BOSTON, December 14 (AP) -- Paul Pierce scored a season-high 32 points and Kevin Garnett had an easy 15 with seven rebounds on Friday night as the Boston Celtics overcame Ray Allen's absence to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-82 and match the franchise record with a 12-0 start at home.

With Allen sitting out a game or two to rest a sore ankle, Tony Allen started and scored 11 points. Rajon Rondo scored 17 - one off his season high - with eight assists for Boston, which also won its first 12 home games in 1984 en route to the '85 NBA finals.

Garnett played just 29 minutes for the Celtics, who pulled away when they outscored Milwaukee 32-15 in the third quarter. Boston will try to set the team record Wednesday against Detroit.

Mo Williams scored 14 for the Bucks, Bobby Simmons had 11 and Yi Jianlian scored 10.

The Celtics turned a five-point deficit with 3:22 left in the second quarter into a 46-44 halftime lead. But it was in the third when they really pulled away.

They scored 13 consecutive points early in the third to turn a 49-47 Bucks lead into a 60-49 advantage, then added a 10-0 run near the end of the quarter to make it 78-57.

For the second straight game - but just the second time this season - the Celtics were without their regular starting five. Allen is expected to miss a game or two with a sore right ankle he has been trying to play through for eight games.

Kendrick Perkins sat out Wednesday's game against Toronto after part of his bed fell on his big toe.

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Game highlights

Game highlights
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Larry Krystkowiak

“We got out scored 9 to 2 to finish the 2nd quarter. And then we started the 3rd quarter obviously. It was rough as well. I think it was a twenty twenty two point 8 minute period. We had 7 turnovers in the 3rd quarter. We turned the ball over too much. And they came out with a lot more energy. I thought we played a good 1st half, and that’s not good enough. They regrouped at half time, came out with a lot of focus, a lot of energy, and we didn’t match it. I think they just kind of overwhelmed us with that energy and we were forced some shots, turning it over and it ended up with easy baskets for them”

On how they stayed close in the 1st half
“I thought our guys were pretty focused and defensively we switched up a little man and some zone. We moved the basketball. I thought we took pretty good shots and we got stops when we needed to. That’s’ pretty much how you stay in it.”

“It wasn’t just Tony. I thought that their bigs came out when we set any pick and rolls and jumped in pretty good. We were a just a little step slow I thought, in terms of getting to our spots and getting off the picks and giving Mike some options but I think that’s one of the reasons Tony was in the lineup, to bring his energy. He’s a good wing defender. You know Mike sees those guys all the time. He’s going to see their best wing defender, and certainly he did a good job on him.”

Re: Celtics Defense:
“Me, they doubled me every time I got the ball, pretty much. Which is OK, that is what you want teams to do. They did a good job in the 3rd quarter picking it up a little bit defensively. You’ve got to respect them. They are one of the best teams in the league, so you’ve got to play near perfect basketball to beat them, especially at home.”

Re: Biggest factor in 3rd quarter Pierce or turnovers:
“Both. It was just a great game on their part. Paul played an excellent game tonight. He shot the ball extremely well. We turned the ball over. We were careless with the ball, couldn’t finish plays. That’s what happened.”

Re: The Celtics lead growing in the 3rd quarter:
“The lead was like at 8 and all of a sudden it got to 20. So we’ve got to play, like I said, near perfect basketball to beat them at their home. I thought we played solid most of the game and then there is a stretch towards the end of the 3rd where they blew it open. You’ve got to play well against them to beat them at home.”

Re: Biggest factor in 3rd quarter Pierce or turnovers:
“Well I think both did. If you look at what they’ve done throughout the season in the 3rd quarter, especially the last 9 or 8 games, they’ve outscored their opponent in the 3rd quarter. We knew they were going to come with a push. They did.”

Re: What was going well in the first half:
“We were just staying in the game. They made a few shots and then we’ll come make a few shots. I mean, that was the first big run that they went on and that’s what good teams do. We knew it was going to come. We just had to respond afterward, which we didn’t.”

Photos by NBAE/Getty Images

Charlie Villanueva

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