Newly -acquired Boston Celtics guard Stephon Marbury dribbles the ball against the Indiana Pacers in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston Friday.
/ AP photo
BOSTON (AP) — Newly acquired backup Stephon Marbury scored six points during a 9-0 fourth-quarter run, Ray Allen added 30 points and Rajon Rondo matched his career high with 17 assists on Friday night as the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 104-99.
Marbury finished with eight points and two assists just hours after clearing waivers and signing with the Celtics for their push toward the playoffs and a try at back-to-back NBA titles.
After receiving a standing ovation, Marbury quickly sank his first shot — his first points since Jan. 11, 2008.
Glen "Big Baby" Davis, starting in place of the injured Kevin Garnett, scored 18, and Kendrick Perkins had 11 rebounds for Boston, which returned home after going 4-2 on a six-game road trip.
T.J. Ford scored 23 and Troy Murphy had 20 points and 13 assists for the Pacers.
Marbury entered the game with 19.4 seconds left in the first quarter and Boston leading 26-18. By the time he sat back down with 7:11 left in the second, the Pacers had taken a 30-29 lead.
But the former New York Knicks headache, who had about an hour of practice with the Celtics before putting on his new uniform, was more effective in the second half.
His biggest contribution came when the Celtics scored nine straight points near the beginning of the fourth quarter to turn a four-point game into a 92-79 lead. Indiana scored six in a row to trim a 98-89 lead to three points, but Davis converted a three-point play.
Jeff Foster's fourth-chance putback made it 101-97, then Davis made a leaner in the lane as the shot clock expired. After Ford made a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left, Davis sank one of two to help ice it.
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