BOSTON - Ray Allen's second-quarter spurt helped give the Boston Celtics a little breathing room against the Houston Rockets at the end of the first half, and the C's took a 46-40 lead into halftime on Tuesday evening at TD Garden.
Allen, who was scoreless in the first quarter, had seven points in the quarter, including a corner three from Rajon Rondo (nine points, five assists, three rebounds) that gave Boston a 40-35 lead late in the quarter. Paul Pierce came alive at the end of the half after starting of 3-for-8 with six points, adding four points to bring his total up to 10. Luis Scola led all scorers with 12 points, but scored just one point in the second quarter. Chandler Parsons had eight first-quarter points and was held to two in the second for Houston.
The Rockets led 28-21 after twelve minutes, thanks to a red-hot start from the field in which they shot 63 percent. Boston, meanwhile, struggled out of the gate, missing their first three shots.
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