Celtics, 100-96 (final)
On paper it looked like a Guaranteed Gino Game. In reality it wasn’t that easy.
Gino made an appearance, but the Celtics never looked completely comfortable in a 100-96 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics are now 28-3.
On a night when three superstars weren’t going to cut it, Tony Allen stepped up and bailed out a team that desperately needed his energy. Allen scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half, almost single-handedly willing the Celtics to a two-point halftime lead.
The Celtics needed Allen’s play especially because Ray Allen missed all nine of his shots from the field.
The other two members of the Big Three still put in their usual solid games. Paul Pierce finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Kevin Garnett added 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Mike Miller led Memphis with 16 points and 8 rebounds. He missed only four shots all game, but he didn’t get enough touches to put the Grizzlies over the top. Pao Gasol was almost completely ineffective for the Grizzlies. He made only 3-of-13 shots.
Doc Rivers said it was only human to fear his team would overlook Memphis with Detroit looming on the schedule Saturday night. The Celtics did seem to come out flat, but their defensive intensity, combined with their superior talent, turned a lackluster performance into a win. These kinds of performances did not produce wins for the Celtics last season.
Tomorrow night’s opponent, the Pistons, took care of business and ran their record to 26-7 with a win over Toronto tonight. The NBA’s two best teams meet Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in what is must-see TV in early January.
We’ll have postgame reaction from the Garden in a bit.
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