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Paul Pierce, Celtics embarrass Kobe Bryant, Lakers 02.07.13 at 10:28 pm ET
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Paul PIerce and the Celtics ran circles around the Lakers Thursday night. (AP)

Paul PIerce and the Celtics ran circles around the Lakers Thursday night. (AP)

Paul Pierce 12 of his 24 points in the third quarter while Kevin Garnett scored 15 points and made NBA history as the Celtics embarrassed the Lakers on national TV, 116-95, Thursday night at TD Garden. Jeff Green added 19 points off the bench for the Celtics, who matched their season-best six-game winning streak while improving to 26-23 on the season.

Kobe Bryant scored 27 in the loss and Dwight Howard had little impact on the game, scoring nine points and grabbing nine rebounds in 28 minutes in his return from three-game absence due to a right shoulder injury. He fouled out with 5:07 left in the game. It was his first game since being called out by Bryant on Wednesday. The Lakers lost for just the second time in eight games and fell to 23-27 on the season.

The Celtics overcame early foul trouble as Garnett picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and found an early spot on the bench. Jason Collins picked up three fouls in five minutes and the Lakers were in the bonus before the first three minutes were in the books as Boston was called for five fouls in the first 2:22 of the game.

The Celtics finished the first quarter with 10 personal fouls while the Lakers had only three.

But the Lakers could not take advantage, missing 7-of-12 free throws and shooting just 8-for-21 from the field. The Celtics took the lead for good on a Jeff Green three-foot hook shot with 4:03 left in the first quarter. Bryant had eight points in the opening 12 minutes but Pierce went even further, scoring 10, as the Celtics grabbed a 27-23 lead after one quarter.

With 8:08 left in the second quarter, Garnett hit an 11-foot turnaround over Earl Clark to reach the 25,000-point plateau. He made history as the only player in NBA history with 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists and 1,500 blocks. Garnett had nine points in the second quarter as the Celtics began to pull away, outscoring Los Angeles, 31-21, to take a 58-44 halftime lead. The Celtics committed just two turnovers in the first half as they began to pull away.

In a throwback to Game 6 of the 2008 NBA finals, when the Celtics clinched their 17th title on the parquet, the Celtics blew out the listless and defenseless Lakers in the third quarter. Following a Steve Blake three that closed the gap to 81-66, the Celtics closed the quarter 14-3 spurt that featured a one-handed slam by Green and a 3-pointer from Pierce that sent the Garden into a frenzy. The Celtics led 95-69 heading into the fourth.

With chants of “Beat LA” ringing throughout the sellout crowd, the Celtics kept pouring it on, building their lead up to 32, 103-71, midway through the fourth.

Fab Melo checked into the game with just under five minutes left for Chris Wilcox and the Celtics up by 27. He scored his first NBA points on a layup with 1:22 remaining in the game.

The Celtics are off Friday and likely will not practice on Saturday either due to the blizzard forecast for Boston. The Celtics are next scheduled to play Sunday at 6 p.m. against the Nuggets at TD Garden. For more from the team of Mike Petraglia and Ben Rohrbach at the Garden, visit the Celtics team page at weei.com/celtics.

Read More: Boston Celtics, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • old milton

    was he scared of you on the previous 4 kicks??  dumb supposition

  • Truth

    definition of choke, I’m afraid.

    When you are that good all game, to be so bad on the most important kick…is, well, choking. 

  • Psycho1039

    it’s called law of averages….he is a career 80% FG kicker.  Do you guys know what 4 out of 5 is?

    • Vroomdogg04

      84% Big guy…

  • Psycho1039

    and he has a better career %age in the playoffs…so it is safe to say he can handle the pressure.  Also safe to say, every kicker misses a FG here and there

    • Vroomdogg04

      84% big guy..

  • droofus

    Maybe it’s because the refs didn’t call roughing the kicker all day.   It’s easy to be aggressive when you can run into the punter/kicker after they’ve gotten the ball away.

    That was one area where this set of refs REALLY screwed up.   I was going nuts on the first couple of punts as the cardinals smashed Mesko into the ground with no flag thrown.

    • James

      Yeah, I was watching the same game.

  • JMC00

    So making 4 of 4, 2 of them over 50 yards and he was scared of them? 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/KHMWH4W4OA4RBHLHONVOUW2OGQ michael

    Steve is probably the BEST kicker in the NFL….He keeps himself in great shape and takes nothing for granted….Nobody is ever 100% no matter what….Besides….it never should have come down to a kick…..

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZVFM2HRNC5CTO2OUXD4XTX65O4 Dennis

     Certainly seemed like Brady ducked into a foxhole a few times.

  • James

    So with Patrick Peterson’s take on things, he must also think that Ryan Williams was scared crapless too.

  • James

    There were too many mistakes to go around, for the Pats to win this game. But, they still almost pulled it out of the fire. All was needed to win at the end was to eliminate those mistakes.

