Thunder-Celtics Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Nov 22 2012 9:39PM

The Boston Celtics are unhappy with their defense, and now will try to slow down the league's reigning scoring champ.

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder will be in search of a fourth straight win Friday night when they visit the Celtics.

Boston (6-6) led the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage last season at 41.9, but that type of defense is a distant memory now. The Celtics rank 27th in that department in 2012-13 at 46.3 percent, allowing San Antonio to shoot 58.4 percent in Wednesday's 112-100 loss.

The Celtics allowed an opponent to score over 100 points for the second straight game, including a 103-83 defeat to lowly Detroit on Sunday.

"We just have to learn, continue to learn and build," forward Paul Pierce said. "We've given up 100 points the last couple of games. That's definitely not our identity."

Now the Celtics will face Durant, who is second in the NBA with 25.4 points per game and put up a pair of 28-point efforts last season to help Oklahoma City (9-3) sweep Boston.

The Thunder superstar is heating up with a season-high 35-point performance in Wednesday's 117-111 overtime win over the Clippers. He had a league season-best 21 free-throw attempts.

"I think early on, me driving and me getting into the paint, I was a little hesitant in the second half because I was turning the ball over," Durant said. "But I just tried to keep going. My teammates told me to just keep being aggressive, and that's what I tried to do."

Coach Scott Brooks was happy that his team limited Los Angeles to 45.6 percent shooting. The Thunder are fifth in the league in that category at 42.8.

"That's what we talk about every game, keeping it in the low 40s and we did that tonight," Brooks said.

Oklahoma City's defense features an imposing frontcourt that includes former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka. Off the bench, newcomer Hasheem Thabeet may be contributing more soon.

Thabeet, a bust since being the No. 2 overall pick by Memphis in 2009, had 10 points and four boards Wednesday.

"I think Hasheem is the player of the game just the way he plays," Durant said. "His energy, in that second unit, his intensity, rolling to the basket he causes so much attention."

Boston's Rajon Rondo had 22 points and 15 assists Wednesday, but could not contain Spurs point guard Tony Parker (26 points).

"The best thing about the league is you don't have to wait a week to play another game," said Rondo, who leads the NBA with 13.3 assists per game. "After Thanksgiving, we'll get back and try to get focused with Oklahoma City."

Rondo has gone 35 straight games with at least 10 assists and faces another tough point guard matchup against Russell Westbrook, who had 23 points and nine assists Wednesday when he was facing Chris Paul.

Westbrook averaged 28.5 points against the Celtics last season, with Rondo missing one of the games due to suspension.

Pierce leads Celtics to 108-100 win over Thunder

By JIMMY GOLEN
Posted Nov 23 2012 11:31PM

BOSTON (AP) The Oklahoma City Thunder might have thought they had Paul Pierce bottled up.

Then he broke through with 22 second-half points.

"Paul Pierce is one of the more crafty guys in this league," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said after the Boston Celtics beat the Thunder 108-100 on Friday night. "You don't think he can get around you, but he gets around you. You don't think he can get the shot off, but he gets it off. He just has a knack for making the right play."

Pierce scored 22 of his 27 points after the half, and the Celtics snapped a two-game losing streak by beating the defending Western Conference champions. Kevin Garnett had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, and Rajon Rondo had 16 assists and eight rebounds.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points for Oklahoma City, which trailed by 14 before cutting the lead to three points with under 2 minutes remaining. But Durant missed a 3-pointer that could have tied it, and the Celtics pulled away.

"Oh, man, it felt good," Durant said. "It left my hand, it was online. I'd take that shot 10 out of 10 times. I shot it well. Unfortunately, it just bounced out."

Russell Westbrook had 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who lost for just the second time in their last 10 games.

"It's great to beat Oklahoma," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "They were in the finals last year, and they're the team to beat, I guess, in the West. But it was more how we played. We played with great force tonight."

The Celtics had struggled to a .500 record so far this season, with two of their six victories against winless Washington and another against Toronto, which is in last place in the Atlantic Division. It was just their second win against a team that had a winning record heading into Friday night.

"It's big for us," Pierce said. "This is a gut-check type of a win, a `look yourself in the mirror' type of game. ... I know we are capable of playing against quality opponents."

Boston led 84-70 on Pierce's 3-pointer with just under 10 minutes left, but the Thunder cut it to six, 93-87, thanks in part to a 3-pointer from Durant and a dunk from Ibaka. It was 101-89 when Westbrook made a pair of free throws and Durant hit a 3-pointer, then they each added a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to three points.

