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BOSTON -- A runaway start for the Boston Celtics turned into a tight finish.Al Horford led the Celtics early and late, with 26 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots to lead Boston to a 97-92 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.He just was aggressive. He knocked down his shots. He did what we needed him to do and he carried us tonight, said Isaiah Thomas, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half to help the Celtics hold off the Kings.Jae Crowder added 16 points and Avery Bradley had 15 points and nine assists for Boston, which needed a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away and finish off the Kings.Sacramento continued to scrap until the end. Horford helped seal it with six seconds left when he swatted away 3-point attempt by DeMarcus Cousins, then hit a pair of foul shots for Bostons final points.I know that he tried to draw something there. I just stayed solid and not let him get a shot off, Horford said. Im just trying to be active -- as active as I can be.Sacramento outrebounded Boston 51-44, but hurt itself in the final period with turnovers, missed shots and a technical foul called on Matt Barnes as Boston surged ahead.Cousins led Sacramento with 28 points and nine rebounds. Darren Collison and Rudy Gay scored 13 apiece for the Kings.Cousins is Cousins. Hes going to score, Boston coach Brad Stevens said. Hes to get 28 points or whatever he got, but you cant let those other guys have huge nights too.The Kings were playing for the first time since Monday. Sacramentos six-game road trip was interrupted when Wednesdays game at Philadelphia was postponed because of condensation on the floor.The layoff showed early as the Celtics went up by 13 points in the first period, but the Kings regrouped and rallied to tie it by the end of the quarter.Its almost like we have to get hit first for us to react. Its not good for us, Cousins said. Were in the situation where we have to come in and be aggressive every night. If we dont figure this out, were going to continue to have these kind of games and just another losing season.BIG ALIt was Horfords best game since leaving Atlanta to sign with Boston over the summer. His previous high for scoring with the Celtics was 20 points and he hadnt blocked more for Boston since getting four against Brooklyn in his Celtics debut.Hes all over the place. He covers a lot of ground. He calls out calls. I think hes a competitive guy and thats proved in his winning track record, Stevens said. One thing about Al -- hes always in the stands. His arms are always long. He takes up a lot of space and he reacts quickly to what is going on.SLOW-DOWN OFFENSEThe Kings had their chances to win in Boston for the first time since 2007. They didnt help themselves down the stretch, making just 6 of 23 in the fourth quarter and going without a field goal from Gays layup with 8:33 remaining until Gay hit a 3-pointer with 4:51 left to play pulled Sacramento within 84-81.We got off to a really slow start, Gay said. Theyre a good team but we shot ourselves in the foot today.BIG BENCHSacramento reserves outscored Bostons 33-12. Barnes led the Kings reserves with 12 points and sparking Sacramentos rally in the first quarter after the dreadful start.Their bench crushed us when they came in, Stevens said. I didnt think we responded to attacking them well or defending them well with their energy in that group.TIP-INSKings: The Kings closed the first quarter on a 13-0 run to tie it at 29-all entering the second period. ... ... Sacramento entered the game having lost eight straight visits to Boston.Celtics:Horford scored 12 of Bostons 29 points in the first quarter. ... Thomas led the Celtics in scoring the previous 14 straight games.UP NEXT:Kings: Continue a long road trip Sunday at New York.Celtics: At Philadelphia on Saturday in the first of three straight on the road Barry Bonds Pirates Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Kent Tekulve Jersey . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Josh-Bell-pirates-jersey/ . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Jung-ho Kang Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Adam Frazier Pirates Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Australias Scott Hend will take a one-shot lead over Swedens Alex Noren into the final round of the Omega European Masters after the pair experienced contrasting fortunes in Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland.Hend cruised three shots clear of the chasing pack with five birdies in the first 10 holes, but saw his lead reduced when playing partner Noren holed from 50 feet for birdie on the 17th.The 2009 champion then enjoyed two huge slices of luck on the last when his wayward drive hit a spectator and stayed out of the trees, from where his mis-hit approach bounced over the water short of the green and onto the putting surface.In contrast, Hends drive finished on a cart path to the right of the fairway and the 43-year-old went on to make his only bogey of the day to card a 65 and finish 13 uunder par.ddddddddddddWe had perfect conditions for scoring today so if youre not going forward youre going to be lapped by the rest of the field, Hend told Sky Sports. I cant complain; I left a few shots out there but made up for that by making some great par saves.I thought it was a bit unfortunate (on the 18th) to bounce down the cart path between the bunkers. If I was in the bunker I could have just dumped it in the middle of the green and made par.I was a bit worried about hitting the tree in front of me and then hitting it in the water so thought You know what, if you make a five so be it, just dont really mess it up and put a big number on the card. ' ' '