Boston ? Ricky Davis made sure the Boston Celtics avoided a season sweep by Memphis.
Davis hit a 12-foot jumper with 3.9 seconds remaining, lifting the Celtics to a 90-88 victory over the Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
“They were overplaying Paul and I couldn’t get the ball to him,” Davis said. “I wanted the opportunity to hit that shot and I’m happy I made it.”
The Grizzlies’ Mike Miller hit a 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left to tie it at 88 before Davis hit an open jumper. Miller’s 3-point shot fell short at the buzzer.
“We played hard but Ricky made a good shot at the end of the game,” Miller said. “The bottom line is they won by two and in the Western Conference, if you slip up a few games, you could be on the outside looking in very quickly.”
Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 19 points and Tony Allen had 15 points and seven rebounds. The Celtics have won six of eight and are 16-5 in their last 21 home games.
“The (Celtics) coaching staff has had time to work with the whole group,” Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello said. “At this point in the season, they have gone through the experimental stages and they have a better feel of what they want to do and who they want to go to.”
After Jason Williams’ 3-pointer cut the Grizzlies’ deficit to 87-85 with 1:52 remaining, Gary Payton hit a free throw. On the next two Memphis possessions, Williams and Brian Cardinal each missed 3-pointers.
Memphis took its only lead of the fourth quarter at 78-77 on Dahntay Jones’ 3-pointer, but the Celtics responded with an 8-0 run and never relinquished the lead.
“We made it hairy but I’ll tell you we are doing pretty well right now as far as winning games and fourth quarters,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.
The Grizzlies, who beat the Celtics earlier this season 117-109, have won 16 of their last 22 games.
Stromile Swift led the Grizzlies with 19 points. Cardinal chipped in 17 in a reserve role.
Both sides lost key starters in the third quarter. Swift left the game with an ankle sprain and Raef LaFrentz was ejected for the Celtics after receiving a double technical.
Payton’s lay-in capped off a 13-4 run to start the second quarter to give Boston a 42-32 lead. Swift closed the gap to 50-43 at halftime when he scored 11 points over the final 3:35 of the first half.
Payton had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Celtics, who now begin a four-game road trip. Notes: Celtics forward Al Jefferson was activated from the injured list after missing 10 games. … Memphis is 4-5 in Boston. … The last nine games between the Grizzlies and Celtics have been decided by eight points or less. … Fratello coached Rivers when Rivers played for the Hawks from 1983-1990. … 15 players scored in the first quarter.