  • Paul

    Gost is a damn good kicker. Glad to have him.

  • kozlodoev

    How come noone is commenting on how awful the snap was? Ball was tilted to the left when Gostkowski was kicking it.

    • Selwonk

       I agree.  Snap and hold were poor.  Pretty much directed that kick wide left.

  • Cfn

    Six in a row without Rondo! Interesting! But we have not
    played good teams.  Oh, I forgot about
    Miami and Clippers!  But Dwight has been
    out with injury. Oh, no, he came back tonight. 
    But the Lakers played back to back games. Oh, no, that was Boston, a
    road game last night and tonight at TD. 
    Seriously, everyone is playing better and reaching their potential.  I like the way Bass, Green, Pierce and Terry
    are moving now. Even Collins is playing better. I do want Rondo to stay a Celtic
    but I hope he or the coaches can learn that it is not his team.  The others on the team have SPOKEN. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/derek.lee.82 Derek Lee

      This just in, Rondo only has a partial tear, he could be back before the playoffs.
      Hey idiot. The Clippers were missing their best player, so they were not a good opponent. Five wins against below 500 teams.
      This little beat up on sh!t teams streak does not mean they are better without Rondo.

      • Cfn

        That is good news to me if he comes back for the playoffs.  But is that true or you just pulling my leg.  Look, as a fan base, we need to move on for the moment from talking about Rondo.  Most of us agree that we are better now.  Subtraction is addition in this short term.  We will continue to win, I feel it.  Remember before the season started, we were considered to be the top in the league because of how deep we were.  In some strange way the injury of Rondo has fused us and made us a team where all the working parts are doing their job now.  Even Sullinger’s injury was a blip.  Rondo is a smart guy, as well as Doc and DA, and we were all blinded that Rondo had to be a certain way.  When he comes back you will see his role will change in a good way.  He will be better because he will have a better sense of how to let the offense be “Itself” and not about him.  Knowledge plus Truth equals Understanding.

      • Ty

        This just in, he’s done for the season.  They might not be better without Rondo, but they are playing better, even if it is against some poor teams.  The fact remains that right before Rondo got injured, they were losing to teams we all think they should have been beating.  Last night’s win was a huge statement, and say what you will about the Lakers and having lost Pau Gasol–they were still playing well coming into last night’s game.  The Celtics made them look terrible.

        I think there’s something to the argument that with Rondo, everyone else does a lot more ball-watching and standing around when he’s controlling the basketball for the majority of a possession.  The ball movement is better since he’s left, the play of guys like Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, and Jeff Green has gotten better, and the perimeter defense is a heck of a lot better.

        It’s a small sample size so far, so we’ll just have to keep watching, but there’s no denying they are playing very good team basketball right now.

        • http://www.facebook.com/derek.lee.82 Derek Lee

          The Celtics didn’t make the Lakers look bad. They ARE bad. And they were bad going into the game. Right before Rondo got injured, they went on a legitimate 6 game win streak, which included four teams with winning records. It’s only a matter of time before they die without him.

  • NE1935

    Great all around win. No collapse in third quarter. Great t/o game however the FT’S need to get better for close games. Even Melo first points.

  • Bruinman86

    Never a bad thing to take it to the Lakers.  Made my day!

    • Uncle Buck

      Take down Montreal one night and the Lakers the next night !  All we’re missing are the Yankees and Jets.

      • Bruinman86

        Yeah, no kidding! Although, leave the Jets alone and they destroy themselves without any help! And watching this A-Fraud/Yanks fiasco has its entertainment value too!

  • Titletown1

    No need to mention Rondo any longer, he’s getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror.

    Just look at the score sheet, nice and balanced.

    But seriously is there a softer big man in the game than Dwight Howard? What a dud.

    • Cfn

      I think your right about not mentioning Rondo any longer, for it seems pretty clear that this team is starting to fire on all cylinders.  We have won the Atlantic division the last five years and feel we can win again since we have 30 games left and 6 games out of first.  As long as we stay healthy we will be good.  Barbosa needs a little restraint at times or at least to know when to kick the ball out.

  • Yaz8

    Everyone is hustling their butts off, contributing, and playing unselfishly.
    We are starting to see what Jeff Green can be. 
    Got a rough stretch of games and a trip out west.
    Let’s hope this is what they are becoming without Rondo and not a 6 game mirage.
    Go C’s!

  • Baker

    Despite losing Derrick Rose, the Bulls have managed to attain the 4 seed in the East through 48 games. Does anyone really believe that they are better without him? 
    I just can’t believe Rondo gets all this flack from his own fan base. Just wait until the playoffs, bottom line is if the C’s don’t win a championship without him, what difference does it make really?
    Ask yourselves this, when KG and PP are gone, what is this team without Rondo?

