Celts fall to the Mavs: 102-91 - Rondo plays 37 minutes
The glitch in the matrix has been restored, the Boston Celtics' three game winning streak is over. Welcome back to tank-o-palooza, where the Celtics went down 102-91 against the Mavericks.
After an even (and ugly) start to the game, Dallas dominated Boston in the second half, led by Dirk Nowitzki's 20 points. But it was a well balanced attack for the Mavs, who got double figures out of six players.
Rajon Rondo played well for the Celtics as he has been of late, nearly notching another triple-double. Rondo finished with 15 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. The bigger news for Rondo was that he played 37 minutes in the game. Last we heard, Rondo was suppose to be playing about 30 minutes a game. Brad Stevens revealed to Abby Chin after the game that the minutes restriction is not off though.
Breaking news - Coach Stevens tells me Rajon Rondo no longer on a minutes restriction. #celticstalk
— Abby Chin (@tvabby) February 10, 2014
Jared Sullinger notched his fifth straight double-double with 11 points and 12 boards, while Jeff Green led the team in scoring with 18. Chris Johnson shined again, going off for 14 points in 15 minutes (a perfect 4-4 from downtown).
Despite finishing with some decent numbers, Boston shot under 30 percent much of the game. A late hot streak got the Celtics back in the game on the scoreboard, but it was never really close after halftime.
The Celtics are now 0-11 against Western Conference playoff teams. Boston will play in Milwaukee without Rondo on Monday night before hosting the Spurs on Wednesday, another playoff team out west.
Follow Julian on Twitter @julianedlow
Photo: Getty Images
