BOSTON (Ticker) -- On the final day of the regular season, the defense rested.
Rookie Marcus Banks scored a career-high 28 points as the Boston Celtics set a FleetCenter record for points with a 137-132 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Mark Blount scored 27 points and Ricky Davis added 24 for the playoff-bound Celtics (36-46), who snapped a five-game losing streak and avoided matching the 1988-89 Golden State Warriors for the longest streak heading into the playoffs.
"Tonight was a confidence booster," Banks said. "I got playing time. Coach (John Carroll) was like, 'Don't worry about anything, just go out there and play as hard as you can.' Good things happened for me tonight."
Playing without leading scorer Paul Pierce, who was placed on the injured list before the game with a sprained right ankle, Boston took a 105-100 lead into the fourth quarter. Pierce is expected to be available when the Celtics open the playoffs Saturday against top-seeded Indiana.
The teams combined for 138 points in the first half, with the Hawks holding a 71-67 lead. It marked the first time since January 26, 1993 that a pair of NBA teams reached the century mark in the third quarter.
"Not much defense out there tonight," Atlanta coach Terry Stotts said. "It wasn't a defensive struggle, but both teams got a lot of steals to creat some offense in transition."
The contest featured 13 double-figure scorers - including five with 20 or more points - and four players with double-doubles. Chris Crawford and Stephen Jackson paced Atlanta with 24 points apiece.
"Everybody played injury-free and had some fun and went out there to finish on a good note and be professional about it," Jackson said. The Hawks shot just under 53 percent (48-for-91) and the Celtics just under 52 percent (46-of-89).
"I think it helped the team's psyche that you give up 71 points in the first half and then at least you come out and compete a little harder in the second half defensively," Carroll said.
Atlanta closed to 115-113 on Jason Terry's 3-pointer with 7:24 to go, but the Celtics took control with an 8-0 spurt, opening a 123-113 edge on Davis' 3-pointer with 6:10 to play.
"In the playoffs you can't give up 40 points in the paint and allow an opponent to shoot 55 percent and expect to win," Blount said.
Hawks guard Bob Sura, whose apparent third straight triple-double was nixed by the NBA, scored 14 points but did not play in the second half after straining his left hamstring in the second quarter.
The Hawks finished 28-54, their third 50-loss campaign in five years.
