Boston Celtics cruised to a 110-101 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday, thanks to Kevin Garnett’s heroics, to maintain slim lead in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Celtics won their third consecutive match, with Garnett getting season high 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Garnett’s energy was off the charts in the game, adding that anybody who knew Kevin would have known that this will happen after the loss on Sunday. The coach said Garnett was very athletic in this game.
Celtics led 19-5 in their first seven possessions and never trailed in the whole game. Toronto mustered up to within a point of Celtics in the second quarter. But the Celtics again built a good lead in the third.
Back after missing action for three weeks due to a hamstring injury, Rajon Rondo had four points and 14 assists in the night. Celtics now have a half game lead over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference.
Paul Pierce, who had 18 points, said that Rondo was really inspiring and was very good in penetration and inside play. He added that they started the game well but they would have to do a better job in finishing the game.
The loss on Friday was the first that Raptors (6-10) had in the last five games. Their starters, combined, scored just 38 points. The bench added 63 points to the total with Linas Kleiza leading the way with 18 points.
Raptors had their problems worsened as starting forward Reggie Evans broke his right foot in the third quarter.
