WALTHAM, Mass. -- If he could, Doc Rivers probably would like to smack Tony Allen across the back of his head.

But then he'd probably give him a hug immediately afterwards.

That's the sense the Celtics' head coach gave yesterday when asked about how to handle Allen in the wake of his current legal troubles. Last week, the second-year guard was charged with felony aggravated assault in connection with an August fight at a diner in Allen's hometown of Chicago. He spent Wednesday and Thursday nights in jail before appearing before a Cook County judge and posting a $150,000 bond.

"You are supportive. I love Tony. He's a good kid who made a horrendous choice," Rivers said. "I look at it like a family -- you tell him it was wrong, but then you put your arms around him."

On Aug. 28, Allen allegedly beat Nigel Odum during a scrum that led to another man, Marktwain Johnson , being shot. Allen is not a suspect in the shooting, but he was apparently caught on the White Palace Grill's surveillance camera hitting and kicking Odum, who suffered a broken eye socket as a result.

Odum and Johnson have filed civil suits against Allen, seeking monetary damages. Boston teammate Ricky Davis , like Rivers, said he is supportive of Allen.

"You make sure to say something to him every day," said Davis. "(Tell him) to keep his head high, make sure he knows he has support."

Allen and his lawyer are confident that he will be exonerated of the charges, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The former Oklahoma State standout must return to court tomorrow for a preliminary hearing. He has been allowed to travel for the purposes of his employment.

In 77 games last year, Allen averaged 6.4 points and just under three rebounds.

Whatever works

Rivers said he will stick with the same starting lineup -- Delonte West, Davis, Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Mark Blount -- for the team's final two preseason games, tonight at New Jersey and tomorrow against Cleveland.

But the second unit is still in flux, with Rivers indicating that he'll use players based on the matchups with the opposing teams. The coach would like to see a close game in one of these final two, he said, so his team can work on end-of-game situations and plays.

Davis, who came off the bench last season, has started in the preseason, but has played a good deal of his minutes as the leader of the second unit.

With just nine days until the regular-season opener against New York, Rivers said the Celts need to get cracking.

"We have a lot of work to do. We have to be better defensively if we want to win games. Without naming names, six or seven guys have been exceptional since camp started, but we still have work to do," he said.

More of the same

Rivers said he didn't see much difference in Al Jefferson from Friday night to Saturday, when the second-year big man made his preseason debut after suffering a sprained ankle on the first day of training camp.

On Saturday, "He got the same shots, just some of them went in," said Rivers, who reiterated that he thinks the 6-foot-10 20-year old can be "a special player" if he works at it.

Jefferson was 4-for-8 for 10 points on Saturday night, following his 4-for-9 performance on Friday night.