Pistons-Celtics Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Feb 15 2012 12:18AM

A stellar performance from Rajon Rondo over the weekend allowed the Boston Celtics to avoid a third consecutive loss.

The Celtics might need to rely even more heavily on their point guard in the near future.

Injuries are accumulating for Boston, and Kevin Garnett is one of the players whose status is unknown for Wednesday night's visit from the Detroit Pistons.

Rondo's ninth career triple-double and second this season - 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds - led the way in Sunday's 95-91 home victory over Eastern Conference-leading Chicago.

"The way he played tonight, we're a pretty tough team to stop," captain Paul Pierce said after the Celtics avoided a three-game skid.

Garnett finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, but struggled with pain from an injured hip flexor. He sat out practice Tuesday and coach Doc Rivers said his timetable for returning would likely be determined before the game against Detroit.

"It's nothing bad with Kevin," Rivers told the Celtics' official website. "(Head athletic trainer Eddie Lacerte) really suggested two days off, and then he said today maybe three days off, so we'll find that out tomorrow."

If he's out, Garnett will join Brandon Bass - sidelined for two weeks with a sore right knee - and possibly Jermaine O'Neal, who is dealing with soreness in three areas on his left side. Mickael Pietrus' status is also doubtful because of an ailing knee.

Even short-handed, the Celtics (15-12) might get by against the Pistons (8-22), who are 2-12 on the road this season. Detroit earned one of those two wins last Wednesday against New Jersey as part of a four-game overall winning streak.

The Pistons have cooled off since then, and have lost their last two games including Tuesday's 99-95 home loss to San Antonio. Detroit rallied to take a three-point lead with 4:26 remaining after trailing by 15 early in the fourth quarter, but the comeback ultimately came up short.

"Five of the last six games, we've played high-level basketball," coach Lawrence Frank told the team's website. "It's not always going to be a beautiful picture, but we showed some resolve."

Rodney Stuckey had a team-best 23 points and shot 8 of 12 in Tuesday's defeat, but Greg Monroe missed nine of his 11 shots from the field and finished with four points. Monroe had averaged 21.3 points on 60.5 percent shooting in his first six February games.

Monroe had 22 points in Boston on Dec. 30, but no other Pistons player scored more than 11 in a 96-85 defeat. O'Neal had 19 points to lead four Celtics in in double figures.

Boston has won six of seven overall against Detroit and four in a row at home in the series. This will be the fourth consecutive meeting between the teams at TD Garden.

Pierce finished with 12 points in the December meeting - his season debut after he missed Boston's first three straight games with a bruised right heel. He had averaged 24.5 points on 63.0 percent shooting - 12 of 21 from 3-point range - over his previous four matchups with the Pistons.

Rondo hasn't scored in double figures against the Pistons since finishing with 15 points during a 105-100 win in Detroit on March 2, 2010. He's averaged 6.2 points on 35.1 percent shooting over his last five matchups versus Detroit.

Stuckey, Monroe lift Pistons past Celtics 98-88

Posted Feb 16 2012 12:57AM

BOSTON (AP) Detroit's Ben Gordon looked very comfortable in his new role coming off the bench and coach Lawrence Frank continued to tweak his lineup.

It added up to an easy win for the suddenly steady Detroit Pistons.

Rodney Stuckey scored 25 points and Gordon hit three 3-pointers in the opening 4:09 of the fourth quarter during a game-breaking spree that carried the Pistons to a 98-88 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

At times during the game, Frank elected to use three guards, a move that seemed to open things up offensively. He joked it's one of many that he may try after a rough start.

"It gives us a little different look, especially when (Ben's) running the team," Frank said. "If something works, I'll stay with it. Heck, I'll play five bigs if I have to. We're not 28-2. I'll continue to experiment."

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Gordon finished with 22 points for the Pistons, who won for the fifth time in seven games.

Rajon Rondo had a season-high 35 points for Boston one game after he recorded a triple-double. Chris Wilcox, starting in place of the injured Kevin Garnett, had 17 points and nine rebounds.

Gordon was the key down the stretch, going 4 of 6 on 3s in the final quarter. He credited some of it to some of the new combinations on the floor.

"I think it gives us an advantage," said Gordon, a reserve the last five games since returning from a sore left shoulder. "It gets us to the long rebounds to get on the break."

Boston captain Paul Pierce was upset with his team's record after they finished playing 19 of the first 28 games at home.

"It's very disappointing," he said. "I am very surprised by our inconsistent play. But maybe this team needs a little road trip to get it together."

The Celtics lost for the third time in four games after a five-game winning streak. Boston plays 14 of its 19 away from TD Garden.

"So far, we've proven we can beat anybody and lose to anybody," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "That's the maddening part. What we haven't proven is that we can be a consistent basketball team."

Pierce scored just 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting, and Ray Allen was held to eight free throws until getting his only basket in the closing seconds to finish with 10 points.

Garnett was a late scratch with a hip flexor.

The Pistons led by one entering the final quarter and scored 14 of the first 18 points, pulling to an 87-76 lead on Gordon's 3 from the left corner with 7:51 to play. He also hit a 3 from the top of the key during the spree.

