Cs (19-4) Lose for 2nd Time in Four Games

December Doldrums, which Began in Home Loss to Portland, Continue in Road Loss to Cavs as Cs Drop to 19-4

AINGE, SICHTING, AND CARLISLE CLANG RIMS IN DJ'S ABSENCE

RICHFIELD, Ohio Hurry back, DJ. The fellas need you. K.C. Jones tried everybody in the backcourt last night, but no one could do the job.

"I just don't think they are the same team without DJ," Cleveland coach George Karl said after his Cavaliers beat the Celtics , 109-99, last night at the Richfield Coliseum. "You don't have to worry about any of their guards . . . I mean, they're NBA guards, but who are you going to let beat you - Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Larry Bird; or Jerry Sichting, Rick Carlisle and Danny Ainge?"

In the absence of Dennis Johnson, who has a hyperextended left thumb and may play tonight against the Bulls, Ainge (5 for 13), Carlisle (1-6) and Sichting (2-8) clanged the Richfield rims to the tune of 37 percent.

Bird (31 points, 11 rebounds) tried to make up for the backcourt masons. He played like his old self for three quarters, but he scored only two in the fourth quarter while the Celts failed to catch Cleveland.

"We tried to make him put the ball on the floor," said Karl. "It looked like he was hurting when he drove to the basket."

Jones started Sichting in place of DJ, but the Hoosier gunner never warmed up. He played only six minutes of the second half as Jones resorted to Scott Wedman (5-10) in the backcourt at crunch time.

"From where I was looking, it was pretty cold out there," admitted Sichting.

The Celtics shot 42 percent and were outrebounded, 49-44. World B. Free led the Cavs with 22, and rocketman Roy Hinson added 20 with 10 rebounds. It was the Cavs' second big win in two nights. They won at Milwaukee Friday.

"We decided we had to start getting physical again, like we did in the play-offs (against Boston) last year," said Free.

Asked to sum up the game in 25 words or less, Parish held his nose, then commented, "I don't feel that we took them seriously enough. Hopefully, this will be a lesson for us. We can't be overconfident like that."

It looked like a Boston blowout in the first few minutes. Cleveland's first seven possessions yielded five turnovers, a missed field goal and three missed free throws. The Celts broke to an 8-0 lead and led, 21-12, before Cleveland starting fighting back.

The Cavs cut Boston's lead to four at the end of one and battled to a 40-40 tie with 3:10 left in the half.

Oddly enough, Keith Lee was on the court when Cleveland seized the lead for the rest of the night. That's right, Keith Lee, Mr. Milkbone Dog Bisquit Award Winner of 1985.

After Chuck Wagon Brothers Mel Turpin, Lonnie Shelton and Mark West had pulled Cleveland even, Lee made his NBA debut and put the Cavs ahead to stay.

A rookie from Memphis State who has shown all the enthusiasm of Alex Johnson, Lee made three of three shots and had two rebounds in four minutes as Cleveland surged to a 53-45 halftime lead.

The first-half lowlight for the Celts came when Parish yelled at Ainge after Ainge failed to get the Chief the ball in time to avert a three-second violaton.

Cleveland held serve in the third quarter as Jones watched more Green guards flounder. Carlisle and Sam Vincent were no better than Sichting. Ainge continued to struggle. It was 82-74 when Jones tried Wedman in the backcourt in the fourth.

Wedman was hot and Ainge brought the Celts to within two, but Free and John Bagley got Cleveland's lead back up to six. Then Wedman stepped out of bounds with the ball and Bird was tagged with a stupid technical foul. Free's free throw made it 97-90 with 3:57 left. Two more free throws by Free (after McHale missed a jump hook) made it 99-90 with 2:55 left. Ball game.

The Cavs owned the league's worst home record (4-7) and had lost 16 straight regular-season games to Boston. Adding insult to injury, Cleveland's victory was accomplished without the services of injured players Edgar Jones and Phil Hubbard.