Rajon Rondo had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists as the Boston Celtics lead the Brooklyn Nets, 56-42, Christmas Day from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
After taking a brief lead in the first, Brooklyn took control and coasted through the quarter.
But a short spurt to end the quarter gave the Celtics confidence to start the second frame. With Rajon Rondo taking a breather, Boston attacked the basket and got to the foul line to take their first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
The Celtics used a 21-5 run to take a 12-point lead early thanks to tight defense, lead by Rondo and the bench..
But while the scoring was nice, it was Boston's defensive effort, led by Kevin Garnett, that led to the change of pace. The Celtics used crisp rotations and stifling pressure on the ball to force bad Brooklyn shots and easy turnovers under the basket.
The Nets shot 45 percent in the half, while the Celtics notched 50 percent from the field after scoring a whopping 24 points in the second quarter.
Boston held a 24-15 rebound advantage at the half, thanks in large part to the play of Jared Sullinger off the bench.
Sullinger was arguably the player of the half, providing energy for the Celtics while hitting 10 points and grabbing six boards.
Brook Lopez led the Nets with 10 points and three rebounds at the half.
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