Nets-Celtics Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Nov 27 2012 10:41PM

The Brooklyn Nets have a chance to make another early season statement in the Atlantic Division.

This time, however, the five-time defending champion Boston Celtics might have something to say about it.

The Nets will try to build off a win over their new city rivals and make it two in a row against the Celtics as they travel to Boston on Wednesday night.

Brooklyn (9-4) is coming off perhaps its biggest win since moving from New Jersey, a 96-89 overtime victory over New York on Monday.

It gave the Nets a share of first place with the Knicks, marking the latest they've been atop the division since Jan. 23, 2007 -- before Boston began its stranglehold of the Atlantic.

"It shows how much we've improved and I think we're going to keep getting better each and every game," center Brook Lopez said.

Lopez had 22 points and 11 rebounds on Monday for his second double-double of the season. He's scored at least 20 points in seven of his last nine games, averaging 20.9 on 55.9 percent shooting during that span.

The fifth-year center has been one of the fastest starters in the NBA, ranking third in the first quarter at 7.9 points per game on 67.2 percent shooting after scoring eight against the Knicks.

While Deron Williams has been slowed by a sprained right wrist and shot just 6 of 17 from the field, he finished with 16 points and a season-high 14 assists.

The Nets, who lead the league in defensive scoring (91.3), have been dominating in that area late in games. They haven't allowed an opponent to score more than 17 fourth-quarter points in each of their last three contests.

Brooklyn also limited the Celtics to 18 points in the final 12 minutes to rally past visiting Boston 102-97 in the teams' first meeting on Nov. 15.

This time, Boston (8-6) will have to find a way to slow the Nets' trio of Lopez, Williams and Joe Johnson after the trio totaled 67 points in the first meeting.

The Celtics, though, aren't playing at the top of their game defensively, allowing opponents to shoot 50.9 percent in last four games and yielding 100 points or more in five of six.

They're third in the NBA in field-goal percentage (47.8), but rank 27th in the defensive field-goal percentage (46.3).

"We're a defensive team that can score the basketball," forward Kevin Garnett said. "We always have been. As long as Doc's going to be here, that's how it's going to be."

Still, Boston looks for its third consecutive victory after Garnett and Paul Pierce carried the team past Oklahoma City and Orlando in back-to-back wins.

Garnett finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Pierce added 23 points as the Celtics defeated Orlando 116-110 in overtime on Sunday.

Rajon Rondo looks to surpass John Stockton with his 38th consecutive game with 10 assists or more after finishing with 15 points and 16 assists against the Magic. He would then trail only Magic Johnson, who established the record with 46 in the 1983-84 season.

Rondo gets his first look at Brooklyn after missing the last game with a sprained right ankle. He averaged 13.3 assists, 8.7 points and 3.0 steals in three wins against the Nets in 2011-12.

Pierce scored 22 points and Garnett had 14 in the first meeting for the Celtics, who have won nine of 10 home games against the Nets.

After Rondo ejected, Nets beat Celtics 95-83

By JIMMY GOLEN
Posted Nov 28 2012 11:32PM

BOSTON (AP) Doc Rivers wants the Boston Celtics to be tough - not violent.

The message came too late for Rajon Rondo.

The Celtics point guard was ejected from Wednesday night's game against the Nets when he retaliated for a hard foul against Kevin Garnett by shoving Brooklyn forward Kris Humphries into the courtside seats. Rondo, Humphries and Nets forward Gerald Wallace were ejected, and Brooklyn held on to win 95-83.

"All that stuff, that's not toughness," Rivers told reporters, calling his team soft. "That foul was a hard foul. It was an unnecessary foul. The play was over and then he pushed him down in the air. But I think that's what they think of us: They think they can push you around."

Joe Johnson scored 18 points and Andray Blatche had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Nets opened up a 21-point, first-half lead and took advantage of the loss of the Celtics' All-Star to win for the ninth time in 11 games.

Garnett had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Pierce added 14 points for Boston. Rondo had three assists before he was kicked out, ending his streak at 37 games with double-digits - tied for second-longest in NBA history.

The Nets led by eight after one quarter and scored 19 of the first 25 points in the second to make it 47-26. Boston cut the deficit to 14 points and trailed by 16 when Garnett took an off-balance jumper from the right baseline and Humphries leveraged him to the floor with his left arm.

Rondo trailed the play with a two-handed shove that sent Humphries into the courtside seats.

"Kevin could have gotten hurt. He's in the air. He took a bad fall. And so Rondo saw that and probably reacted, and over-reacted, obviously," Rivers said. "I can't get in anybody's head. But at that point we're getting our tails kicked and we're probably frustrated."

Wallace soon entered the fray by shoving Garnett. Nets point guard Deron Williams said Humphries, who did not speak to reporters after the game, had scratches on his head and neck.

After the game, Humphries posted a picture of his scratched left shoulder with the comment: "Anyone know where I can quick get a Tetnis shot in Boston?"

While the rest of the players remained by their benches, coaches and officials tried to break up the skirmish.

"I think guys just try to defend themselves," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "I think the league should really take that into account. Because I don't know if guys can just walk away all the time. They've got to kind of protect themselves."

The referees went to the scorer's table to watch the incident on replay, and their verdict was announced over the public address system: Two technical fouls for Humphries, one for Wallace - his second of the game, ending his night - and one for Garnett.

