Rondo double-double lifts Celtics past 76ers

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA — Paul Pierce was way off his usual game. Rajon
Rondo and the other two in the Big Three picked up the scoring
slack.

Against the sinking 76ers, that was easily enough for a win.

Rondo had 16 points and 11 assists, Kevin Garnett scored 22
points, Ray Allen had 16 and the Boston Celtics handed the
Philadelphia 76ers their fifth straight loss, 96-86 on Friday
night.

“We’re a veteran team, we know how to play,” Garnett said, “It’s
just (about) when we want to put our heads together, go out and
execute and do the things we have worked on. I think the second
half of the season is when you really get into what you do. It’s
just focus. When we want to do it, we do it. Some nights we get
lazy.”

Rondo was anything but lazy in the second half and sparked the
Celtics in the third quarter. He was scoreless on four shots
through the first half before coming alive and pushing Boston
past the Sixers in the third. He scored three straight driving
layups off the pick-and-roll that broke a tie and put Boston
ahead 60-54. He finished with 14 in the quarter and nearly had a
triple-double through three. He finished with six rebounds.

Rondo said he was simply trying to get aggressive and find a way
to get to the free-throw line. Coach Doc Rivers said Rondo
delivered exactly when the Celtics needed him.

“We just didn’t have anything going at that one stretch and then
we ran two plays and Rondo was fantastic in them,” Rivers said.

Rondo’s production was needed because of an unusual off night
from Pierce. Pierce, Boston’s leading scorer at 17.9 points a
game, was limited to only seven points and he missed eight of
nine shots.

“I kept looking at my hand wondering what was wrong,” Pierce
said. “I felt real good out there. But the shots weren’t
falling.”

Garnett and Allen – who form the Big Three with Pierce – were
there to make up the difference. They went 15 for 25 from the
floor and had the hundreds of fans in Celtics green that invaded
Philly going wild.

Glen Davis had 12 for the Celtics. The aging Celtics – they just
added Michael Finley – couldn’t put away the lowly Sixers until
the end.

Rondo missed a dunk down the lane that the Sixers used to score
two free throws on the other end and slice the deficit to 90-85.
The Celtics didn’t let the Sixers score a field goal over the
final 3 minutes and sealed it from the free-throw line to win
their third straight game.

Lou Williams led the 76ers with 22 points, and Elton Brand had
17.

The Sixers have played some of their best basketball this season
against the NBA’s top teams. Turning that effort into victories
has been problematic. Andre Iguodala scored 14 points.

“If you want to model yourself after a good team, you look at a
team with a lot of vets who play the game the right way,”
Iguodala said.

Once one of the NBA’s top rivalries, Boston-Philadelphia has
cooled over the last two decades. Still, play was chippy in the
first half, with both Boston’s Kendrick Perkins and Philadelphia
Marreese Speights whistled for technical fouls.

Brand, who missed two games with right Achilles’ tendinitis,
made a strong return in the first quarter. He scored 12 points
and the Sixers shot 57 percent from the floor to lead 25-23.

Brand, though, only scored five points the rest of the way. He
was bloodied late in the game and sat out for a spell because he
had to change jerseys. He returned for the final minutes.

“Last few games, for 2 1/2, three quarters it was a pretty solid
performance throughout the game but we really need to get the
Ws,” Brand said.

Once a double-double regular in his prime, Brand grabbed only
four rebounds in 33 minutes. Garnett led Boston’s attack on the
glass and the Celtics outrebounded Philadelphia 41-30.

NOTES: Finley, who asked for and was granted his release from
the San Antonio Spurs earlier this week, will join the Celtics
on Saturday. Rivers expects Finley to debut the next day against
the Washington Wizards. “We don’t know where we’re going to fit
him in, but adding a veteran can never hurt,” Rivers said.
Finley sprained his left ankle early this season and appeared in
just 25 games for San Antonio. … Celtics G Tony Allen (hip)
did not play. … Allen Iverson, who will not return to the
76ers, still has his nameplate over his locker and clothes
hanging inside.