Perkins returns as Celtics hand Cavs 18th loss in row

Kendrick Perkins spent the last 7 months coming back from a knee injury, and on the day he was set to return to the court he showed up in the trainer's office with a sore neck.

He was so excited he couldn't sleep.

Playing for the first time since injuring his knee in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Perkins had seven points and six rebounds in 16 minutes last night as the Boston Celtics beat Cleveland, 112-95, sending the visiting Cavaliers to their 18th straight loss.

"It felt good to be on the floor," said Perkins, who missed 43 games while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. "I know I can do better. I can do more. I was a little winded and a little off-key. I can get better."

Paul Pierce scored all 24 of his points in the first half, and Ray Allen added 18 for Boston.

It was the Cavs' first time back in Boston since losing Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the second time in 3 years the Celtics knocked them out of the playoffs.

"I don't care about all that," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. "We'll have a breakthrough. I'm not looking at the number of losses and things like that. I'm looking at it game-by-game and seeing if we're improving on both ends of the floor."

J.J. Hickson had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Cleveland.

In other games:

* At Washington, Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Nene and Al Harrington each scored 21 and the Denver Nuggets beat the Wizards, 120-109. It was the sixth win in eight games for Denver as six Nuggets scored in double figures, with Aaron Afflalo scoring 18 points, Ty Lawson 17 and Chauncey Billups 15. Nick Young had 26 points for the Wizards, Andray Blatche scored 15 of his 25 points in the first quarter, and John Wall finished with 10 points and 13 assists.

* At Dallas, Jason Terry scored a season-high 28 points and J.J. Barea added 25, lifting the Mavericks to a 112-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Tyson Chandler had a season-high 21 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 20 for the Mavericks.

* At Los Angeles, Andrew Bynum had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Lakers handed Utah its fifth loss in a row, 120-91.

* At Sacramento, Kwame Brown had 13 points and 18 rebounds as the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Kings, 94-89.

* San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich will guide the West team in the All-Star Game on Feb. 20 in Los Angeles, after leading the Spurs to the NBA's best record, a 38-7 start, the best in franchise history. Popovich also coached the West All-Stars in 2005.

* Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge has had an MRI on his right hip that shows no damage. He has a hip contusion and is probable for tomorrow night's game against the Celtics.