Allen on target as well-oiled Celtics thump Bobcats

Allen finished with a season-high 27 points and drained four first-half 3-pointers after going 10 for 41 from behind the arc in his previous 10 games.

He swished one from deep in the corner near the Celtics bench with 1.1 seconds remaining in the first half for a 23-point lead and Boston was never threatened the rest of the way.

Allen kidded earlier yesterday whether the league’s rusty rims were causing his shooting slump.

“I oiled them, you didn’t know?’’ he said with a laugh. “I put some baby oil on the rim. I told you earlier that I am just going to have to put it in, to swish the ball instead of letting it mess around on that rim. It’s really all a body thing, just getting your legs up, going in the air and just being consistent.’’

Celtics coach Doc Rivers feared Charlotte, which had its four-game winning streak snapped, would use its 6-foot-8-inch duo of Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace to post up Allen and Paul Pierce. But the chess game between Rivers and Charlotte coach Larry Brown didn’t develop.

Rivers said his team was focused from the beginning. Brown said his squad never competed.

“We weren’t doing anything offensively with any sense of urgency,’’ Brown said.

Jackson scored just 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting and Wallace scored 5 in 28 minutes. Kendrick Perkins, who left Jermaine O’Neal dragging with his dominant post play Sunday in Miami, was sparkling against Tyson Chandler, finishing with 21 points - 15 in the first half - and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes.

“Perk was tremendous,’’ Rivers said. “It’s confidence. We’re getting him the ball. We’re getting him in his spots. He’s got great catches and he’s taking his time now.’’

Boston led by 28 when Eddie House drained a 3-pointer with 10:19 left in the game (96-68) and not even a 15-2 Charlotte run could make this game suspenseful in the latter stages. It was a welcome breather for a Boston club that came off an emotional win against Miami and faces San Antonio and Oklahoma City on back-to-back nights beginning tomorrow.