SB Nation Boston - Celtics 100, Wizards 94: Boston storms back for second win on the yearhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2012-11-08T08:03:32-05:00http://boston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/33603572012-11-08T08:03:32-05:002012-11-08T08:03:32-05:00Celtics OT: Boston still shaky in win vs. Wizards
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<p><i>Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing quotes and analysis. Boston defeated Washington, 100-94, in overtime Wednesday night at TD Garden.</i></p>
<p>Boy, they're not making it easy. Four games are in the books, an somehow, the "work in progress" Boston Celtics have managed to put together a 2-2 record. In some ways, that's an accomplishment in itself. Between apathetic defense and a widely inconsistent bench, two wins in four tries is admirable. Then again, the two wins came against the Washington Wizards -- barely.</p>
<p>Five Celtics reached double digit in scoring, <span>Paul Pierce</span> (15 points, 10 rebounds), <span>Kevin Garnett</span> (20 points, 13 rebounds) and <span>Rajon Rondo</span> (18 points, 14 rebounds) all posted double-doubles and the Celtics survived in another unnecessarily tight game, 100-94 in overtime.</p>
<p>Much like Saturday's affair with Washington, Boston grabbed an early lead only to have inconsistent bench play and general disarray squander it.</p>
<p><span>Jared Sullinger</span> really said it best after the game. It's a work in progress.</p>
<p><b>Wins are wins, but Celtics have work to do</b></p>
<p>Did we mention that the Celtics are a work in progress? Through four games, we still don't know what this team is. Are they a traditional, <span>Doc Rivers</span>-style defensive stalwart (hint: probably not)? Are they a team capable of scoring 100 or more a night (yeah, probably not that either)? What are the Celtics, exactly?</p>
<p>Well, I've already said it 1,000 times, so I'll let Sully reiterate.</p>
<p>"We all want to be good, so a win like this is not really want we want," Sullinger said. "We want to be a little bit better on defense, better on offensive execution. Everyday is a work in progress so everyday we're getting better"</p>
<p>It's also important to note that no team is perfect. Heck, the eventual champion <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> had flaws, as Celtics fans know (we came so close to knocking 'me out in six last year... and while we're on it.... WHY, RAY, WHY? ... Ok, back to the point). No team is going to win every game. Every team has flaws, and while the point of the regular season is to tweak them, they won't all go away.</p>
<p>Putting it simply, a win is a win, and they all count the same.</p>
<p>"We got stops when we needed to, overall it's all about the win and that's what we did," Rondo said.</p>
<p>"I think we are happy to get a victory but we know that we definitely got to get some work done, especially from a defensive standpoint," said <span>Leandro Barbosa</span>.</p>
<p><b><span>Brandon Bass</span> better served coming off the bench?</b></p>
<p>It's still way to early to tell -- the Celtics have not plate enough games against tough competition -- but you have to wonder if Brandon Bas is best served coming off the bench for Boston.</p>
<p>Doc River didn't want to make a change after starting rookie Jared Sullinger in the first game of the home-and-home series with Washington on Saturday, and Bass showed that he can be effective regardless of when he enters the game. Bass finished with 11 points -- five coming in the overtime period to lead Boston -- and seven rebounds.</p>
<p>"He was aggressive," Rondo said about Bass. "He didn't force any of his shots. He drove to the basket, drove strong and hard, got fouled, got a couple layups and made some big plays for us."</p>
<p>Sullinger, however, wasn't quite as effective as his veteran counterpart, totaling four points and four boards in 24 minutes.</p>
<p>Bass and Sullinger will both get their chances to shine in the starting role until one blows Rivers away, but it's definitely an idea worth considering.. </p>
<p><b>Oh, hey there JET.</b></p>
<p>You all remember Jason Eugene Terry, don't you? Remember, the guy who was brought here to essentially replace Ray "I Didn't Feel Loved" Allen and take the Celtics bench, a major weakness one season ago, and make it a strength?</p>
<p>Well, the Jet didn't show up (at least not in the way that we've seen him in the past) over the Celtics' first three games, but that all changed Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Terry concluded his second home game as a member of the Celtics with far better numbers -- a bench-high 16 points with two threes and three dishes -- and even did something that surprised Doc Rivers: play defense.</p>
<p>"I thought he was terrific," Rivers said about Terry. "And you know it's funny, we left Jason in because he was playing great defense. That may be the first in his career that's ever been said about <span>Jason Terry</span>. But he was terrific."</p>
<p>The Celtics will need far more of that on a nightly basis if they plan on getting that 18th banner that everyone desperately covets.</p>
<p><b>Bottom Line:</b> Just like their first three games, there was some good and bad. Terry and Bass offered hope for the Celtics' bench, and hey, they did score 100 (even if it took an extra five minutes to get there). The bad? Apathetic defense was again a theme and a lack of consistency on both sides of the ball was problematic. But hey, they're a work in progress. Bet you didn't think I'd say that again, huh?</p>
