Rockets-Celtics Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Mar 05 2012 4:13PM

While trade rumors surrounding Rajon Rondo haven't gone away, the Boston Celtics likely aren't too eager to deal their All-Star point guard following his latest effort.

The host Celtics look to match their longest winning streak of the season Tuesday night against the scuffling Houston Rockets, who have surprisingly thrived in Boston of late.

After dropping five straight Feb. 15-22, the Celtics (19-17) have since turned a corner. Scoring just 90.9 points per game this season, Boston has averaged 102.5 in winning four in a row.

Leading the Eastern Conference with 10.2 assists per contest, Rondo has done it all over that stretch. Five days after recording 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists during a 102-96 win over Milwaukee, Rondo had 18, a career-high 17 and 20, respectively, during Sunday's 115-111 overtime win over New York.

"I know we're all in this together, but it's great when he takes over like that," coach Doc Rivers said. "He's the smartest point guard I've ever been around. He's a brilliant player like that."

Rondo became the first player to record a triple-double with at least 17 in each category since Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, who had 24 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds on April 18, 1989.

The Celtics have climbed into seventh place in the East during their winning streak and now lead the eighth-place Knicks by 1 1/2 games.

"It was a big win for us," Rondo said. "We're trying to get a little separation."

Paul Pierce also came up big Sunday, matching a season-high with 34 points - including a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation.

Rondo and Pierce were, in contrast, limited to a combined 14 points on 4-of-21 shooting during a 93-77 loss at Houston (21-17) last March 18. The Celtics have dropped three straight in this series overall and eight of 10 versus the Rockets at home.

Boston, however, has won eight of 10 at TD Garden and could be facing Houston at just the right time. The Rockets suffered their third consecutive defeat Sunday, falling 105-103 to the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime.

"We had some opportunities, we just didn't take advantage," said Rockets coach and former Celtics star Kevin McHale, who won three NBA championships with Boston.

"When you have a (good) team like that on the ropes, you just can't have any mistakes and we gave away a couple down the stretch and it hurt us."

There were 20 ties and 24 lead changes Sunday, but the Rockets were outrebounded for the 10th consecutive game and ultimately came up short. Houston has been outrebounded by an average of 12.0 boards during its skid.

"Both teams were playing well," said Kevin Martin, who missed what would have been the game-winning 3 with one second left in OT. "I think that's why it hurts the most. We have been harping over coming out and setting a tone, effort-wise. We did everything right, except for one thing."

Martin, who had a season-high 35 points Friday during a 117-105 loss to Denver, finished with 25 on 6-of-22 from the field.

Houston, which opens a five-game road trip Tuesday, has been outscored by 13.3 points per contest in losing three straight in opposing arenas.

Celtics awaken in time to beat Rockets 97-92 in OT

By JIMMY GOLEN
Posted Mar 06 2012 11:27PM

BOSTON (AP) The streaky Boston Celtics are winning again, just in time for an Atlantic Division showdown with the first-place Philadelphia 76ers.

Paul Pierce scored seven of his 30 points in overtime on Tuesday night as the Celtics recovered from a second-half slumber to beat the Houston Rockets 97-92 for their fifth consecutive win since the All-Star break. The Celtics had lost five in a row heading into the break.

"We're starting to play good basketball, and we're starting to win games where we don't play good basketball," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "And that may be more important."

Kevin Garnett grabbed 13 rebounds to pass Shaquille O'Neal and move into 12th on the NBA's career list. Ray Allen scored 21, including a 3-pointer to give Boston the lead with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Rajon Rondo had 12 assists, but all of his nine points came in the first quarter and he missed an open layup with a chance to clinch it in regulation. Goran Dragic tied it for the Rockets to force overtime.

It was the second straight overtime game for Boston, which beat the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Celtics could tie the Sixers atop the division with a victory in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

"We're still not there yet," Rondo said.

Luis Scola had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Samuel Dalembert had 11 points and 17 boards for Houston, which lost for the fourth game in a row. The Rockets, who had been outrebounded in 10 consecutive games, grabbed 57 rebounds to 38 for Boston.

Garnett finished with 13,100 rebounds, one more than O'Neal.

"I think when you're old, you have a milestone every night," Rivers said.

Houston trailed 57-47 with 8 minutes left in the third but outscored the Celtics 21-6 over the rest of the quarter. Boston made just one basket in the final 8:58 of the period, and just one more in the first 7:16 of the fourth.

The Celtics trailed 80-70 with 5:33 left before scoring 14 of the next 16 points, taking advantage of back-to-back Houston airballs and 24-second clock violations and making it a three-point game, 80-77, on a fast break from Pierce to Rondo to Allen with 2:49 left.

"We started doing the worst thing you can do on the road: Just start playing the score as opposed to playing the game," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "We lost our rhythm a little bit and then we just got too conservative trying to run the clock, trying to play perfect basketball."

Houston again ran down the 24-second clock, with Kyle Lowry forcing up a 30-footer at the buzzer. This one caught the rim and Dalembert got the rebound and made a layup. Pierce made two free throws, then Garnett grabbed another defensive rebound - tying O'Neal - and made a pair of free throws to make it 82-81.

