
dropping the last six meetings. Capitalizing on a quiet night for Kevin
Garnett, they seized control in the third quarter, never let it get too
close in the fourth and added to the defending champions' worst stretch
of the season."It was the way they scored. It was frustrating
watching it happen,'' Celtics guard Ray Allen said. "It was
disappointing because we couldn't get a stop. They were scoring in ways
that each time they scored it was somewhat letting the air out of the
balloon, out of ourselves.''Chandler put the finishing touches
on the upset when he took a long outlet pass from David Lee and made a
layup while being fouled, hitting the free throw for a 98-86 lead with
2:11 to play."We've been close in a lot of games. I thought
we've played and we haven't finished games,'' Knicks coach Mike
D'Antoni said. "Tonight we finished them. I don't want to get too far
ahead of us. That was a great win and we'll try to get better on the
defensive end. If we can have that effort and learn how to finish
games, which tonight we did, we'll just see if we can keep building on
it.''Paul Pierce scored 31 points for the Celtics, who lost for
the fourth time in six games after a 27-2 start. Ray Allen added 16,
but Garnett, who hurt his right calf when he was kicked late in the
third quarter, had only six points on 1-of-6 shooting with nine
rebounds."We've just got to come together,'' Pierce said. "We
talked about it after the game amongst the players, what we're doing
right, what we're doing wrong, and the good thing about this group,
we're a strong group. It's just about getting through this period and
we know we're a better team that the way we've been playing.''Lee
had 14 points and 14 rebounds as he and Chandler, who scored 15 points
in the decisive third quarter, consistently outworked Garnett and
Boston's front line."It's definitely good, but at the end of the
day it's all about the team,'' Chandler said. "We won. We've been
struggling a little bit, but it's good to get a win against this team.''Meanwhile,
the defending NBA champions lacked their usual poise, frequently
yelling at each other or the officials. They allowed 100 points for
just the eighth time in 35 games this season and managed the lowest
total allowed by the Knicks."We were frustrated,'' Boston coach
Doc Rivers said. "I think we were very frustrated in our play tonight.
I thought you could see it real early in the game and that's not us,
but it was us tonight.''Boston lost three of four on its West
Coast road trip over the holidays, creating some belief they needed
more depth for a run at a repeat. ESPN.com reported Thursday that could
come from Stephon Marbury, the banished Knicks guard who is seeking his
release. The report said the Celtics would be interested once a buyout
is completed.Celtics players seemed willing to accept that move
- even former Minnesota teammate Garnett said he'd be OK with it - and
said they weren't caught up in the speculation, even with a huge media
crowd in their locker room before the game."We can't really
worry about it all,'' point guard Rajon Rondo said. "We've got to go
out there and go with the staff at hand. You've got to talk to the
general manager and coach Rivers. We got to go out there and play every
night regardless of who they bring in.''The Celtics led 53-50 at
halftime, shooting 54 percent from the field and getting 15 points from
Pierce and 12 from Allen. Garnett took only one shot and had six points
at halftime, but grabbed five rebounds and blocked four shots, sending
one of Chandler's attempts a few rows behind the baseline in the first
quarter.With the Celtics leading by two in the third, Chandler
nailed a 3-pointer, then hit a jumper before being fouled by Garnett
behind the arc and making all three free throws for a 66-60 lead with
6:39 left in the third quarter. The lead reached 11 on a long 3-pointer
by Harrington, and the Knicks were ahead 78-68 heading to the fourth
after outscoring Boston 28-15.Notes: D'Antoni said center Eddy
Curry, out all season with a knee injury, could play for the first time
this season on a four-game Western Conference road trip that begins
Tuesday. ... Garnett appeared to land gingerly after throwing a
behind-the-back pass to set up a dunk by Kendrick Perkins late in the
third quarter. He had his leg wrapped below his right knee early in the
fourth before returning with just under 6 1/2 minutes remaining.