The Celtics became the first team since the Kings in 2001 to go 1-2-3 through Texas. They are the first Celtics team to accomplish this feat since the 1986-87 season. What's more, the Celtics went 6-0 against the three Texas teams this season. They are 4-0 on their current road trip and are playing great basketball down the stretch toward the playoffs.
This was another exciting game that was close throughout. At the end of one, the Mavs were up 29-24. Dallas led 48-46 at the half and 70-63 at the end of three. They kept it close and as with other recent games, they clamped down defensively at the end to win it 94-90.
Rondo struggled throughout his 22 minutes going 0-7 from the field with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals and a very un-Rondolike 5 turnovers. Sam Cassell played 26 minutes and didn't shoot much better (1-9) but did take better care of the ball with no turnovers and finished with 4 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. It is this luxury of being able to bring Sam in with his poise and experience that may be the difference between this team being a contender or a champion. House played only 9 minutes for 4 points, 1 assist and 1 rebound.
Ray Allen came back from his foot injury and played 31 minutes finishing with 21 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal. He had a very clutch 3 with 31 seconds left when Sam found him in the corner for his 6th assist. Pierce had a great game with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks. He continually attacked the basket and drew fouls. He was 10-13 from the line but did miss 2 critical free throws with just over 2 minutes left. KG also had a great game finishing with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist and 1 block. As the announcers were talking about his poor free throw shooting, he calmly hit 2 free throws with 5 seconds left to clinch the win.
Perk fouled out with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block and played some very good defense. When Perk fouled out, Doc re-inserted Ray Allen and it paid off with the big 3 at the end. PJ Brown played 12 quality minutes and hustled for rebounds and loose balls and finished with 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. Powe once again made the most of his minutes with 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block and took a charge to draw the foul on Dirk. Posey also gave quality minutes off the bench with 12 points and 4 rebounds and hit 2 clutch free throws in the end of the game as well.
The Celtics shot only 35% from the field while the Mavs shot 39%. The Mavs also out rebounded the Celtics 51-49. But the Celtics took good care of the ball with only 8 turnovers while the Mavs turned it over 14 times. They kept the game close throughout and pulled out the game with defense at the end. The Celtics have just one more game on this road trip with a stop in New Orleans on Saturday. Win or lose in that one, this trip has been a resounding success.
[Box Score]
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