Shamrock roundup: Thanksgiving weekend
The Boston Celtics sure had a busy week.
On Thanksgiving Eve, the Celtics hosted the San Antonio Spurs at the TD Garden. It wasn’t a happy holiday for the Celtics though, as they saw a come-back bid fall short in a 112-100 loss.
The Celtics spent much of the fourth quarter trailing behind the Spurs by double digits. With the help of Rajon Rondo in the last six minutes, the point gap closed from 14 points to only six points with only three minutes left in the game. But the Celtics were unable to close the gap and the Spurs escaped with the win.
“We’ve got to do our [defensive] coverages better. Playing harder and all that sounds great. Well, we’ve got to play smarter,” said Boston coach Doc Rivers.
On Friday, the Celtics hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder at home. The Celtics once again played a close game but this time came out with a 108-100 win.
Paul Pierce had a season-high 27 points this game, 22 of which were in the second half. Jeff Green added 17 points to the score, helping the Celtics break out of their two-game losing streak.
“This is a gut-check type of win, a look yourself in the mirror type of game. We did what everybody expected of us [tonight] and we came and played the way I know we are capable of playing against a quality opponent,” said Pierce.
Finally, Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic helped the Celtics gain more confidence as they topped the Magic, 116-110.
Kevin Garnett played a great game, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Celtics’ second overtime victory. Pierce added 23 points to the score as well.
Coach Rivers said he was more impressed with this game than he was with Wednesday’s game.
“Our execution won the game for us — and it should, honestly. We’re a veteran team,” said Rivers.
Celtics will host the Brooklyn Nets at home on Wednesday and are out for revenge after their loss to them a few weeks ago in Brooklyn.