But Durant's 3-point attempt was a little short, then Garnett's free throws gave Boston back a cushion. Jason Terry hit a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left to clinch it.

Kendrick Perkins had five points and nine rebounds in his second game in Boston since he was traded to Oklahoma City by the team he helped win the 2008 NBA championship. Jeff Green, the only remaining player on the Celtics from that deal, scored 17 points off the bench.

Pierce matched his season-high in points, taking advantage of Durant after he picked up three fouls early in the second quarter.

"He's got a lot of tricks," said Perkins, his former teammate. "That's the reason he's been scoring the ball like he has for years. Got a lot of tricks, man. He did a great job tonight of just playing smart.

The Celtics trailed by seven points after one quarter but took a 48-45 lead into the half. They quickly expanded it to eight thanks to three straight baskets from Pierce, including a 3-pointer that made it 55-47 just 1:18 into the third quarter.

It got as high as nine points before the Thunder came within two, 66-64 with Garnett and Pierce on the bench. But Garnett came back into the game and Boston scored the next 11 points before Kevin Martin made a free throw with 2 seconds left in the third to make it 77-65.

Pierce hit a 3 to make it 84-70 with 9:52 to play, Boston's biggest lead of the game.

Notebook: Celtics 108, Thunder 100

Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:25 PM - Updated Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:25 PM

THE FACTS: Paul Pierce had 22 of his season-high 27 points in the second half, helping the Boston Celtics snap a two-game losing streak with a 108-100 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jeff Green added 17 points off the bench, as the Celtics put together one of their best efforts of the season on both sides of the floor in the win over a surging Thunder squad which had won eight of their last nine games.

Kevin Durant had 29 points for the visitors, leading a fourth quarter comeback with 14 points in the frame, to help cut a 12-point deficit to three with a couple minutes remaining. The Celtics held their ground late however, responding with five quick points to stop the late run and finish off the Thunder.

QUOTABLE: "This is a gut-check type of win, a look yourself in the mirror type of game. We did what everybody expected of us [tonight] and we came and played the way I know we are capable of playing against a quality opponent." -- Pierce.

THE STAT: The Celtics held the Thunder, the league's best team in transition, to just nine fast break points on the evening.

TURNING POINT: Green took command of the Celtics second unit, scoring seven straight points over a 11-0 run to help stretch the Boston lead into double digits in the closing minutes of the third quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "He makes tough shots, he's been doing it his whole career." -- Durant.

HOT: Pierce -- After a slow start in the first half, Boston's captain came out firing after intermission, scoring four of Boston's first five baskets of the third quarter, including two from beyond the arc. Pierce had 10 of his 27 points in the frame.

NOT: Kevin Martin -- The Thunder's newest offensive weapon hit his first road bump of the season on the offensive end, missing six of his seven shot attempts, while posting just three points in 31 minutes. Prior to Friday's game, Martin had been averaging 17.8 points per game.

QUOTABLE III: "We just need to play right. It's great to beat Oklahoma, they're the team to beat in the west, but it's more how we played. We played with great force tonight. I thought that was the difference." -- Boston coach Doc Rivers.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Russell Westbrook -- One of the best all-around point guards in the NBA put his skills on display against the Celtics in all areas of the game. Westbrook flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 26 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Fresh off a dominating win over the New York Jets on Thanksgiving, Patriots star wide receiver Wes Welker watched the game with friends at the TD Garden.

ROOKIE WATCH: Jared Sullinger -- The rookie flashed a nice inside-outside offensive game while drawing a pair of charges on the defensive end, putting together arguably the best game of his young NBA career. Sullinger finished with eight points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.

NOTABLE: Daniel Orton and DeAndre Liggins were assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder's D-League affiliate on Thursday. Kendrick Perkins played his second game in Boston since being traded by the franchise in February 2011. The center finished with five points and tied a season-high with nine rebounds. Green faced off with his former team for the first team in his career, after sitting out all of last season....The Celtics improved to 4-3 at home....The Thunder had a three-game winning streak snapped....Rajon Rondo finished with 16 assists, his 36th consecutive game with double-digit assists.

UP NEXT: For Oklahoma City: Saturday @ Philadelphia, Monday vs. Charlotte, Wednesday vs. Houston. For Boston: Sunday @ Orlando, Wednesday vs. Brooklyn, Friday vs. Portland.

• Thunder: Liggins, Orton
• Celtics: Joseph, Melo

• Thunder: --
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #42 Eric Lewis, #63 Derek Richardson
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:18