Kevin Garnett scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds as the Boston Celtics trail the Philadelphia 76ers, 57-45, at the half Friday at TD Garden in Boston, MA.
As the story has gone thus far this season, when Kevin Garnett is not on the floor, the Celtics struggle.
Garnett exited the game with Brandon Bass taking his place at the 7:56 mark, and Boston up 8-3. Without the veteran on the floor, rookie Jared Sullinger and forward Jeff Green were complacent running clock and seemed lost with the ball in their hands. Veteran Chris Wilcox attempted to stop the bleeding, but with just under two minutes left in the first quarter, and Garnett returning to the floor, the Celtics trailed 19-14.
Philadelphia's Nick Young opened up the second frame with back-to-back three-point shots, and scored eight of his 10 points in the second quarter alone to build on the Sixers' lead.
Transition buckets and points in the paint were where the Sixers really dominated Boston in the first two quarters. Philadelphia were fearsome in the paint, outscoring the Celtics 30-14 in the first half. They also controlled the pace, scoring 18 fast break points to Boston's two.
Boston was finally cautious with controlling their ball movement, turning the ball over eight times over the first two quarters. The 76ers shot 51 percent from the field, while the Celtics notched 40 percent. Despite trailing, Boston's veteran unit held the free throw attempt advantage, 15-9 in the first half.
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