Shaquille O'Neal scores a season-high 25 points, even at one point hitting four straight free throws in the final quarter to help the Celtics come back and beat the Nets 89-83.
O'Neal had the best night of his Celtics career as he recorded another double-double as he also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. He went 9-10 from the field and even had a good night from the free throw line going 7-13, a very good night for a career 53% free throw shooter. This is the most points Shaq has scored since he was with the Suns in 2008.
Paul Pierce improved from his last few performances as he scored 18 points and added five rebounds while Ray Allen contributed 15 points and seven assists. Kevin Garnett had a quite game as he only was able to score eight points and grab five rebounds.
The Celtics were once again without Rajon Rondo, who is still out with a hamstring injury, and they once again had to start Nate Robinson at point guard. Robinson has filled in very well as he was able to score 22 points against the Raptors and 16 points against the Hawks, however he only managed 7 points and four assists.
Right before the end of the second quarter, Delonte West left the game with a broken wrist after he scored a very tough lay-up under the basket. West was taken in for x-rays which revealed that his right wrist was broken. West will be further evaluated tomorrow. West was able to score four points before leaving the game. The injury to West forced Marquis Daniels to play a season-high 29 minutes
Shaq clearly stole the show tonight, as he has been accustomed to doing. Shaq had a few post-game comments regarding his performance:
"I know people appreciate my hard work," he said. "This is a great team. Best team I've been on. We've got a lot, a lot of weapons. Anybody on this team can be the leading scorer. The shots are there, but they drop off. They could have easily have shot."