Rajon Rondo has 19 points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds as the Boston Celtics lead the Brooklyn Nets, 73-58, Christmas Day from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
The scoring was rare in the third quarter, but Boston used a 8-2 run to push their lead in the frame as they look for their first win over Brooklyn this season.
The defense wasn't there like it was in the first half, when the Celtics moved effortlessly from player to player and forced bad looks at the hoop and lazy turnovers. Brooklyn just couldn't hit their shots, until it used a 9-0 run to get right back into the game.
The scoring drought would end with a Rondo transition bucket, but the Celtics still couldn't find their footing, as the Nets only trailed by nine with just over two minutes to go in the quarter.
After their bigs got them back into the game, Brooklyn's guard duo of Joe Johnson and Deron Williams scored nine-straight points for the Nets to make it a game.
But with under a minute, as the Nets seemed to be right back in it, Rondo willed the Celtics on another run, drawing a charge from Williams, sending a nice dish to Jared Sullinger for two and hitting a three for a 7-0 run.
Boston is hitting 46 percent from the field, while the Nets are connecting on 41 percent of their attempts
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