I guess that speaks to Doc Rivers’ assertion that Boston is not yet a 48-minute team.
What the C’s are is 18-4, 10-1 on the road and flying high right now.
Rajon Rondo is the star in this one, finishing with 21 points and 11 assists for his 11th double-double. Every other starter finishes in double figures and Ray Allen now has 20,004 career points with two big free throws in the closing seconds.
Gilbert Arenas had 25 points to pace the Wizards, losers of three straight.
Some other notable numbers from this one:
– The Celtics’ 37 free throws were one shy of matching a season high.
– Tony Allen had eight points, three rebounds and two steals in his second game back from ankle surgery.
– Brendan Haywood goes 7-of-7 and finishes with 17 points for Washington.
Boston has a travel day before visiting Chicago on Saturday night. We will carry you through that one, which happens to be the Celtics’ first trip to the Windy City since last season’s memorable playoff series with the Bulls.
Fourth quarter, 14.6 seconds, Celtics 103-100: I’m on a couch and not an NBA sideline but I’d go for another quick two if I was setting things up for the Wizards. Still a ton of time and some “foulable” guys on the floor for the Celts (Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins).
Fourth quarter, 21.8 seconds, Celtics 101-98: Gilbert Arenas has a chance to tie it at the line but misses both and is now 1-of-6 for the game.
Paul Pierce misses one of two on the other end and the Wizards will have one more chance.
The Celtics have missed six of their last 12 free throws.
If I am Washington I go for a rather quick two and then hope for some more of those misses or even a turnover on the part of Boston.
Fourth quarter, 1:09, Celtics 100-98: Rajon Rondo provides a highlight that will be featured all season in Celtics promos.
Getting a back-pick from Kevin Garnett, Rondo drives baseline and soars past Andray Blatche for one-handed jam.
And what a time for it as it snaps another tie.
Fourth quarter, 2:23, 94-94: All game long the Celtics had been able to push aside their recent troubles on the defensive glass.
But Andray Blatche gets multiple chances before finally converting and we are tied.
It is only the sixth offensive board for the Wizards but a big one.
Fourth quarter, 5:05, Celtics 90-88: Paul Pierce has been pretty quiet in this one but just made a big steal and will be at the line when action resumes.
With the way the Celtics have played in the second half it’s fair to wonder if they don’t have the legs to play with the Wizards tonight.
Washington last played on Sunday and have been biding its time at home until this one. In that span the Celts returned from a long road trip, had a tough game against Milwaukee and then had to hit the road again.
Perhaps fatigue is a factor in a poor second half.
Fourth quarter, 7:18, Celtics 88-86: Andray Blatche strikes again!
The Wizards reserve forward scores five points in 42 seconds and the hosts are back within two.
The Celts are just 2-of-8 in the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter, 9:25, Celtics 84-79: The Celtics went three minutes, 30 seconds without a point before Paul Pierce hits a free throw.
Fourth quarter, 11:55, Celtics 83-74: Underway in the fourth and it’s a pretty safe bet the Celtics will hang on, if you believe the numbers.
Boston is 14-0 this season when leading after three quarters.
End of third quarter, Celtics 83-74: That quarter had the makings of a complete disaster but the C’s were able to rally.
It was a 12-minute stretch that crammed in a series of big bursts. Washington opened the third with the first six points and soon thereafter had an 11-0 run.
Ray Allen broke that bubble with a huge 3-pointer, which kicked off an 11-0 surge for the Celtics.
Third quarter, 3:01, Celtics 77-72: Kendrick Perkins is fouled from behind by DeShawn Stevenson and the referees correctly whistle an intentional foul.
Perkins fails to make a free throw in two attempts but the Celts are on a 7-0 run after the Wizards scored 11 straight.
Another note on the Ray Allen milestone. Of the 32 players ahead of him in the 20,000-point club, 23 are Hall of Famers, another seven likely will be someday, and the other two – Tom Chambers and Mitch Richmond – sit right in front of Allen in 31st and 32nd.
