Celtics, 97-93 (final)
Superhuman.
With his two centers fouled out of the game, Kevin Garnett held Yao Ming to two points over the final 8:12 of the game and hit every big shot as the tired Celtics came back on the Houston Rockets to claim their 15th home win of the season.
Rafer Allston gave the Rockets the lead on a three-point play with 8:56 left in fourth. That prompted Celtics coach Doc Rivers to finally bring back his Big Three.
With Scot Pollard already out of the game, Kendrick Perkins fouled out at the 8:12 mark. In a surprising move, the power forward Garnett came in to guard the league’s tallest player.
Garnett made the plays on both ends in the final quarter. He was rabid in his coverage of the Rockets big man, but he still found some energy from his seemingly inexhaustible reserve to hit big jumpers when the game was close. KG had 11 points in the final frame, giving the Celtics a win they surely wouldn’t have had without him.
Rajon Rondo had 13 points, five rebounds, and nine assists for the Celtics. Garnett finished with 26 points and nine rebounds.
Yao led the way for Houston with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Bonzai Wells had 25 points for the Rockets.
We’ll have plenty of reaction from the locker rooms in a bit.
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