Rondo was simply ejected.

"Rondo initiated everything that proceeded after the foul," crew chief James Capers said in a pool report provided to reporters. "And when he and Humphries go into the stands, they are involved in a fight. Fighting is an automatic ejection."

Rondo left the Celtics locker room before it was opened to reporters, and was unavailable for comment.

"We all back each other," Garnett said. "We take a lot of pride in putting on this jersey. I know I do. This ain't the Girl Scouts or the Boy Scouts. That's what it is. It's the NBA. You've got to get used to it."

When the free throws were done, Boston trailed 51-38, and the Celtics never got closer than nine points after that.

Rondo has had a history of petulance, including a one-game suspension during the opening round of last year's playoff series against Atlanta after he chest-bumped referee Marc Davis while complaining about a call in the final minute of a Boston loss.

During the 2011-12 regular season, he was suspended for two games for throwing a ball at an official.

"Usually he goes after the refs," Rivers said. "This was another guy, so this was better."

He has also come under criticism for selfishness this season for re-entering a 20-point loss to Detroit in the fourth quarter to keep his streak alive.

Notes: Rondo's streak of 10 or more assists dated to March 11 of last season. That ties John Stockton for second-longest in NBA history. Magic Johnson holds the record at 46 consecutive games in the 1983-84 season. ... U.S. Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman was in attendance. ... Rivers said Johnson is one of his best friends. The two had dinner together on Tuesday night. ... Garnett tied John Havlicek for 18th on the NBA career list with 1,270 games played. ... Pierce passed Bob Pettit for 13th on the NBA's all-time list for free throws made with 6,183. ... Celtics F Jeff Green sprained his right knee in the second half but was able to return. Boston F Chris Wilcox left the game due to illness. ... The teams next meet on Christmas Day in Brooklyn. ... The Nets were playing their third game in four days.

Notebook: Nets 95, Celtics 83

Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:26 PM - Updated Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:26 PM

THE FACTS: Rajon Rondo's 37-game double-digit assist streak came to a premature end after his second quarter ejection, as the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Boston Celtics 95-83 win at the TD Garden. Rondo finished the game with just six points and three assists after being thrown out during the closing seconds of the second quarter. The point guard retaliated against Kris Humphries after he committed a hard foul against Kevin Garnett and the two players dragged each other into the crowd, which resulted in their ejections. Gerald Wallace also was ejected after being whistled for his second technical during the scuffle.

After things calmed down on the floor in the second half, Brooklyn leaned on Joe Johnson, who finished with a game-high 18 points which kept the sloppy Celtics (17 turnovers) at bay, as the visitors cruised to their third straight win. Garnett had a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) for Boston in the setback.

QUOTABLE: "They just didn't give in. We had a lot of adversity on the court, but our defense was consistent for the whole game for the most part...we're playing some hard-nose defense."

-- Brooklyn coach Avery Johnson

THE STAT: The Celtics turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, matching their season average over just the first 24 minutes of the contest. The careless play allowed Brooklyn to build a double-digit lead before the half.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 14-9 once Garnett exited the game with seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Nets turned the game upside down with a 37-12 run over the next 15 minutes, building a 21-point lead in the process. After the extended run, the Celtics got no closer than nine points over the remainder of the contest.

QUOTABLE II: "We're a soft team right now. We don't have any toughness. That [fighting] stuff is not toughness."

-Boston coach Doc Rivers

HOT: Jerry Stackhouse -- The 40-year-old guard has turned back the clock with his shooting, hitting 5-for-6 on the night, all from beyond the arc, as he finished with 17 points. Dating back to Monday's win over the Knicks, Stackhouse has now made nine of his past 11 3-pointers.

NOT: Paul Pierce -- Boston's captain looked out of sorts all night long on the offensive end, missing nine of his 13 shots from the field, while also misfiring on five of his first six free throws of the night. Pierce turned the ball over five times during what was a nightmare night for Boston on the offensive end of the floor.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Andray Blatche -- The reserve big man had his first double-double as a member of the Nets, posting 17 points and 13 rebounds in the win. The outburst helped to fill the void for Brookyln after the ejections of Wallace and Humphries in the second quarter.

ROOKIE WATCH: Jared Sullinger -- The former Ohio State star struggled against a formidable Brooklyn front line that dominated the glass on both ends of the floor. Sullinger finished with six points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.

NOTABLE: Jeff Green left the game in the third quarter with a sprained right knee after colliding with Reggie Evans on the defensive end of the floor. He returned to action in the fourth quarter. Chris Wilcox also did not play in the second half, due to sickness. In two games against Boston this year, the Nets have combined for 35 offensive rebounds. The Celtics dropped to 4-4 at home and 2 ½ games behind Brooklyn in the Atlantic Division. Rondo and Humphries did not speak to the media after the game. Garnett was also whistled for a technical foul during the second quarter scuffle.

UP NEXT: For Brooklyn, Friday @ Orlando, Saturday @ Miami, Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City. For Boston, Friday vs. Portland, Saturday @ Milwaukee, vs. Minnesota.

• Nets: Shengelia, Teletovic
• Celtics: Joseph, Melo

• Nets: Humphries, Humphries, Wallace, Wallace
• Celtics: Garnett, Rivers

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #7 Kevin Fehr, #35 Kane Fitzgerald
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:24