BOSTON - The winning ways didn't last very long at TD Garden, as the Rajon Rondo-less Boston Celtics were toppled by Marcin Gortat and the Phoenix Suns, 79-71, on Friday night in Boston. Gortat led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for Phoenix, which maintained a consistent performance to shoot 44.9 percent.
The absence of Rondo was very apparent for Boston, which had 20 assists in the game and no player had more than six assists. Avery Bradley, who started in place of Rondo, scored 10 points and had one assist in 33 minutes for the Celts.
Ray Allen provided a scoring punch for Boston, leading the team with 14 points. Paul Pierce added 12 points and both Kevin Garnett and Bradley reached 10 points. Brandon Bass provided a boost off the bench, finishing with 11 points.
Pierce, Allen, Pietrus and Bradley spoke with the media after the loss. Here's the audio.
AUDIO: Mickael Pietrus Postgame (1-20-12)
AUDIO: Avery Bradley Postgame (1-20-12)
AUDIO: Paul Pierce Postgame (1-20-12)
AUDIO: Ray Allen Postgame (1-20-12)
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