Celtics-Bobcats Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Apr 15 2012 1:14AM

After a rough beginning to their stretch of three road games in three nights, the Boston Celtics appear to be headed in the right direction once again.

The Celtics look to conclude their back-to-back-to-back weekend Sunday night by sending the Charlotte Bobcats to their second 16-game losing streak of the season.

Riding a four-game winning streak with victories over Indiana, Philadelphia, Miami and Atlanta, Boston (35-25) fell flat at Toronto on Friday, shooting 37.5 percent in an 84-79 loss.

Frustrated by that defeat against a team out of playoff contention, the Celtics used a second-half surge Saturday to win for the 20th time in 28 games, 94-82 at New Jersey. Kevin Garnett had 21 points with 12 rebounds and Avery Bradley scored 11 of his 18 during a third quarter in which Boston outscored the Nets 26-13.

The Celtics held New Jersey to 34 second-half points.

"We came out a lot more aggressive," Garnett said. "We ran our system and our things and defensively we slowed them down a bit and never looked back."

With six games remaining, Boston has a 3 1/2-game lead over both New York and Philadelphia as it closes in on a fifth straight Atlantic Division title.

Bradley continues to provide a big boost for the Celtics, averaging 13.4 points while starting 12 of the last 13 games in place of Ray Allen.

"We know what he can do," teammate Paul Pierce said of the second-year guard. "It's just about him developing his confidence."

Allen will miss a fourth straight game Sunday with a sore ankle.

Garnett has averaged 20.0 points and 9.8 rebounds in the last five games, and totaled 46 points in Boston's two victories over the Bobcats this season. Pierce had 36 with 10 boards and Garnett scored 24 in a 102-95 win in Charlotte on March 26.

While the Celtics continue to gear up for the playoffs, Charlotte (7-51) has eight games left in what is almost certain to be the worst season in the eight-year history of the franchise.

The Bobcats need at least one more victory to avoid finishing with the worst winning percentage in NBA history.

With 10 healthy players in uniform, Charlotte fell behind 33-19 in the first quarter of a 105-82 loss at Miami on Friday.

"I think we played hard," said forward Derrick Brown, who had 21 points and nine rebounds. "We're short-handed right now. This team just keeps on playing through adversity. Obviously, it's bad but we need to continue to play as hard as we can to get ready for the future."

Charlotte, which already lost 16 in a row Jan. 16-Feb. 15, should have an extra body on the bench Sunday after signing forward Jamario Moon for the rest of the season.

A four-year NBA veteran, Moon has not played in the league this season but averaged 17.7 points for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. Moon, who played for Cleveland and the Clippers in 2010-11, has averaged 6.4 points for four NBA teams.

Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson has averaged 17.0 points on 54.3 percent (19 of 35) shooting in his last three games versus Boston.

Celtics beat Bobcats 94-82 without 3 star players

By STEVE REED
Posted Apr 16 2012 12:38AM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Even without their Big 3, the Boston Celtics proved to be too much for the lowly Charlotte Bobcats.

Rajon Rondo had 20 points and 16 assists to help the Celtics beat the hapless Bobcats 94-82 Sunday night despite playing without three of their star players.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were given the night off to rest and did not even make the trip to Charlotte, N.C.

But the Celtics won anyway as Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass each scored 22 points to help complement a long and productive night from Rondo, who logged 42 minutes playing on the tail end of a back-to-back-to-back.

"Rondo said, `Hey, I'm ready for 48 (minutes),"' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "And I said, `There's no doubt about that.' He ended up with 42, which wasn't bad."

Rondo came out briefly at the end of the third quarter after taking a shot to his right biceps but did return.

"I wanted to play 48 to see where I was conditioning-wise," Rondo said.

Rivers said it was a big win considering the Celtics were without three guys who combine for 49.2 points per game. He said that's a great sign as the Celtics begin gearing up for the postseason.

"I keep saying our locker room is as tight as maybe it's ever been," Rivers said. "They cheer for each other. They pull for each other. They wanted to win this game. They really did. Because, when you sit guys, people just assume you're going to show up and play. And our guys, you could see in their demeanor in the locker room. I didn't know if we were going to win tonight, but I knew we were going to play hard."

Bradley hit 9 of 14 shots from the field and finished one point shy of tying his career-high. He hit a big 3-point midway through the fourth quarter to put the Celtics up by seven.

"Rondo is our leader and he played the whole first half and kept us going," said Bradley. "Having a player like that on your team just kind of keeps you going."

Center Greg Stiemsma also stepped for the Celtics.

He started in place of Garnett and tied a career-high with six blocks and altered a few other shots. More importantly, he stayed out of foul trouble.

"That's my role to come out and play physical and play with energy," Stiemsma said. "Some nights they call it a little tighter than others and I have to get a feel for that right away. Tonight it set the tone early on how I was going to play."

The loss was the Bobcats' 16th straight, tying a dubious franchise record set earlier this season. If the Bobcats lose their final seven games this season they will finish with the worst single-season winning percentage in NBA history.

Gerald Henderson led Charlotte with 22 points.

"You prepare anticipating (the big three) were going to play," Henderson said. "When they start their bench guys - even though they're still really good players - it's a little different game. It just didn't turn out well for us."