Boston had cut it to 93-86 when Rondo was credited with a basket on a goaltending call, but Gordon nailed a 3 with 1 minute left to seal it.

During the game-breaking run, the Pistons held Rondo scoreless. He missed the only shot he took.

Rondo, who had 19 points at halftime, hit six of 10 shots in the third quarter for 12 points. He had eight of Boston's initial 10 in the quarter.

Things were going so well for Rondo on his outside jumpers that he nailed a 3 in the second quarter, his first since Dec. 30. He had missed his previous nine.

The Celtics had pulled to a 72-67 edge on Wilcox's fallaway jumper late in the third before the Pistons scored the final six points to take a one-point lead into the fourth.

Neither team held a very big lead in a first half filled mostly with open jumpers and limited defense.

Boston started the game quickly, scoring 10 of the initial 13 points for the biggest lead held by either team in the opening half. But without Garnett's influence on defense, the Pistons started getting easy shots and hit 52.6 percent (10 of 19) in the first quarter.

Notes: Rivers said Garnett "looked great in the morning shootaround" about an hour before the game. ... The Celtics play the final four before the All-Star break on the road, then open up in Cleveland. Their next home game is Feb. 29 against Milwaukee. ... Gordon was whistled for a technical midway into the third. ... Hall of Famer Bill Russell was in the stands and got a standing ovation when he was shown on the Jumbotron. ... The Pistons host Boston on Sunday after playing at home against Sacramento on Friday. ... It was the second of three meetings between the teams. The Celtics won the first, 96-85 at TD Garden on Dec. 30.

Notebook: Pistons 98, Celtics 88

Posted Wednesday February 15, 2012 11:46PM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Detroit Pistons overcame a career-high 35 points from Rajon Rondo to defeat the Boston Celtics 98-88 at TD Garden. Rodney Stuckey led a balanced Detroit scoring attack with 25 points as the Pistons came back in the second half, outscoring the Celtics by nine points in the final quarter to pull away for the win. Greg Monroe and Ben Gordon chipped in with 22 points for the visitors who have now won five of their past seven games after starting the season 4-20. Despite Rondo's tremendous night, he got little help offensively from his teammates as Paul Pierce and Ray Allen who combined for just 20 points. Kevin Garnett (hip flexor) also did not play for the hosts, who have now lost three of four games.

QUOTABLE: "I really thought it was a total team win. There were so many things that went on throughout the game, we got great production from everybody who played in the game."
-- Detroit Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank.

THE STAT: Detroit took away one of Boston's most valuable weapons in the second half: fast break opportunities. After getting scorched for 13 fast break points in the first half, the Pistons slowed down Rondo and company in transition, limiting them to just five points in transition in the second half.

TURNING POINT: Gordon made the Celtics pay for leaving him open at the arc, as the sixth man drilled two 3-pointers in the midst of an 8-0 fourth quarter run. The outburst broke open a tight contest into a double-digit lead for Detroit with 7:35 remaining as the C's got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "It's going to be up and down and you know every time it looks like we're about to take off and play well we do this. And I'm hoping at some point this year it'll keep doing this and then we'll take off. But we haven't done that. There are signs that we can, but we just haven't followed through on it."
-- Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

HOT: Monroe. Boston's undermanned frontcourt was unable to contain the standout big man in the second half, as the second-year star poured in 16 points of his 22 points (on 8-of-9 shooting) in the closing 24 minutes.

NOT: Fourth quarter Celtics offense. As Rondo cooled off late (just four points in fourth quarter), so did Boston's offense, as the team shot just 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from the field during the final frame.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Chris Wilcox. One of the lone bright spots in the setback for Boston, the veteran made the most of his second straight start to hit post a season-high 17 points and nine rebounds. With Garnett battling a sore left hip, Wilcox could continue to post big numbers if he receives the necessary minutes.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Hall of Famer and former Celtic Bill Russell watched the game from courtside and received multiple standing ovations from the TD Garden crowd during breaks in the action.

ROOKIE WATCH: JaJuan Johnson -- The first round pick has delivered back-to-back double digit scoring outings off the bench for Boston. After a strong effort against Chicago Sunday, Johnson finished with 10 points and five rebounds over 25 minutes in the setback for Boston.

NOTABLE: Garnett was a late scratch with a strained left hip flexor. It was the first game he missed all season for Boston. Jermaine O'Neal returned to action after missing the past two contests with a sore knee and shoulder. The center finished with just one point and two rebounds in 21 minutes. Gordon hit all four of his 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Ben Wallace had a season-high 11 rebounds off the bench. Boston missed 13 free throws and attempted just six three-pointers. Celtics led by as many as seven points in the third quarter. Detroit outrebounded Boston 24-14 in the second half. The two teams will play the final game of their season series Sunday night in Detroit.

UP NEXT: For the Pistons, Friday vs. Sacramento, Sunday vs. Boston, Tuesday @ Cleveland. For the Celtics, Thursday @ Chicago, Sunday @ Detroit, Monday @ Dallas.

• Pistons: Villanueva
• Celtics: Bass, Daniels

• Pistons: Gordon
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #11 Derrick Collins, #69 Ben Taylor
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:18