Courtney Lee missed a scoop shot, and Allen got the rebound. The Celtics moved the ball up in transition and then Allen got the ball in the left corner, sidestepped Lee's lunge and drained a 3-pointer to give Boston an 84-82 lead with 36 seconds left.

Scola missed again for Houston and Allen got the rebound. Rondo broke for the basket and got the ball with a clear shot, but he missed the uncontested layup. Scola hit Dragic for a long jumper to tie it.

Allen had a contested shot at the buzzer to win it in regulation, but it went off the back of the rim.

"The fact that we were in overtime was very lucky. What are the chances that Rondo misses a wide-open layup with nobody close to him?" Scola said. "The fact that we played the overtime was a bonus, was a present. We lost the game before that."

Allen opened the scoring in overtime, and after Dragic's jumper, Garnett gave Boston an 88-86 lead. Pierce then ran off seven straight Celtics points, starting with a three-point play that gave them the lead for good.

Notes: Pierce has played in 998 NBA games, third all-time on the Celtics. ... Rockets coach Kevin McHale, a former Celtic, got a big cheer when he was shown on the scoreboard before the game. ... Dalembert fouled out with 48 seconds left in overtime. ... Houston fell to 8-3 against the Eastern Conference this season.

Notebook: Celtics 97, Rockets 92

Posted Wednesday March 7, 2012 12:11AM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Paul Pierce had seven of his game-high 30 points in overtime, as the Boston Celtics pulled out their fifth straight victory, 97-92 over the Houston Rockets. It was the second straight overtime victory for Boston and fourth straight overall at home. The sloppy back and forth affair featured inconsistent offense for both squads, with Houston squandering a 10-point lead over the final 5:33 in regulation. The visitors almost allowed Boston to steal a win in regulation, before sending the game to overtime where Pierce took over. Ray Allen also added 21 points for the victors, who are now just one game out of the Atlantic Division lead with a showdown against Philadelphia looming Wednesday night. Luis Scola had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets as their slide continued in at the start of a long road trip. Houston has now dropped four straight games overall.

QUOTABLE: "We're starting to play good basketball and we're starting to win basketball games when we don't play good basketball, and that may be more important."
-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers

THE STAT: Boston stole the home win despite being dominated on the glass 32-19 by the Rockets in the second half.

TURNING POINT: After a untimely eight-second violation by Pierce with 24 seconds remaining in overtime, the C's captain helped secure the win with a crucial steal on a Kyle Lowry pass on the ensuing possession. Ray Allen hit two free throws following the play to put Boston up five and clinch the win for the hosts.

QUOTABLE II: "We started doing the worst thing you can do on the road, just start playing the score as opposed to playing the game. We had rhythm going and then we just got too conservative trying to run the clock, trying to play perfect basketball. You just got to go play basketball."
-- Rockets coach Kevin McHale on the surrendering a double-digit fourth quarter lead

HOT: Chandler Parsons -- The rookie out of Florida had one of his best halves of the season, hitting 5-for-6 shots before the intermission for 10 early points.

NOT: Lowry -- Point guards continue to have their struggles against Boston's vaunted defense. After slowing down Jeremy Lin Sunday, Rajon Rondo and the Celtics' defense made Lowry an inefficient scorer all night, forcing the veteran to miss 13 of his 17 field-goal attempts on the night.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Kevin Garnett -- Four straight double-doubles for the 35-year-old power forward, as the defensive anchor finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds against the man who traded him from Minnesota to Boston in 2007.

BAD MOVE: Rondo blew an open-court layup with 13 seconds left in regulation and Boston clinging to a two-point lead, squandering an opportunity to clinch the game for his team. Instead, Goran Dragic (11 points) made the most of Houston's second chance to send the game the overtime by drilling an open jumper with three seconds remaining.

ROOKIE WATCH: Boston center Greg Stiemsma provided Boston's offense with a spark in the first half. The 26-year-old hit several long jumpers to finish with eight points in just 13 minutes of action, his best performance in weeks for the C's.

NOTABLE: Brandon Bass left the game in the first quarter to have his left ankle re-taped. The power forward suffered the ankle injury against New York on Sunday. Rondo did not score after the first quarter. Garnett moved past Shaquille O'Neal into 12th place on the all-time NBA rebounding list with 13,000 rebounds overall. Boston improved to 2-7 against Western Conference opponents. Starting Rockets shooting guard Kevin Martin did not play in the fourth quarter or overtime. He finished with 11 points in 30 minutes. With the setback, Houston is just one game ahead of Minnesota for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets shot just 25 percent (6-for-24) in the fourth quarter. Samuel Dalembert tied a season-high with 17 rebounds before fouling out in overtime.

UP NEXT: For the Rockets, Wednesday @ Toronto, Saturday @ New Jersey, Sunday @ Cleveland. For the Celtics, Wednesday @ Philadelphia, Friday vs. Portland, Sunday @ L.A. Lakers.

• Rockets: Hill, Smith
• Celtics: Moore, O'Neal

• Rockets: --
• Celtics: Garnett

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #18 Matt Boland, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:32