Celts down Nets in season opener, 121-105
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| Rondo drives the lane (Photo courtesy of ESPN) |
Boston was aggressive from the tip. Rondo tallied four assists in just the first five minute and continued to carve the Nets' defense throughout the game to the tune of 13 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds. Marcus Thornton (10 points on 4-6 shooting) led the Celtics on a 17-1 run to cap the half.
The Celts largely dominated the second half as well, scoring 100 points before the fourth quarter for the first time since January of 2009. The perimeter defense was stifling, especially when Stevens went small with a Rondo/Bradley/Smart unit.
Marcus Smart finished with 10 points, 4 steals and a +/- of +23, while Avery Bradley chipped in with 15 points on 7-13 shooting.
The bigs also contributed in the team effort, with Jared Sullinger posting 13 points to go with some nice defensive plays, and Kelly Olynyk dropping 19 points on 8-14 shooting.
Old friend Kevin Garnett got a standing ovation from Celtics fans (and cheers when getting into it with Olynyk) and finished with 10 points (5-8 shooting) and six rebounds. Deron Williams led Brooklyn with 19 points (6-16 shooting) and 8 assists.
The Celtics take on the Rockets at 8:00 ET November 1st in Houston.
