Suns set on C's streak; Boston a step too slow in first loss of season.

Byline: Bill Doyle

BOSTON - Captain Paul Pierce thought the Celtics were a step slow on defense last night during their first loss of the season.

Coach Doc Rivers knows why.

"We're tired right now," Rivers said after the Celtics fell to the Phoenix Suns, 110-103, at the Garden, "but they are, too. They've been on the road."

Tonight's game in New Jersey will be Boston's eighth in 12 days.

"Eight games in 12 days to start the season is brutal," Rivers said.

Playing so many games, the Celtics haven't practiced much, and it shows. Their league-best defense allowed Minnesota to shoot 52 percent in a 92-90 victory Wednesday, and the Suns shot 50 percent last night.

"They can see the slippage," Rivers said. "We showed it on film, we talked about it. The last three games, that's all we've talked about, but it's tough to do something about it until you can get some real practice time."

The Celtics won't practice until Monday.

While the Celtics (6-1) are no longer unbeaten, they own the NBA's best record. Denver, the league's only other unbeaten team entering last night, lost at Miami to fall to 5-1.

The Celtics had allowed the NBA's lowest 3-point shooting percentage (24.7), but the Suns came in as the third-best 3-point shooting team (45.5 percent) in the league, just ahead of the Celtics (45.2). The Suns made 13 of 24 3-pointers, while Boston hit only 4 of 18.

"They spread the court," Pierce said, "and ran a lot of pick-and-rolls and force the rotation and when they skipped the ball, we were just a step slow, I thought, all night to the 3-point shooters."

"We didn't make the right rotations a lot of times," Rivers said, "and that's not characteristic of us."

Suns guard Jason Richardson didn't score at all in his last game Wednesday, a 122-100 loss at Orlando, but he made up for it last night by sinking his first six 3-pointers and pouring in 34 points.

"I can't remember the last time I didn't score in a game," Richardson said. "I just wanted to come out real aggressive and take it from there. Luckily, my shot was going down."

Kevin Garnett scored 26 points, 10 more than his previous season high, and contributed 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Ray Allen had 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Rajon Rondo outplayed Suns point guard Steve Nash last season when the Celtics swept two from the Suns by at least 17 points, but not last night. Rondo collected 14 points and 11 assists, while Nash had 16 points and 12 assists.

"It's funny," Rivers said of Nash. "His numbers are good, but his game was much better."

Pierce scored 16, but sank only 5 of 15 shots. Rasheed Wallace came in shooting 42.5 percent from threeland, but missed all six of his 3-pointers last night and scored just 8 points. The Celtics made only 1 of 9 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

"I thought several times," Rivers said, "we could have easily got to the basket for a quick 2 and we passed up 2s to look for 3s."

Amare Stoudemire contributed 22 points and 7 rebounds. In his last visit to the Garden on Jan. 19, Stoudemire was 0 for 7 and scored just 3 points in Boston's 104-87 victory.

The Celtics had their chances late. With the Suns up, 104-100, Stoudemire blocked Rondo's layup, and on the next trip down the court, Wallace's 3-pointer went in and out. After a timeout, Nash came off a pick and hit a 3 to make it 107-100 with 51 seconds left.

A layup by former Boston College star Jared Dudley capped an 11-2 run to open the fourth and stretch the Suns' lead to 96-85.

Richardson's 3-pointer, the Suns' 10th trey in 14 attempts to that point, pushed their lead to 77-69 midway through the third. The Celtics closed to within 85-83 by the end of the quarter and could have been even closer, but Rondo missed two foul shots and a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. The Celtics made only 9 of 18 foul shots while Phoenix sank 23 of 30.

NAME: BOSTON CELTICS

ART: PHOTOS

PHOTOG: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CUTLINE: (1) Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce is fouled on his way to the basket by Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye (8) during the first half last night at the Garden. (2) The Celtics' Kevin Garnett goes to the hoop in the first half.