Kaman Gets in Game

After a rough start, center Chris Kaman rebounded in Friday night’s 98-81 victory over the Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.

Kaman had 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds but struggled early against Boston’s Kendrick Perkins.

Perkins, 6 feet 10 and 280 pounds, often established good position against the 7-foot, 265-pound Kaman.

Perkins, averaging 4.3 points and 5.3 rebounds at the start of play Friday, had nine points and 10 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, in the first half.

He was the main reason the Celtics had a 13-0 first-half advantage in offensive rebounds and a 15-0 edge in second-chance points.

Point guard Sam Cassell, presumably frustrated with Kaman’s performance in the first quarter, shouted at Kaman to “Get in the game!” Kaman responded well. Perkins had only two points and one rebound in the second half.

“He works hard,” Kaman said of Perkins. “He’s got long arms, he’s very aggressive, and I got a couple of bad bounces, but he worked real hard and got a couple of good ones.

“We fought back, and I think we did a good job, in the second half, of not letting him get offensive rebounds. That was probably the key to the game.”

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Rookie guard Daniel Ewing, who had a prominent role early in the season, played for the first time on the trip and scored six points.

It’s not that Ewing had fallen out of favor, it’s just that rookie forward James Singleton moved up in the rotation because of matchups, Coach Mike Dunleavy said.

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Clipper reserve forward Walter McCarty, who played seven-plus seasons with the Celtics, received a standing ovation when he entered late in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve got a lot of good memories here,” McCarty said. “I appreciate Coach doing that for me.”

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Boston reserve forward Al Jefferson suffered a sprained right ankle with 8:27 remaining in the second quarter and did not return.