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The Boston Celtics (4-0) defeated the visiting New Orleans Hornets (1-2) by a score of 97-87 tonight at the TD Garden in Boston.
The Celtics, who never really developed a good rhythm until late in the game, were led by Paul Pierce's 27 points (on 10-of-14 shooting), and Ray Allen's 17 points (on 8-of-15 shooting). Paul Pierce continued his barrage from Friday night (when he was last seen dropping 20 points in the 3rd quarter--on 7 of 7 shooting--against the Chicago Bulls), scoring an efficient 20 points in the first half. He added another crucial 5 points down the stretch in the fourth quarter as the Cs finally put the game away. Kevin Garnett also chipped in with perhaps his most well-rounded game this season, contributing 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in only 26 minutes.
The Hornets were led by Peja Stojakovic, who erupted for 26 points in 23 minutes, and the ever-steady Chris Paul, who scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and handed out 8 assists along with 2 steals.
The game started slow for both sides, with the Hornets committing 7 turnovers in the opening quarter. The Celtics also got into the act, shooting 42 percent in the opening quarter, while committing 4 turnovers.
The Celtics turned things around in the 2nd quarter, led at first by strong bench play and then later in the quarter by Paul Pierce who lifted the Cs with 10 points in the last 4 minutes of the quarter to put Boston up 9 at the half.
Chris Paul, who was relatively invisible in the first half, helped the Hornets get back into the game in the 3rd quarter, leading New Orleans to a 31-point quarter by scoring 14 points himself to get the game within 3 going into the fourth. However, the Cs were able to put the clamps on the Hornets in the 4th, only allowing 18 points and closing the game on an 11-4 run in the last 4 minutes of the game to get the win.
The highly anticipated matchup between Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo didn't treat us to the high octane playmaking and scoring that the two have treated us to in the past, but there were a couple of dust-ups in the game to keep things interesting. Rondo, who scored 6 points and handed out 10 assists with 4 steals and 4 turnovers, had a so-so game and perhaps let Paul off easy on the defensive end, deferring a little too much to his playmaking responsibilities. Chris Paul looked a little disinterested in the game in the first half, only to erupt in the third quarter in a desperate attempt to bring the Hornets back.
The real fireworks in this matchup of top-5 point guards happened after the whistles blew. Both players, who were assessed double techs earlier in the game after getting tangled up in some rebounding action, had to be separated after the game. Replays showed that Rondo walked up to Chris Paul, who was engaged in friendly conversation with Paul Pierce, and slightly bumped him with his shoulder. CP3 reacted by throwing up his arms and backing away, while Celtic players rushed to get between both players. In postgame, Doc Rivers chided both players by saying the competitiveness was important, but that it needed to end when the game ended.
The Celtics play again on Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Sunday, 01 November 2009
The Boston Celtics (4-0) defeated the visiting New Orleans Hornets (1-2) by a score of 97-87 tonight at the TD Garden in Boston. The...
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