The Celtics come into Newark on Saturday a bit ragged. They lost to the Raptors Friday night in Toronto and won't have Ray Allen, whose right ankle has been giving him trouble. He didn't even travel to Toronto. Avery Bradley however has been filling in nicely for Boston, with 15 points and six rebounds, the latest in a string of impressive performances.

Before the loss to the Raps, the Celts had been playing perhaps their best basketball of the season, beating in order Indiana, Philadephia, Miami and Atlanta, much of it due to a smothering defense. The Celtics, by virtue of their division lead, are likely to wind up with the fourth seed in the East.

For the Nets, it's a time to play the kids. "We’ve talked about it a lot, using the younger players," Avery Johnson said. "They do represent our future." Gerald Green (26), Marshon Brooks (23) and Jordan Williams (21) all played well in the Nets upset of the 76ers. Green and Brooks in fact hit the two biggest shots of the game at the end to put it all away.

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