Despite being down to 11 healthy players, the Celtics shot 62 percent from the field in the first quarter and jumped out to a 34-23 lead. Rondo set the tone with 12 points and seven assists in the opening quarter.

The Bobcats were able to pull within four in the fourth quarter, but Bradley hit a big 3-pointer from the corner. Bass then followed that with a jumper from the foul line and Mickael Pietrus knocked down another 3-pointer from the wing to get the lead back to double digits.

The Bobcats, who couldn't seem to find a rhythm on offense, never really challenged again.

"One of the problems we have is we don't have post-up people," Bobcats coach Paul Silas said. "Gerald Henderson is our only guy and he really shoots a jumper over people and he makes it, but that's about all we have. So you have to play on the outside, run pick and roll a lot. That's the kind of thing we play for."

Silas hoped his team would be able to run on the tired Celtics, but Boston actually had two more points off fast breaks.

With the Celtics already having clinched a playoff spot, Rivers decided to leave Garnett and Pierce at the team hotel in the New York area after Saturday night's game against the New Jersey Nets to rest. The Celtics have a game Tuesday night at New York.

Ray Allen, who is nursing a sore right ankle, wasn't expected to play and remains in Boston. He's listed as day-to-day.

NOTES: North Carolina coach Roy Williams and North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried took in the game courtside Sunday night. ... Jamario Moon played his first game for the Bobcats after spending most of the season with the Developmental League. He did not score in 13 minutes of action. ... Bass' 22 points were a season-high.

Notebook: Celtics 94, Bobcats 82

Posted Sunday April 15, 2012 9:26PM

By Derek S. Smith, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass each scored 22 points while Rajon Rondo had 20 points and 16 assists as the Boston Celtics defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 94-82 Sunday evening at Time Warner Cable Arena. Gerald Henderson led the Bobcats, who dropped their 16th straight game, with 22 points.

QUOTABLE: "When somebody is out we have a group of guys who will step up. Tonight it was me and Avery, but with this team it could be anybody. We got a veteran group. We've got leaders who make us comfortable, confident and encourage us."
-- Bass.

THE STAT: 43, 16, 22. Rondo played a key role in this game. The Boston point guard played 43 minutes in the contest and dished out 16 assists. It was the 22nd consecutive game in which Rondo has reached double figures in assists. He is only the third player to ever notch double-digit assists in 20-straight games, joining Hall of Famers John Stockton and Magic Johnson.

TURNING POINT: Bradley kick-started a 10-2 Boston run midway through the fourth quarter which put the Bobcats away for good. Charlotte had cut the lead to 78-74 after a dunk from Derrick Brown, but Bradley's three put the lead back to seven. The run was completed with a Rondo driving lay-up two minutes later for an 88-76 advantage and a double-digit lead which Boston would never relinquish the remainder of the game.

QUOTABLE II: "It was a terrific win. When you don't play those guys (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett & Paul Pierce) you're missing in essence 60 points. We had to get those points from other players and we did that tonight. Rajon (Rondo) and Avery (Bradley) and Brandon (Bass) stepped us for tonight on the offensive end. It was a great team win and makes everyone in that locker room feel good about themselves and realize what they mean to this team.
-- Boston head coach Doc Rivers.

HOT: Bradley. The Boston guard has been given an opportunity to prove himself with the absence of Allen due to injury. Bradley stepped up again Sunday with a 22-point performance. Bradley scored 10 of his 22 in the third quarter and finished the night shooting 9-of-14 from the floor and 2-of-3 from behind the arc. He also hit both of his free throw attempts. The second-year player has scored in double figures in the five of his last six games and averaged 18.3 points during the team's back-to-back-to-back which is almost triple his average on the season.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The ACC was well represented tonight. Both Roy Williams, the head coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, and Mark Gottfried, the head coach of the N.C. State Wolfpack, were seated courtside at Time Warner Cable Arena. The game was just a day after both had recruits playing in the Jordan Brand Classic High School All-Star game.

GOOD MOVE: Sitting the Big 3. It proved to be a good move by Rivers to sit Allen, Garnett and Pierce. The Celtics played without their three marquee players and still were able to handle the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday evening.

ROOKIE WATCH: Greg Sitemsma. The rookie out of Wisconsin had eight points, five rebounds, a career-best six blocked shots and four steals in his second career start.

NOTABLE: The Bobcats are currently in their second 16-game losing streak of the season. Their last win was on March 17 against Toronto. If the Bobcats losing streak were to continue through its remaining seven games the team would set the record for lowest winning percentage and finish with a 23-game skid ... Henderson had a season-high tying five assists ... D.J. Augustin had 10 assists and zero turnovers ... This was the first game in which Allen, Garnett and Pierce have all missed a game since the trio was put together prior to the 2007-08 season ... The Celtics are 29-10 when shooting 45 percent or better from the field and 29-6 when scoring 90 or more ... Bass scored in double figures for the sixth straight game. He is averaging 16.8. points in that stretch.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Tuesday at New York, Wednesday vs. Orlando, Friday at Atlanta. For the Bobcats, Monday vs. New Orleans, Wednesday vs. Chicago, Friday vs. Memphis.

• Celtics: Allen, O'Neal
• Bobcats: Maggette, Najera

• Celtics: Rondo
• Bobcats: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #70 Brent Barnaky, #16 David Guthrie
• Attendance: 15169
• Duration: 2:02