Boston ties best season start by silencing the Jazz
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 17, 2008 00:00
BOSTON - Rajon Rondo scored 25 points to lead five double-digit starters for Boston as the Celtics beat Utah 100-91 Monday for their 15th victory in a row to match a record season start.
The reigning National Basketball Association champion Boston Celtics improved to 23-2, equaling three other clubs for the best 25-game start in NBA history.
Each of those squads - the 1996 Chicago Bulls, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers and 1970 New York Knicks - went on the win an NBA title after their impressive opening to their season. The best start in NBA history with two losses is 26-2, set by the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers and matched by the '69-70 Knicks.
The record equalizer was a physical match-up that saw Boston commit 23 turnovers but Rondo scored 13 of the final 17 Celtics points to deny the Jazz, who gave the ball away 18 times themselves, any hope of pulling an upset.
Utah forward Paul Millsap scored a career-high 32 points to lead the Jazz and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Turkish center Mehmet Okur had 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Jazz.
Millsap’s career-high performance not enough
A 22-7 Utah run in the second quarter gave the Jazz a lead on the way to a 43-43 half-time deadlock. Millsap scored 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the second quarter to erase a 13-point Boston lead.
Kevin Garnett added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics while Kendrick Perkins had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 15 points and Ray Allen added 12. However, Celtics’ star player of the night was Rondo, who scored 12 of his career-high 25 points in the final 5:20 and also had Rondo also had nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
For Boston, the victory was a revenge for a 110-92 loss to the Jazz last March - the Celtics' worst loss of last season, when they cruised to a league-high 66-16 record and their 17th NBA title.
Meanwhile in Golden State, Turkish forward Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu had a remarkable all-around performance with 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the Orlando Magic’s 109-98 win over the Warriors.
Point guard Jameer Nelson matched his career-high 32 points helping the Magic improve to 19-6, its best 25-game start since opening the 1994-95 season at 20-5.
Each of those squads - the 1996 Chicago Bulls, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers and 1970 New York Knicks - went on the win an NBA title after their impressive opening to their season. The best start in NBA history with two losses is 26-2, set by the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers and matched by the '69-70 Knicks.
The record equalizer was a physical match-up that saw Boston commit 23 turnovers but Rondo scored 13 of the final 17 Celtics points to deny the Jazz, who gave the ball away 18 times themselves, any hope of pulling an upset.
Utah forward Paul Millsap scored a career-high 32 points to lead the Jazz and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Turkish center Mehmet Okur had 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Jazz.
Millsap’s career-high performance not enough
A 22-7 Utah run in the second quarter gave the Jazz a lead on the way to a 43-43 half-time deadlock. Millsap scored 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the second quarter to erase a 13-point Boston lead.
Kevin Garnett added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics while Kendrick Perkins had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 15 points and Ray Allen added 12. However, Celtics’ star player of the night was Rondo, who scored 12 of his career-high 25 points in the final 5:20 and also had Rondo also had nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
For Boston, the victory was a revenge for a 110-92 loss to the Jazz last March - the Celtics' worst loss of last season, when they cruised to a league-high 66-16 record and their 17th NBA title.
Meanwhile in Golden State, Turkish forward Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu had a remarkable all-around performance with 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the Orlando Magic’s 109-98 win over the Warriors.
Point guard Jameer Nelson matched his career-high 32 points helping the Magic improve to 19-6, its best 25-game start since opening the 1994-95 season at 20-5.