That doesn't mean he has disappeared from any scouting reports.

``He actually looks like Reggie Miller with the way he plays,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ``He's got that quirky shot that he's able to get off.''

Martin wasn't the only King who was able to have it his way early on vs. the Celts. Sacramento hit its first five shots, and by the time John Salmons hit his second 3-pointer of the first quarter, the Kings were shooting 9-for-10 from the field with a 21-13 lead to show for their efforts.

Paul Pierce picked up his second foul not long thereafter, followed in short order by No. 2 on Kendrick Perkins. The Celtics chipped back with a 6-0 run, but the next time down the court on offense Pierce spun into his third foul of the night.

The foul trouble for Pierce signaled an earlier-than-expected entrance by Tony Allen, who had missed the previous 11 games with a sprained right ankle. Pierce further complicated matters by griping his way into a technical foul, which Martin converted to put Sacramento up 24-19.

The first quarter, one of the worst of the season for the home team, would end with the Celtics still in good shape despite the fact that Sacramento shot 64.7 percent (57 percent from 3-point range).

Glen Davis was whistled for the second technical of the quarter when he swung on the rim following a dunk. Despite this self-inflicted damage, the Celtics only trailed by a basket, 30-28, heading into the second.

All it took was the break between quarters to bring the Celtics back to their senses.

The C's opened the second with a 14-3 run that was good for a 42-33 lead, as well as some all-important confidence builders for Allen, who scored twice in the run.

A putback by Allen triggered a 7-0 run that also included Eddie House's second trey of the game. House would go on to bury a 20-footer, after a Ray Allen trey, and the Celtics led 60-45 with 2:31 left in the half.

House was just heating up. He hit back-to-back 3's, the latter for a 66-47 lead with :53 to play, and finished with a 16-point second (6-of-8 shooting).

- mrmurphy@bostonherald.com