Cs (22-7) Rebound from Humiliating Christmas-Day Defeat

CELTICS AVOID 5TH CONSECUTIVE ROAD LOSS

Rookie Karl (The Mailman) Malone almost always delivers . . . but you know what they say about the Christmas mail.

Local antagonist Danny Ainge made two big shots down the stretch, and Larry Bird rebounded a Malone one-handed miss with two seconds left last night as the Celtics hung on for a 110-108 victory over the Utah Jazz.

OK, maybe it's not time to start talking Super Bowl again, but the way things have been going for the Celtics, any win is a relief.

This was a night in which K.C. Jones tried the Pine Brothers for awhile, but couldn't find anyone in green who could stop Adrian Dantley. Jones used Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, even Bill Walton, but Dantley still scored 39 points.

Unfortunately for Jazz coach Frank Layden, Utah didn't have any other offensive threats. The Jazz were tough from the line, however. Utah made 30 of 30 free throws (the NBA record is 39 of 39 set by the Jazz).

Meanwhile, the Celtics were getting the usual 24 points from both McHale and Bird, and Ainge was shutting up the boo-birds with 8-for-13 shooting. He silenced the 12,702 twice late in the fourth quarter.

Boston led almost all the way. It was 33-27 at the end of one, 60-53 at halftime, and 88-81 at the end of three. Boston's biggest lead was 13 points (66-53) early in the third.

With 2:01 left, Mark Eaton hit two free throws that gave the Jazz their first lead (106-105) since 10-9. Boston called time. It was in-your-face time for Ainge.

After the pause, the ex-Brigham Young baby-faced assasin buried a three- pointer from out top as the shot clock wound down. Boston led, 108-106. Then Bird rebounded an Eaton hook and the Celtics looked safe. Wrong. John Stockton rebounded a Parish miss and was fouled by Ainge. Stockton made both to tie it with 59 seconds left.

Ainge wasn't through. He came off a pick and swished another 18-footer from out top to give the Celts a 110-108 lead with 0:44 showing. Layden called time.

Stockton forced a pass into the lane, and the ball rattled loose. Utah recovered with 25 seconds left (there was considerable discussion about the clock reading) and got five seconds left on the shot clock.

After Utah inbounded, Stockton missed off the drive, and Eaton knocked it out of bounds. DJ was fouled with 18 seconds left and missed both (shades of opening night in the Meadowlands). Eaton (five blocks) rebounded the second miss, and Utah called time with 17 seconds left.

The Jazz inbounded, worked it down the floor and settled for a Malone down- the-lane one-hander. The shot came off the rim and into Bird's hands. Two seconds later, the final buzzer sounded.

"We had something else in mind (Dantley perhaps?)," admitted Frank Layden. "Still, we got a decent shot. You don't win the game on one shot."

Utah's late-game futility took some of the sting off Ainge's late-game Jazzbusters. Still, Ainge is the man these Jazz fans love to boo. There aren't a lot of BYU fans in this part of the state, and despite his wholesome ads for the Utah Dairy Association, Ainge is no more popular in Salt Lake City then he is in the rest of NBA America. "I heard a few cheers," said Ainge. "But I get booed in every city in the league."

Ainge was modest abou his late-game jumpers. "On the three-pointer the shot clock was running down and DJ dished it off and I pretty much had to shoot it. On the next one, I was the second option. We were looking to hit Larry in the low post."

It was a significant victory for the Celtics because it averted a fifth straight road loss and the fourth three-game losing streak of the seven-year Bird era. It also featured a return to a running game and the emancipation of the Pine Brothers.

Sam Vincent, Scott Wedman, Jerry Sichting and Walton all played 10 or more minutes. Wedman hit four of six shots and Walton had six rebounds in 18 minutes. Meanwhile, the Big Five got some rest and had something left for the finish.

"Our bench hasn't been producing like it should," admitted Jones. "The combinations aren't working real well, so we are trying to mix them up a little . . . We're going to keep trying combinations until something works for us."