Third quarter, 3:35, Celtics 75-72: Fittingly Ray Allen reaches the 20,000-point mark with a 3-pointer, and it could not have come at a better time.
Allen hit the shot moments after the Wizards took their first lead in about 18 minutes of game time, ending an 11-0 run.
Third quarter, 6:21, Celtics 70-68 : This is an ugly stretch for the Celtics and it seemingly came out of nowehere. They were so dominant in the first half but have been outscored 18-6 in the third.
Boston has not even had a shot at the rim in nearly 90 seconds and has not scored in almost two minutes.
Third quarter, 7:56, Celtics 70-63: The Wizards were red-hot early in the first quarter, and are fast out of the gate again here in the second.
Washington opens the second half on an 13-6 run and suddenly look a step quicker than the C’s.
Third quarter, 11:46, Celtics 64-52: We were just given a statistic I missed early, showing the Wizards grabbing zero rebounds in the second quarter.
The Celtics franchise record for fewest rebounds by an opponent is 21, set by Detroit in 1994. Washington had eight boards in the first half.
Halftime, Celtics 64-50: That was a 37-point quarter for the Celtics, their best output for the second all season.
The 64 first-half points are also a season high and there is no reason to believe that Boston’s high of 118 points will not be within reach.
Rajon Rondo was the catalyst in the second, emerging from a lengthy spell on the bench with two fouls and finishing the first half with 11 points and five assists. He has made Gilbert Arenas look exactly like a guy working his way back from a string of knee injuries.
There are some other very impressive numbers on the C’s end of things:
– Boston is shooting 62.9 percent (22-of-35) from the floor and 17-of-21 (81.0 percent) from the line. The Wizards have shot just nine free throws.
– The C’s own a 20-8 rebounding advantage. Simply not many misses for Washington to clean up.
Back in a bit for second half action.
Second quarter, 1:53, Celtics 58-44: Rajon Rondo is doing just about anything he wants against the Wizards.
Gilbert Arenas has done little to slow him and tiny Earl Boykins just cannot keep up.
Rondo has nine points and five assists.
Second quarter, 3:23, Celtics 53-42: The C’s are having no issues on the glass tonight as they have in recent games.
In fact, the Wizards have the look of an extremely soft interior team, despite what some of their rebounding numbers say. They have been outrebounded 16-8 and have been forced to take several jumpshots.
Second quarter, 4:25, Celtics 50-40: I said it before and I’ll say it again – Tony Allen is doing a great job in his second game back from ankle surgery.
Allen now has six points on 3-of-3 shooting, a pair of rebounds and a steal, and he is moving rather well.
Before Kevin Garnett fueled a little run with consecutive dunks, it was Andray Blatche keeping the Wizards around.
Blatche scored twice on Rasheed Wallace and then drew a foul on the Celts’ big man. After a Boston turnover Blatche also found Earl Boykins ahead of the pack for a hoop.
Second quarter, 8:23, Celtics 40-32: That hoop by Ray Allen was a bit too easy for Wizards coach Flip Saunders to take without yelling a bit.
Allen is now within eight points of the 20,000 mark.
Second quarter, 8:41, Celtics 36-32: Overall this is a 17-6 burst for the Celtics, who are 13-of-22 from the field.
Rajon Rondo has been on the bench for a long time with those two fouls. He often has his big bursts in the second and third quarters and will be well-rested for another here.
Second quarter, 10:15, Celtics 32-28: Some great minutes here from Tony Allen, which is nice to see.
He missed a free throw which would’ve capped a three-point play but has four points and a steal in limited play.
End of first quarter, Wizards 28-27: Tony Allen gets his first basket of the season on a putback to cap an 8-2 run for the Celtics to end the first.
Washington missed its last seven shots in the quarter.
