CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Celtics Grind Out a Win in New Jersey

by FLCeltsFan 11:44 PM

In a game of runs that was downright ugly at times, the Celtics ground out a win against a tough Nets team. Both teams went on runs as the Nets went up 12 early and the Celtics came back to go up 47-44 at the half. The Nets went back up by 9 in the second and the Celtics came back once again for an 86-77 win. There were 15 lead changes and 11 ties in the game as it went back and forth until the Celtics used their defense in the fourth quarter to take control and win the game.

Both teams struggled from the free throw line with the Celtics shooting 13-21 for 62% and the Nets were a woeful 9-24 for 38%. At the end of 3, the Nets were out-rebounding the Celtics 42-29 but they put forth a bit more effort on the boards in the 4th to finish with a 52-44 deficit on the boards. The Celtics shot 48% from the field while holding the Nets to just 37%.

In the third quarter, Rajon Rondo took a hard fall and hit the pole on his way to land in the front row of seats. He left the game with a sore back and did not return. House and Tony Allen manned the point the rest of the game. Hopefully it isn't serious and Rondo will be ready to go in the Wizards game.

Rondo finished with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in just 22 minutes as he left the game with a sore back. House and Tony shared the point guard duties the rest of the game and House finished with 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal while Tony had 2 points and 2 rebounds. Ray Allen had a very good game after sitting out the game against the Bobcats and finished with 16 points on 7-14 shooting to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

Pierce amazed me with the fact that he can have a very quiet game and seem as though he isn't doing much and then finishes with a stat line of 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. KG played 33 minutes and finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Perk played only 18 minutes as he picked up a technical for complaining on a call in the second quarter and Doc pulled him and he never re-entered the game.

Posey played very well in spurts, hitting big shots and pulling down rebounds during one of the Celtics' runs. He finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Big Baby once again did some good things on both ends of the court finishing with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block. Pollard, Scal, Powe, and Pruitt all registered DNP's.

The game went back and forth and a couple of times it looked as though the Nets were going to pull away but the Celtics fought back each time. They clamped down on defense in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.

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