Los Angeles - "The Big Ticket" had a big hand as the Boston Celtics turned Sweet 16.

Kevin Garnett scored 10 of his 18 points in the final quarter, and the white-hot Celtics clipped the pesky Atlanta Hawks 88-85 on Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to 16 games.

"We just hung in there, and KG had a tremendous effort down the stretch for us," said Celtics Paul Pierce, who also finished with 18 points. "We were tested and won on the road against a quality team."

Los Angeles  - When the Utah Jazz visited the red-hot Boston Celtics, they were concerned with Boston's "Big Three." Instead, they were victimized by "The Other One."

Rajon Rondo had a career-high 25 points, nine rebounds and eight assists Monday night as the Celtics won their 15th-straight game, a 100-91 victory over the Jazz.

Los Angeles  - Though the NBA season is less than seven weeks old, it appears to be open season on head coaches after a sixth one was was given the ax.

The struggling Sacramento Kings fired Reggie Theus on Monday after a 6-18 start, naming assistant Kenny Natt as his interim replacement.

"Another coaching change is not a pleasant situation for anybody, certainly not for myself and not for the players," said Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie.

Los Angeles  - The Philadelphia 76ers fired coach Maurice Cheeks on Saturday, one day after the team continued its slide with a season-worst offensive effort.

Expected by many to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the 76ers have opened 9-14 with eight losses in their last 10 games, including Friday's dispirited 88-72 setback at Cleveland.

Los Angeles- The Charlotte Bobcats continue to make changes, signing former All-Star forward Juwan Howard on Friday, and waiving seldom-used forward Dwayne Jones.

"We are glad to be able to add Juwan to our team," Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said in a statement. "We feel his experience and leadership will have a positive impact both on and off the court."

The move comes just two days after the Bobcats acquired Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jason Richardson and forward Jared Dudley.

Los Angeles - The Boston Celtics have never been better to start a season, but they're looking for an even bigger finish.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen scored 22 points apiece as the Celtics rolled to their season-high 13th consecutive victory, 122-88 over the woeful Washington Wizards on Thursday night.

With their most lopsided victory of the season, the Celtics improved to a league-best 21-2 mark - a record start for the famed franchise, which has won 17 NBA titles.

"It's always nice to make history when you're part of a storied franchise," Pierce said. "There aren't a lot of record-breaking opportunities with the Celtics with the history that we have.