OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Baron Davis had 27 points and nine assists, and Mickael Pietrus matched his season high with 26 points in the Golden State Warriors’ fourth victory in five games, 110-100 over the Boston Celtics on Friday night.

Andris Biedrins scored 20 points and matched his career high with 17 rebounds for the Warriors, who got back above .500 (16-15) and never trailed in the final 46 minutes of their fifth straight home victory.

Playing without injured regulars Monta Ellis and Troy Murphy, the Warriors basically used a seven-man rotation and still easily earned their second victory over Boston in 10 days.

Tony Allen had 20 points and seven rebounds in the Celtics’ fifth straight loss following a five-game winning streak. Al Jefferson and Delonte West scored 18 points apiece, but the Celtics never got closer than eight points in the fourth quarter of their third stop in a five-game West Coast road trip.

Paul Pierce has missed the Celtics’ last four games since aggravating his left foot injury during the Warriors’ 96-95 victory in Boston last week. Pierce had 27 points in that game, but scored just two in the fourth quarter – and failed to get off a shot under tight Warriors defense in the final seconds.

Boston has endured four straight double-digit losses since.

The Warriors maintained a steady lead throughout the first three quarters, and they lost no ground when Davis went to the bench with his fifth foul with 9:13 to play. Biedrins provided his usual smooth inside play, and Pietrus – wearing a facemask to protect his broken nose – hit three 3-pointers to keep Golden State ahead.

The sellout crowd repeatedly chanted “We want Powe!” in the fourth quarter, calling for Oakland native and former Cal star Leon Powe. Coach Doc Rivers finally played the Celtics’ rookie forward with 2:49 to play, and Powe quickly scored five points and grabbed four rebounds with fans cheering his every move.

The short-handed Celtics could have used the former Pac-10 star’s moxie much earlier.

With their top scorer and floor leader sidelined back home in Los Angeles, a few Celtics played hurt to pick up the slack. West played aggressively after missing the Celtics’ last game with back spasms, while Wally Szczerbiak also played just his second game since returning from a sprained ankle – though Szczerbiak went 3-for-17.

Murphy missed his 10th straight game with a sore left foot, but could return for Saturday night’s game at Sacramento. Ellis missed his second straight game with a bruised right shoulder after a hard fall in Miami last week.

Notes: The Warriors had just their third sellout of the season at Oracle Arena, drawing 19,596 fans. … Golden State G Anthony Roberson missed his second straight with a sprained big toe. … Celtics C Michael Olowokandi was back on the inactive list after finally returning from a five-week absence with a torn abdominal muscle in Wednesday night’s loss to the Clippers. … Davis didn’t make a turnover in 39 minutes. Jefferson made six for Boston.

AP-ES-12-30-06 0110EST


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