Rajon Rondo inspires Boston Celtics to 115 – 111 win over New York Knicks in overtime – NBA Recap
The Boston Celtics were made to work very hard by the New York Knicks, but in the end were able to pull through for a dramatic 115 – 111 overtime win. The Celtics looked to have the game in the bag at one time before the Knicks came back to force overtime,
but Boston managed to come out on top to the delight of a packed TD Garden crowd.
Celtic’s point guard Rajon Rondo produced a herculean effort to guide his side to the win. His triple-double performance wowed fans and opposing players alike, with 18 points, 20 assists and 17 rebounds accumulated.
"He's just unconventional, but like I said before the game he's one of the best in the league. There aren't many guards, maybe no guards who can put up numbers like that. We didn't do a good job of containing him and he obviously controlled the tempo of
the game." New York star Jeremy Lin said about Rondo after the game.
Rondo’s brilliance was complemented by the terrific Paul Pierce. The forward scored a game high 34 points, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, to provide invaluable offensive impetus. The rest of the cast also contributed. Brandon Bass had 18 points, so
did Kevin Garnett, with the veteran also hauling down 10 boards.
Knicks’ sensation Jeremy Lin wasn’t his explosive self tonight. He only managed 14 points and turned the ball over 6 times. Star forward Carmelo Anthony led the team’s attack with 25 points and Amar’e Stoudemire played his part with 16 and 13 rebounds.
The game was closely contested in the first half, even though the Celtics got off to a better start. They opened the game 12 – 5 and looked set to grab hold of the affairs. However, the Knicks had other plans and were able to eat away the lead, and by the
end of the first quarter were ahead at 29 – 27.
The second period saw the Knicks consolidate their position. They battled hard and then increased the gap through a 10 – 0 run that took them to 48 – 36. The Celtics were able to reduce the deficit before the break though and went into half time trailing
at 56 – 51.
Rondo and Pierce were instrumental in the Celtics charge after the interval. Boston came out firing in the third quarter and jolted past the Knicks with a barrage of attacks, scoring 29 points in total. New therefore fell behind, 80 – 72 the score to Boston
at the end.
The 4th stanza was a gripping affair. New York fought their way back into the game and some intense last ditch basketball was witnessed. With just 18.1 seconds remaining, it seemed that the visitors would win the game at 103 – 100, however Paul
Pierce drilled a clutch 3-pointer for the Celtics, taking the game to overtime.
Boston proved too much for the Knicks in OT, an early 7 – 0 run turning things in their favour and paving the way for the 115 – 111 win.
Tags: