C’s roll, 98-90
Without Garnett, they edge San Antonio
NBA. Who needs Kevin Garnett?
Certainly not the Celtics, who took down the defending champion Spurs, 98-90, yesterday at a raucous TD Banknorth Garden. The C’s improved to 5-2 without the NBA All-Star Game’s leading vote-getter, who is expected to miss at least another week with a strained abdomen. The Celtics visit the Pacers tomorrow before hosting the Knicks Wednesday and taking off for the All-Star break after that.
In Garnett’s absence, Paul Pierce scored a game-high 35 points and had six rebounds to lift the Celtics (39-9) to their first home win over the Spurs (32-17) in 11 years. And Glen Davis added nine points, eight rebounds, three steals and played solid defense on Tim Duncan, who had 22 points and 14 boards but never took control of the game.
“It was amazing to be out there with Tim Duncan, knowing that he is one of the greatest,” Davis said. “The matchup against him [yesterday] meant a lot for my confidence and also for my team.”
“[Davis] was huge,” said Pierce, whose Celtics improved to 16-0 against the Western Conference. “His defense, the way he used his body, his strength, the way he pushed Duncan out of the paint to take away his easy lay-ups. That’s big for a rookie. You don’t see rookies coming in, stepping up to the challenge — you’ve got a four-time champion, an MVP of this league, and he wanted the challenge.”
Rajon Rondo made another important impact with five points, a career-high 12 assists and a team-best 11 rebounds, including an offensive board in the final minute that eventually led to a pair of free throws from Ray Allen (19 points, five rebounds) that pushed the Celtics’ lead to 92-87.
“It was a great effort,” Pierce said. “We played with a lot of energy, and that’s what it’s going to take to beat these elite teams in the NBA. Regardless, we’ve got to make up for our lack of players with our hard work and our hustle. That’s what we were able to do today, grind it out, make it a physical ballgame, and we were able to pull it out in the end.”