In the Celtics’ first game without Marquis Daniels on Tuesday there were a few hiccups once the second unit came in, despite another solid effort by Rasheed Wallace.
Doc Rivers seemed to buy some more time with a few of his regulars in the first quarter of this one, perhaps trying to bridge the gap a bit or tinker with lineups without Daniels, who is usally the floor leader when the bench comes in.
First quarter, 2:41, Wizards 26-22: The Ray Allen watch continues as he knocks down his first 3-pointer of the game and is now within seven points of 20,000.
It was a pretty big basket, too, as the Celts were mired in a stretch that saw them miss two shots and turn the ball over three times.
First quarter, 3:20, Wizards 26-19: That is a 13-2 run for the Wizards and Doc Rivers cannot be pleased with the defense early on.
First quarter, 5:28, 17-17: We mentioned earlier how the Celtics have few problems scoring against the Wizards, netting at least 108 points in each of the last three meetings.
It seems like it will be more of the same in this one.
Boston made its first four shots and nearly every one of its seven baskets has been rather uncontested.
The C’s are 7-of-12. They have had several outstanding shooting efforts of late and sit atop the NBA in field goal percentage at 49.8. A few more makes than misses tonight and they could be the only team in the league making at least half of the shots they take.
First quarter, 9:01, 10-10: Some hot shooting in the early going, with almost all of the damage being done from outside.
Before Ray Allen missed with nearly three minutes gone both teams had made each of their four shots.
A scary moment as Rajon Rondo unintentionally undercuts Antawn Jamison and sends with Wizards forward to the floor hard.
Jamison is seemingly OK. Rondo got whistled for the foul and then picked up another moments later.
First quarter, 11:08, Celtics 4-3: We are underway and Kevin Garnett is at it again.
He knocks down a jumper from his favorite spot near the elbow and is now 51-of-66 in his last six-plus games.
8:12 p.m.: Some of you may have just heard Celtics coach Doc Rivers talking about tonight’s keys.
He again touched on rebounding, particularly on the defensive end, which has caused the C’s some problems of late.
That could be an issue again against the Wizards, who rank sixth in the league with 12.2 offensive boards a game and third overall in total rebounds per outing.
Certainly something to watch.
7:41 p.m.: Starting lineups are in for both teams as they get set to square off inside Verizon Center.
The Celtics put out their regular starting unit of Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins.
Washington will go with Gilbert Arenas, Nick Young, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood.
This is the first time Arenas will be dressed for a game against the Celtics since April 9, 2008, when he was held to 13 points in a Wizards win.
Washington will be sporting a patch in honor of late owner Abe Pollin tonight and through the rest of the season.
With this being a TNT game the pre-game chit-chat will go on a bit longer than usual, so be patient.
11:41 a.m.: The milestone watch is on again as the Celtics aim for their ninth straight win when they visit Washington in a nationally televised game.
Ray Allen enters the contest — the first of three on the road for the C’s — just 14 points shy of 20,000 for his career. He will become the 33rd player in NBA history to reach that mark.
Also, Paul Pierce needs just 10 points to become the 46th player in league history to reach 19,000. All this comes a game after Kevin Garnett moved into 25th place on the all-time scoring list, passing Hall of Famer Hal Greer. That came in a 98-89 win over Milwaukee at TD Garden on Tuesday. Garnett had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead six players in double figures.
He is averaging 20.0 points on 76.9 (50-of-65) percent shooting over his last six games.
While Boston (17-4) is on its longest winning streak since before the All-Star break last season, the Wizards (7-12) remain a bit of a disappointment. Picked by many to be the turnaround team in a competitive Southeast Division, they remain in the basement after a 98-94 loss in Detroit on Sunday. Leading scorer Gilbert Arenas was held to eight points, the third time in six games he has failed to reach double figures.
The Green averaged 115.0 points in sweeping all three meetings with Washington last season.
The tip is set for shortly after 8 p.m. Make sure to check back for all the in-game analysis.
