Celts Defeat Warriors Despite Ellis' 40 Points

We learned one thing about Doc Rivers tonight: he's not afraid to go small late in games. Rivers chose to move Kevin Garnett to center and play Jeff Green at power forward with the game on the line tonight.

The Celtics were able to pull out a 107-103 victory, thanks in part to 21 points from Green, who was recently acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce tied for a team-high 27 points, combining to shoot 17-27 from the field. Rajon Rondo filled up the stat sheet with six points, five steals, and 16 assists.

For the Warriors, Monta Ellis dropped 41 points and hit 11-12 free throws. His backcourt partner, Stephen Curry wasn't so lucky. Curry managed only nine points on 4-11 shooting. He was also only 1-4 from deep. David Lee chipped in with 26 points and 12 rebounds.

With 7:08 left in the 3rd quarter the Celtics led 77-61. Boston seemed to be in complete control at that point, but the Warriors fought their way back. With 3:16 left in regulation, Golden State had cut the deficit to just one. Pierce commandeered a 5-2 run to put the lead out of reach and the C's eventually prevailed with 107-103.

With the victory, Boston improves to 45-15 while Golden State falls to 27-34. The Celts return to action Sunday night in Milwaukee. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m.