Celtics tip Wizards for 9th straight win
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Boston Celtics won their ninth straight game and their 10th in 11 road games. They had a player score his 20,000th point, another his 19,000th and held their opponents without a rebound for an entire quarter.
Even with all those superlatives, the Celtics didn't secure their 104-102 win over the Washington Wizards until the final moments last night.
It took Rajon Rondo's dunk with a minute left to break a 98-all tie and put the Celtics ahead to stay.
"We believe we can win games in any situation, and that's a good sign," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.
Rondo had a season-high 21 points and 11 assists, and Ray Allen had 18 and became the 32nd NBA player to score 20,000 points. Paul Pierce scored 12 points, giving him 19,002 in his career.
Primarily a passer, Rondo changed his game for one night.
"Tonight it was me being aggressive. I still wanted to pass first, but tonight I had to take the shot," Rondo said.
"Clearly their game plan was they weren't going to guard him," Rivers said. "They were going to give him shots, and he took them."
Gilbert Arenas led Washington with 25 points.
PISTONS 101, NUGGETS 99
Charlie Villanueva scored 27 points, Rodney Stuckey had 26 and host Detroit held off former teammate Chauncey Billups and Denver. Billups missed a layup in the final seconds, allowing the Pistons to run their winning streak to a season-best four games.
JAZZ 120, MAGIC 111
Deron Williams scored 21 of his 32 points in the second half and had 15 assists and eight rebounds, helping host Utah rally to end Orlando's six-game winning streak. The Jazz, who trailed by 16 in the second quarter and 60-52 at halftime, outscored the Magic, 38-21, and never trailed again.