Final
Rondo fuels Celtics to rout of Nets
Oct 30, 2014 - 4:39 AMVideo
After a long nap Wednesday afternoon, Rondo decided that the broken left hand that kept him out of the preseason wasn't going to keep him from returning to the hardwood.
The decision paid off, as Rondo tallied 13 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 121-105 rout of the Brooklyn Nets.
Boston's star point guard joked with reporters that he was 83 percent healthy yesterday, but showed no ill-effects from the injury in looking like his old dominant self in just under 30 minutes of work. Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points and Jeff Green had 17 for Boston.
Eight Celtics reached double figures, and all 10 that took the floor scored at least six points in a balanced attack.
Mirza Teletovic shot 8-of-11 off the bench to pace Brooklyn with 20 points in the setback. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams netted 19 apiece.
"We have to play harder," said forward Kevin Garnett. "First game, we have something to build off of."
The Celtics were the better team from the opening tip. Rondo assisted on four of their first seven baskets, Olynyk scored nine straight points midway through the first quarter and the hosts led 24-13 just over seven minutes in.
The lead was nine points after the first quarter. Mirza Teletovic hit a deep triple early in the second to trim the margin to eight, but Rondo assisted on consecutive Tyler Zeller baskets in the paint and out of a timeout, rookie Marcus Smart had his first career basket -- a breakaway jam -- to make it 40-26.
Boston broke the game open late in the second quarter, as a pair of Green free throws with 3:50 left started a 17-1 run. Smart capped the rally with two free throws just before halftime, and the Celtics owned a commanding 67-41 lead at the break.
"Our intensity was really good," said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. "Even when we were scrambling, we were doing it hard. We were active defensively."
The second half featured much of the same Boston dominance, although Brooklyn got within 15 points after Johnson split a pair of free throws late in the fourth.
Game Notes
Boston's 26-point halftime lead is the largest halftime advantage in a season opener in franchise history ... The Celtics shot 49-of-88 (55.7 percent) from the floor ... The Nets won the rebounding battle, 39-35, but turned the ball over 20 times compared to 12 for Boston ... Nets center Brook Lopez missed the game with a sprained foot ... Boston's biggest lead was 29 points ... The Celtics improved to 42-27 all-time in season openers.
Oct 29 9:55 PM- BROOKLYN: 72
BOSTON: 101
End of 3rd
Oct 29 9:21 PM - BROOKLYN: 41
BOSTON: 67
Halftime
Oct 29 8:40 PM - BROOKLYN: 23
BOSTON: 32
End of 1st
Oct 29 8:06 PM - BROOKLYN: 0
BOSTON: 0
1st Quarter - 11:46
Oct 29 7:42 PM
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