ATLANTA (AP) -- Their confidence shaken by a four-game losing

streak, Ricky Davis and the Boston Celtics were intent on getting

well against the lowly Atlanta Hawks.

With Davis scoring 20 of his season-high 36 points in the second

period, the Celtics raced to a 30-point lead in the first half and

held off the Hawks 116-100 on Friday night.

The Celtics shot 69 percent from the field in the first half and

60 percent overall, earning praise from coach Doc Rivers.

"This is a great win for us," Rivers said. "I don't know if

we could have shot any better. We were as efficient as we could

be."

The Celtics pushed their Atlantic Division lead over

second-place Philadelphia, which lost to Dallas on Friday night, to

four games. The Celtics, who will play the 76ers at home on Sunday,

also have regained a one-game lead over Cleveland in the fight for

home court advantage in the playoffs.

"We had to win this one," Celtics guard Gary Payton said. "We

couldn't go into that game Sunday three games up and make it a

battle. We've got to pick it up now."

The Hawks suffered their 11th straight loss, including nine

straight at home. They have lost 24 of 25 games.

"Even though they're the last-place team in the league, their

guys still came out and played hard," Davis said. "We wanted to

come out and bury them early so it wouldn't be close like the last

time."

The Celtics escaped with a 95-91 win over the Hawks in Boston on

March 9.

On Friday night, Boston led 32-18 after one period and then

quickly pushed the lead to 30 points as Davis dominated the second

period.

"It's very hard to stop him," said Hawks rookie Josh

Childress, who also set his season high with 26 points. "He can

stop on a dime and pull up. It's hard to guard him. ... What can

you do about that?"

Boston won 11 of its first 12 games after acquiring forward

Antoine Walker from Atlanta on Feb. 24. The streak put the Celtics

in control of their division, but Walker shot only 33 percent from

the field in a four-game losing streak that left Boston only three

games ahead of the 76ers.

Walker scored only seven points, and Paul Pierce had 17, four

below his average, making the bench points from Davis especially

important.

"He had to do that," Rivers said. "Paul was in foul trouble.

Ricky had to play well, and he did."

A 3-pointer by Pierce midway through the second period gave the

Celtics their first 30-point lead, 53-23.

Davis had his 16th game off the bench with 20 or more points,

the most for the Celtics in a season since Kevin McHale had 23 in

1990-91.

Davis made 14 of 17 shots from the field in his second game of

the season with at least 30 points against Atlanta. Davis had 30

points in a 106-94 win over the Hawks in Boston on Jan. 14.

The Hawks couldn't stop Davis, but they still rallied,

outscoring the Celtics 31-22 in the third quarter.

Sparked by six straight points from Tom Gugliotta, the Hawks cut

Boston's lead to nine points, 84-75, late in the third period. The

Celtics led by only 10 points, 94-84, early in the final period,

but they kept the lead in double figures.

Josh Smith had 16 points and Al Harrington added 15 for

Atlanta.Game notes
The Hawks were without starting point guard Tyronn Lue, who

was sent home with a severe headache. Lue was hit in the head in a

collision with Kwame Brown late in a loss to Washington on

Wednesday night. Rookie Royal Ivey filled in for Lue, making his

fifth start of the season, his first since Dec. 30. Ivey had four

points and two assists. ... Favoring his left knee, Walker hobbled

off the floor with 6:36 left in the third quarter, but he returned

in the fourth quarter.