SEATTLE, Feb. 16 (Ticker) -- Gary Payton led a balanced scoring attack with 19 points as the Seattle Sonics won for just the second time in their last seven home games with a 99-79 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Brent Barry had 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds and rookie Predrag Drobnjak scored a season-high 16 for Seattle, which snapped a three-game skid against Boston and a two-game slide overall.

Rashard Lewis added 11 points before being ejected with 5:26 left in the third quarter after picking up two quick technicals for arguing with the officials on a non-call. Ironically, the Sonics handed out Lewis bobblehead dolls before the game.

NBA TV highlights from Celtics-Sonics: 56k | 300k Gary Payton slashes to the basket on way to win over the Celtics. Jeff Reinking NBAE/Getty Images

"This game for us is rewarding for our team," Barry said. "Certainly more rewarding for our fans to have us come in and beat a good team. We know we have been struggling at KeyArena so we appreciate them still coming out and supporting us and having a packed house. Even though Rashard got thrown out on his own bobblehead night."

After Boston whittled a 19-point second-half deficit to 74-67 on a 3-pointer by Erick Strickland with 9:37 left in the fourth quarter, the Sonics scored the next six points and the Celtics never got within single digits thereafter.

Paul Pierce had 24 points and 11 rebounds but shot just 7-of-19 for the Celtics, who fell to 2-2 on their season-high seven-game road trip.

"Good teams don't make excuses," Pierce said. "They come out and get the job done. We're going to continue to be mediocre if we don't get the job done on back-to-back nights. Everybody in the league plays on back-to-back nights. We've just got to find a way to win them. Come playoff time you're going to be in a position where you have to win back-to-back games."

Antoine Walker added 18 and nine rebounds but converted just 7-of-21 shots for Boston, which won at Portland on Friday, 107-104.

"We didn't make open shots when we had to make them," Walker said. "We had the opportunity to get back in the game but we rushed a lot of shots. To start the fourth quarter we really shot ourselves in the foot and that really killed us at the end of the game."

No other players reached double figures for Boston, which shot just 35 percent (27-of-77).

"Regardless of our shots not falling, we didn't take care of the defensive end," Pierce said. "We didn't play any defense tonight. We let a team shoot 50 percent. We're not going to win any games on the road letting teams shoot 50 percent."

Seattle shot 48 percent (42-of-87) despite the absence of forward Vin Baker, who is out indefinitely after dislocating three toes in his left foot in the team's home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The Sonics outscored the Celtics in the paint, 42-22.

"I thought these guys gave a solid effort," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "We were without one of our key guys, Baker, and shorthanded and they played hard. They played hard defensively. Offensively I thought they did a good job of executing and moving the ball."

The Sonics took the lead for good at 23-21 on a tip from Drobnjak with 1:10 left in the first quarter. Seattle shot 51 percent (25-of-49) in the first half en route to a 55-47 advantage at the break.

Seattle led 71-52 with 3:40 left in the third quarter before Boston closed the period on a 12-1 run.

"I told them before the game that we haven't been getting breaks, we felt like, from the officials," McMillan said. "A lot of things have not been happening but I think you make breaks by being aggressive in the game. I thought tonight we did that. We stayed aggressive, they made a run in the fourth quarter and we were able to hold that run."