Too much star power for Sonics

KeyArena has seen better nights from Ray Allen.

But unlike when the Boston Celtics star played for the Sonics, his off shooting night didn't matter. He had an assembly of star-studded teammates to rely on as the Celtics collected a 104-96 NBA victory in front of a sellout crowd of 17,072.

Allen played his first game in Seattle since being traded on draft day for fifth overall pick Jeff Green and veterans Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. Allen was treated to two standing ovations — for his community service in a pregame ceremony and during player introductions.

But after scoring seven of his 10 points in the opening half, Allen drifted out of the spotlight. Teammate Paul Pierce moved in, dueling with Sonics rookie Kevin Durant in the second half until the Celtics finally pieced together a 19-10 run to put the Sonics down 91-77 midway through the final quarter.

Seattle chipped at the deficit, but never threatened Boston after trailing by three to end the third quarter.

Allen, 32, a seven-time All-Star who played four-plus seasons in Seattle, was impressed with the Sonics' defense.

"Everything I got was tough," said Allen, who entered the game averaging 19.3 points. "I had a couple of rhythm jump shots that I didn't knock down. And when Damien Wilkins came in, he stayed on my body and [Mickael] Gelabale did a pretty good job. They know what I do and tried to take away everything I did. I tried just to not force the ball."

Pierce took care of that. The forward was 2 for 11 from the field in the opening half and after the break started a one-on-one show with Durant.

Pierce would make a driving layin that left Durant sprawled on the court and the latter would respond with a silky jumper. Pierce finished with a season-high 37 points, but he needed 27 attempts. Durant scored 12 of his final 25 in the third quarter, shooting 10 for 23 overall from the field.

"He's not as quick as I thought, but he can get it done," Durant said of Pierce. "He uses his space and body very well and his shot — you've got to respect his shot.

Durant added, "I heard their bench talking a lot of trash and it was very fun. It was competitive. I kind of had a few words back at them, and when I got an opportunity to get the ball, I just tried to be aggressive and score."

The Sonics (8-21), as they have done most of the season, stayed close to a superior team. The Celtics (24-3) have the best record in the NBA.

But the Sonics defense was focused and reserves Szczerbiak and West helped the Sonics stay close for three quarters.

The former Celtics combined for 20 points, and West had six of his game-high eight assists in the second quarter to help erase a nine-point Boston lead and make the score 47-46 entering halftime.

Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo praised his bench. "That was the difference in the first half," he said. "That group entirely did a really good job. They got us back in, got us ahead, and got the building going. In the second half, the game got away from us."

West finished with a season-high 19 points.

"They were on fire," Boston coach Doc Rivers said of West and Szczerbiak. "I love them both. I wanted them to do well, but that was a bit overboard."

While the Sonics were able to defend Allen, Kevin Garnett put up his usual numbers, with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Reserve Eddie House scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter to complement Pierce.

"It's hard to guard a three-headed monster like that," said Durant of the Celtics, who are 10-2 on the road this season. "You've got KG [Garnett] in the lane knocking jump shots down, or they can kick it out to Paul and Ray Allen. It's tough. We've just got to be better on help defense, and then we'll be all right."

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com