    • Keebs

      Whether or not you like it, they’re actually playing better without him. Even statistically they’re playing better. They’re playing team basketball, & they’re actually moving the ball. Everyone’s contributing. Look how Green’s been playing & look how Terry’s been playing? Just because a team loses a talented player, doesn’t mean that team can’t play better without him. Does it mean they’re going far in the playoffs if they make the playoffs? No; but I never thought they were going far with Rondo either, but at least other guys are getting a shot & it’s fun watching them play again. 

      • Baker

        I don’t dislike the fact that they are winning, the C’s are my team. I dislike the way people are undervaluing Rondo, my favorite player. Yes everyone is stepping up and playing well, and the defense is looking better. BUT, it’s been 6 games. I remember the team winning 6 straight earlier this season (against the Hawks and Rockets) and then they lost 6 straight. Just because they are playing well now does not mean they won’t have problems later. People enjoy hating Rondo; I don’t know why but they do. I KNOW the C’s (over a long enough time period) are not better without him. I just wish that every game the team wins can be celebrated as a win, not “Another win without Rondo, WOOT!!!”

        • Keebs

          Did you ever think people enjoy hating him because as a person he’s just not likable? He’s a hard guy to root for. He’s more respected by people than liked, if anything. Is he a special player on the court? Of course, but he’s so freaking unlikable. He’s an immature little punk with a gigantic ego who tends to worry about his own numbers rather than just play basketball. Does it really matter if people think they’re better off without him? It doesn’t change anything anyway. 

      • Fab4ever

        Rondo is the classic definition of an enigma….some nights, he’s the best player on the court…other nights, he’s Terry Duerod incarnate…he’s the Celtics version of Manny…polarizing to say the least…I gotta hand it to the guys out there and Doc…tehy’re playing hard and there’s no “down in the dumps” mentality..of course, they really haven’t had much of a challenge…the Lakers are a mess…they’re the 2011 Red Sox in sneakers…

        • Gray

           though to be fair to the 2011 redsox for a time they were the best team in baseball lol ;)

  • Celtics1975

    The way the first couple minutes were being called had me thinking i was watching classic sports, an a game from the 2010 finalls was on.

  • Geetsolboy

    “This team is not better without Rondo, this team is not better without Rondo…” Maybe if all the talking heads on radio and tv keep saying it their wish will come true.

  • SMSCoachMike

    Hard to believe any team can be better by subtracting one of their best players. If the goal of the point guard is to run the offense and maximize everyone’s talents by enabling them to play ‘their game’, then the real question isn’t “Are we better without Rondo”, the real question should be “Is Rajon watching this and thinking ‘Based on what I am seeing, what do I have to do differently to support and contribute to this type of play when I return’ or is he thinking ‘Business as usual when I get back’. That is what I am interested to see.

  • Dave

    Don’t talk about the poor quality of these six teams: one was Miami, one the Clippers (no CP, but Bledsoe, his replacement, had a great game), LA was hot, Toronto was hot, and even the Kings and Magic win sometimes.  The key is defense, and if Rondo’s seeing anything, hopefully he sees that because matador D’s the reason I was down on RR this year (and I’ve been a big fan of his since he joined the team).  I wanted to see the pit-bull combo of Bradley and Lee as starters, and I really like what I see.  If this backcourt continues to work, then Rondo could be a great trade chip, maybe right before the draft (when other teams–Utah, Charlotte, etc.–will see that he’s healed up).  One last point: what many hate about Rondo, I actually like in a way.  He’s completely focused on winning–same sort of pin-point focus that all the greats have/had: Bird, Jordan, Kobe. 

  • JimVT

    Dwight Howard is in a bad place right now.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when he was getting worked over by Chris Wilcox.  I like Wilcox off our bench, but my god, Dwight should have stayed in the locker room.

  • JimDaytona

    Let’s review this: Kirk Milhaine thinks the Celtics are a better team with Rondo. Currently the Celtics are 7-0 since Rondo went down and in the last 2 years the Celtics are 35 and 13 without Rondo. I like Rondo but something is not adding up.

  • Chrisindanvers

    Another solid game and again, the team seems to be playing well with a different brand of basketball. All the Rondo talk has got me chuckling. I do believe that the team is better with Rondo – however the brand of basketball that they play may not be. If they can find a way to mix Rondo into this style of basketball (the first two years of the “Big Three” were more like this) then the team would truly be powerful.

    The wins actually have been solid and I agree – you can’t downgrade most of the teams. The Clippers were one of the most feared teams when they came in, as was Miami. The Lakers, though up and down, had been on an upswing and the Raptors always pose a problem in Toronto.  The wins were solid.

    As for Dwight Howard, I agree – he looks totally out of sorts. He definitely needs a change of scenery. He looked downright sad on the sidelines last night, as if he was counting down until he can become a free agent.  Although I have never been a huge Howard fan (though he might look nice in Kelly green), I do feel sorry for him; sadly he brought a lot of this on himself.

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