"The good thing, and I keep saying this . . . [is] we're playing OK. We're going to be so much better. We have a chance to be, if we keep on working on it, so much better than we are right now."
Said Celtics guard Ray Allen: "We've won games in a lot of different ways. We just want to keep winning."
Four Celtics starters scored at least 21 points: Allen (22), Paul Pierce (game-high 24), Rajon Rondo (23, tying his career high), and Kevin Garnett (21, with 12 rebounds). The Celtics shot 52.1 percent from the field, nailed 8 of 19 3-pointers and made 19 of 24 free throws.
The last time the Celtics had four players score at least 20 points during a regular-season game was May 5, 1999, when Pierce (27), Dana Barros (26), Ron Mercer (23), and Antoine Walker (23) led the home team past Charlotte, 133-129, in two overtimes.
"We had great distribution of the ball," Rivers said. "The 52 percent is what I'm more proud of."
The talented Magic (18-11) handed the Celtics their first loss, 104-102, in Orlando Nov. 18. Garnett said the focused Celtics wanted to make amends for that defeat.
The Celtics also completed a tough homestand against three Eastern Conference playoff teams from a season ago with a tough loss to Detroit followed with wins against Chicago and Orlando.
The next challenge is a West Coast road trip that begins Wednesday night and features four games in five days against Sacramento, Seattle, Utah, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
"We totally didn't like how we played when we were down in Orlando," said Garnett, who also had five assists and three blocks. "We thought we were better than that. We circled this, matter of fact, this week with Detroit, Chicago, and Orlando. So this was a huge week for us, especially with the West Coast trip coming up. We wanted to play really well, obviously, at home.
"We only play [the Magic] three times. There wasn't a whole lot to be said."
