Celtics storm their way past weary Sacramento

Eventually rolled around once Paul Pierce decided to dig in, drilling a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter but also shoving his way through the paint for three tough layups, leaving footprints all over the Kings’ defense.

He scored 15 points in the quarter, putting the offense on his back after a dry spell in which the Celtics missed eight straight shots.

From the second quarter on, Boston shot 55.8 percent, and Sacramento couldn’t keep up.

“We had an amazing pace,’’ said Rivers. “We’re pushing the ball up the floor. I don’t know how many just point-blank layups and wide-open shots. And I told them, ‘Don’t worry about offense. If we keep doing exactly what we did and keep the pace, we’ll be good.’ ’’

Trying to avoid a three-game slide, the Celtics couldn’t have been happier to see the Kings.

Not only were they hapless to begin with, having lost 11 straight on the road, but the circumstances didn’t help, either.

At some point, the overtime loss to the Wizards Tuesday night, the two-hour wait on the tarmac, the turbulent flight to Boston, and the absence of star guard Tyreke Evans (bad ankle) were all going to catch up to the Kings.

The Celtics were unsympathetic. Pierce dropped a game-high 25 points, leading eight Celtics in double figures, as Boston won its seventh straight over Sacramento.

“Paul knew last game that none of us as a group came with the right mental approach,’’ Rivers said. “That’s what leaders have to do, and that’s what he did.’’

The Celtics are still awaiting the return of Kevin Garnett (strained calf), and in his absence they have been scattershot on defense. The Rockets ran up 108 points in the Garden Monday night, leaving Rivers disappointed, not just in the performance but in the effort.

Last night, the Kings shot 51.4 percent. But the Celtics won the rebounding battle (38-37), stomped through the paint (56 points), and capitalized on miscues, turning the Kings’ 23 turnovers into 34 points.