WASHINGTON, D.C. — There are certain advantages to being an old basketball team, and one was on brilliant display for this holiday. While the Washington Wizards had to be concerned about their players partaking in excessive New
Year's Eve revelry, the Celtics had no such worries. Their aging stars were obviously tucked in their hotel when 2011 called it a career, and they were rested enough to roll to a 94-86 victory last night.
Or you could also explain the outcome by pointing out the fact the Celts are pretty good while the Wizards are, to put it kindly, rebuilding. And it's a pretty good bet the C's are going to be successful on a night when Kevin Garnett is assertive on offense. After averaging a modest 10.8 in the Celtics' first four games, Garnett was positively point-hungry last evening.
Garnett blistered the Wizards with 24 points, many of them inside, where the Celts would love him to more often reside. He made 9-of-17 shots, and also pulled in nine rebounds, a jump from his 5.8 average coming in. It is a measure of Rajon Rondo's stature that his own incredible outing was perhaps more expected — which is saying something when you're talking about a triple-double of 18 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists.
Rondo made 7-of-10 shots and seemed to make a play whenever the Celtics needed one. It was his attention to getting the ball to Garnett that spurred the C's. The visitors led this one by as many as 19, but the bench was in during the fourth quarter when the margin shrunk to seven. A return by the regulars, however, restored order, as the Celtics went on to claim their second straight win after opening the season with three losses.
They got 13 points from Ray Allen, nine from Paul Pierce and eight from Jermaine O'Neal, who did not return to action after getting a tight left hamstring wrapped late in the third quarter. Washington coach Flip Saunders was saying before the game that second year point guard John Wall, the top overall draft pick in 2010, could pick up a lot from Rondo. Well, Rondo put on a clinic last night — particularly in the game's first several minutes.
The slick Celtic assisted on six of his club's first eight buckets, and when you consider he scored one of them, the feat is even more impressive.
The C's offense was well in gear pretty much from the opening tip. The C's scored on three of their first four possessions, and when they struck on four straight midway through the frame, the lead was up to 10 and just seven minutes had passed from the clock.
Things got a bit sluggish for a while when Doc Rivers went to his bench. After saying rookie E'Twaun Moore had surpassed Avery Bradley on the depth chart, the coach instead went first to Bradley in the role — most likely because the Celts were looking to keep up their defensive pressure.
But the subs got their act in order and the C's emerged with a 28-17 lead after one quarter. They shot 57.1 percent and held Washington to 36.8.
The numbers were even more impressive on the defensive end in the second period, as the Wizards made just 4-of-20 shots. Eight different Celtics scored as they led by as many as 19 before taking a 51-34 edge into halftime.
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