Garnett’s buzzer-beater sinks 76ers
Friday, December 10, 2010
Fresh off back-to-back blowout victories in which they barely broke a sweat, the Boston Celtics needed a last-second bucket Thursday by Kevin Garnett to escape Philadelphia with a 102-101 win over the 76ers.
With the Celtics trailing by a point with 6.6 seconds remaining, point guard Rajon Rondo took the inbound pass, patiently waited for Garnett to break free at the top of the key and then lobbed the ball to his 6-foot-11 forward, who kissed a runner off the glass to give Boston the lead with 1.4 to go.
Garnett also stole the ensuing inbound pass to seal the win, Boston’s ninth consecutive victory dating back to Nov. 21. The Celtics improved to 18-4, giving them a 4 ½-game lead in the Atlantic Division over the red-hot New York Knicks, who’ve won six in a row.
Garnett’s game-winner was only his sixth field goal of the night. He finished with 14 points and hadn’t scored since the nine-and-a-half minute mark of the third quarter before hitting the winning shot. Ray Allen led the Celtics with 23 points on 7-for-10 shooting while Rondo finished with 19 points and 14 assists. Glen Davis provided his usual effort off the bench, finishing with 16 points.
Thursday’s game featured 13 lead changes and was close throughout. The final two minutes were particularly frantic. Philadelphia (7-15) took a 97-93 lead with 1:58 to play on a 13-footer by Elton Brand, but Allen responded with a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession and then hit a 3-pointer on Boston’s next trip down the floor to give the Celtics a 98-97 advantage.
Andre Iguodala and Davis traded baskets down the stretch with Iguadala scoring four points in the final minute, including a layup with 6.6 seconds remaining that put the 76ers on top, 101-100. Iguodala finished with 14 points despite shooting just 5-of-14 from the floor. Jodie Meeks led Philadelphia with 19 points, which included a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range.
Boston will seek its 10th consecutive win Saturday at Charlotte before traveling to New York to face the Knicks on Wednesday.
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