Rajon Rondo helps Boston Celtics defeat the New York Knicks 96–93: NBA Playoffs
Rajon Rondo scored 30 points and Ray Allen went 6-of-8 from the field, as the Boston Celtics overcame a huge 42-point game from Carmelo Anthony to hand the New York Knicks a 96-93 loss, at the TD Garden on Tuesday night.
Rondo pushed the ball up the floor throughout the game and Ray Allen was perfect (4–4) from behind the arc, as the Celtics managed a hard fought win to take a 2–0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Anthony was brilliant from the floor and had a breakout night on the glass as he scored 42 points, 17 rebounds and six assists.
The Knicks were playing without Chauncey Billups and only saw limited minutes from star big-man Amare’ Stoudemire due to back spasms. However, that didn’t make the game any easier for the Celtics, as they had to fight until the dying seconds to seal the
win on Tuesday.
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni praised his team's performance on the night. He said, "I probably (have) never been more proud of a team and how they battled the circumstances. How hard they played and how tough they played."
Boston shot 47 percent from the floor in comparison to 35.6 percent for the Knicks.
The game was closely contested throughout, but Kevin Garnett made a jumper late in the final minute and stole the ball with four seconds to go to seal the game for Boston. The Knicks dominated the boards and outrebounded the Celtics by a 53-37 margin.
Paul Pierce had a slow start as he missed his first five shots but went on to score 20 points for the Celtics, while Ray Allen chipped in with 18 points. The teams traded baskets throughout the game and fought hard. Boston held a narrow two-point lead at
the end of the first quarter and trailed by just one point going into the half time break.
Pierce hit a jumper at the 44.7 second mark in the third to put Boston up 74–63. Carmelo Anthony then scored seven points to start the final quarter with a 7-2 run to reduce the Knicks deficit to two points.
The Celtics came up big in the final quarter and managed to triple-team Anthony and forced him to pass the ball to Jared Jeffries for the final shot as he turned the ball over. Garnett dove to the floor to grab the loose ball as he secured possession and
the win for Boston.
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