Boston point guard Rajon Rondo made his return from an ankle injury memorable by piloting Boston Celtics to register a comprehensive victory over Toronto Raptors 107-89 Saturday.
Rondo handled out 20 assists and scored six points; Jason Terry scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers out of seven attempts; Paul Pierce added 19 points and six rebounds, and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points.
The Celtics' offense was firing on all cylinders.
''We have an offense and then he creates another offense at times,'' The Associated Press quoted Boston coach Doc Rivers as saying.
Rondo, who missed a loss at Brooklyn Thursday night, already had 11 assists till halftime.
''Something I look forward to every game is just trying to make my teammates happy. And somehow I keep getting to 10,'' he said. ''Tonight it was a collective team effort as far as assists.''
The Celtics were leading right from the first quarter and kept leading till the end of the game, registering their fourth victory in the five games.
Rondo, as usual, was outstanding on Saturday. He had a flying start, with seven assists in the first quarter.
''I'm making some OK passes - just taking what the defense gives me,'' he said. ''It means my teammates are making shots.''
Rookie Jared Sullinger scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds. It was his first double-double.
Top scorers Andrea Bargnani and John Lucas scored 15 points each for the Toronto, whereas DeMar DeRozan, Jose Calderon, Terrence Ross and Linas Kleiza contributed with 10 points each.
Boston shot an impressive 56.6 percent in the game and 10 Toronto players hit at least two goals.
''We can't afford to play such bad defense - especially against this type of team,'' Bargnani said. ''One day we play good defense and then there are games like today where we play very bad defense, so I can't say it's getting better. We have to focus more and give a better effort.''
In the second quarter, Toronto added 25 points against Boston's 17, but the Celtics outscored the Raptors in the third quarter 32-22. The Celtics entered in the fourth quarter with a 15-point lead. Rondo left the game in the fourth quarter, but he already had 20 assists till then.
The Boston, who was playing for the third time in the last four days, outscored their opponent 28-25 in the fourth quarter and won the game.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.