Road Kill Celtics Win No. 2

Eric Williams had no trouble putting Boston’s 114-102 victory at Toronto into perspective Monday night.

“Anytime you can double your road win total in one game, it’s huge,” Williams said after scoring 27 points to lead the Celtics.

Boston, which had only nine players in uniform because of various injuries, needed a big effort from its starting five and got one. Todd Day scored 26 points; David Wesley had 25 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds; Antoine Walker had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Rick Fox had 10 points and 10 assists for the worst road team in the NBA.

Boston is 2-17 away from the Fleet Center and has won only twice in its last 10 games anywhere.

“We know we have to play a whole game to beat anybody,” said Wesley, who made three key three-point baskets in the final quarter to turn back the Raptors. “Down the stretch we just wanted good looks at the basket, and with Rick and me finding the open man, we were able to get them.”

The Celtics blew a 10-point, first-half lead and trailed by as many as nine points midway through the third quarter.

But Fox sank a three-pointer, sending them off on a 15-0 run, which was capped by Walker’s field goal for an 80-74 lead with 2:13 to play in the third quarter and they were never headed.

Damon Stoudamire had 18 of his Toronto-high 26 points in the second half.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Fox, alluding to Boston’s only other road win, 104-102 over the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 30. “We’ve had other good games on the road, but didn’t finish them. Tonight, we finished.”

Utah 111, Washington 89--Karl Malone scored 24 points and Steven Howard added 16 for the Jazz, who won in Salt Lake City and, in doing so, handed Washington its second blowout loss in as many days.

The Bullets have lost six in a row on the road.

Gheorghe Muresan scored 18 points and Tracy Murray added 11 for Washington, which has lost eight of its last 11 games and three straight.

Utah, which has won nine of its last 11 games, led, 32-14, after one quarter and by 30--62-32--at halftime. The Bullets had trailed by 24 points after the first quarter in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers.

Sacramento 85, San Antonio 79--Jeff Grayer keyed a 20-0 Kings’ spurt in the second half and they rallied to win at San Antonio.

Grayer, playing with a 10-day contract, scored six of his 16 points in the run that saw Sacramento go from a 60-49 deficit to a 69-60 lead with 9:30 to play. The Kings scored the last 18 points of the third quarter and first two of the fourth.

Mitch Richmond led the Kings with 26 points and Tyus Edney sealed the victory with two free throws with 24.4 seconds to play.