Celtics, 111-100 (final)

By Gary Dzen

February 6, 2008

1 minute to read

Boston wins.

Kinda feels good to say that, doesn’t it?

Wins haven’t come easily without Kevin Garnett, and tonight’s victory against the Los Angeles Clippers was no different. This was no blowout.

Clippers point guard Sam Cassell was ejected for a hard foul on Rajon Rondo with 2:54 left in the first half. Without Cassell, the Clippers closed an 11-point halftime lead to three points by the start of the fourth quarter.

To make matters worse for the Celtics, the Celtics were without Paul Pierce for almost the entire fourth quarter. Pierce stayed on the bench and smiled on several occasions, but it’s possible he still wasn’t over the flu-like symptoms he suffered last night in Cleveland. He checked back in for the Celtics with under-a-minute to play.

The Celtics bench stepped up in the fourth. Tony Allen had 11 points in the period, including the kind of emphatic dunk he is making more routine than anomaly. Leon Powe had seven points and four rebounds in the final quarter.

The Celtics held a 104-96 lead with 1:43 remaining in the game, and Eddie House drained a long three-pointer with 1:27 left to put the Celtics up 11. It was all the cushion Boston would need.

Rondo played one of his better games of the season for the Celtics. The speedy point guard had 12 points while dueling with Cassell in the second, and he finished with 24 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds.

Pierce scored the first nine points of the game, but the Celtics captain played just 24 minutes.

Corey Maggette led the Clippers with a quiet 33 points. Five players (Maggette, Chris Kaman, Quinton Ross, Cassell, and Cuttino Mobley) scored in double figures for LA.

We’ll have plenty of postgame reaction from the locker rooms in a bit.