<p><b>Next Up:</b> The Celtics play their first Atlantic Division foe of the year, hosting the 2-2 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/">Philadelphia 76ers</a> on Friday night at TD Garden. </p>
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 11.7.2012 </span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>OT 1</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> </span></td>
<td>16</td>
<td>26</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>6</td>
<td class="highlight">94</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> </span></td>
<td>21</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>29</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>12</td>
<td class="highlight">100</td>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/8/3616950/boston-celtics-news-overtime-rajon-rondo-brandon-bass-jason-terry-wizardsGethin Coolbaugh2012-11-07T23:25:17-05:002012-11-07T23:25:17-05:00Jason Terry comes to life in Celtics' overtime win
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<p><b>BOSTON - </b>We have liftoff. After playing three relatively ineffective games to open the season, The Jet (also known as <span>Jason Terry</span>) finally showed us what he could do for the Boston Celtics off the bench. Terry finished with a season-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting to help Boston beat Washington, 100-94, in overtime Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Terry was solid offensively, but he was also surprisingly useful on defense.</p>
<p>"I thought he was terrific," said Celtics head coach <span>Doc Rivers</span>. "And you know it's funny, we left Jason in because he was playing great defense. That may be the first in his career, and he did a lot of good things defensively. And when he does that with his shot, we keep him on the floor because he gives you a shooter's chance all the night. So it was really good to just see him -- he's getting it offensively. I'm not concerned about that."</p>
<p>The win put Boston at 2-2 overall on the season, with another home game against the division rival <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/">Philadelphia 76ers</a> coming up on Friday night.</p>
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 11.7.2012 </span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>OT 1</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> </span></td>
<td>16</td>
<td>26</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>6</td>
<td class="highlight">94</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> </span></td>
<td>21</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>29</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>12</td>
<td class="highlight">100</td>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/7/3616510/jason-terry-celtics-wizards-2012-nba-scores-newsGethin Coolbaugh2012-11-07T23:15:01-05:002012-11-07T23:15:01-05:00Rajon Rondo: 'It's all about the win'
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<p><b>BOSTON - </b>A win is a win, they say, and <span>Rajon Rondo</span> would be one of those people. After the Boston Celtics close 100-94 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards -- during which Rondo missed a potential game-winning three at the end of regulation -- Rondo talked about the importance of simply getting the win, putting Boston at 2-2 overall.</p>
<p>"We got stops when we needed to," said Rondo, who finished with 18 points, 14 assists and three steals. "Overall, it's all about the win and that's what we did."</p>
<p>The Celtics again started strong with an early 11-2 lead, but just like Saturday's game against Washington, the Wizards stormed back to take a late lead. Both sides traded buckets down the stretch before the Celtics got the ball with roughly nine seconds remaining. Rondo took the inbound pass and ran the clock down before attempting a game-winning trey, which he missed.</p>
<p><span>Brandon Bass</span> stepped up to save the Celtics in overtime, scoring five of his 11 points in the period to boost Boston to the six point victory.</p>
<p>"He was aggressive," Rondo said about Bass. "He didn't force any of his shots. He drove to the basket, drove strong and hard, got fouled, got a couple layups and made some big plays for us."</p>
<p>Of Rondo's potential game-winning attempt, Celtics head coach <span>Doc Rivers</span> said that it was a poorly executed play that wasn't even designed for Rondo.</p>
<p>"It was bad execution, honestly," Rivers said of the play. "It was a pin-down for <span>Paul Pierce</span>, it was supposed to be, Paul we wanted at the elbow and he was there; I thought Rondo could've thrown it to him, then JET [<span>Jason Terry</span>] was coming off the weak side. I thought Rondo made up his mind to go for it. I'm fine with that, but I didn't like the execution."</p>
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 11.7.2012 </span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>OT 1</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> </span></td>
<td>16</td>
<td>26</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>6</td>
<td class="highlight">94</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> </span></td>
<td>21</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>29</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>12</td>
<td class="highlight">100</td>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/7/3616458/rajon-rondo-celtics-wizards-scores-quotes-2012-nba-newsGethin Coolbaugh2012-11-07T22:20:19-05:002012-11-07T22:20:19-05:00Celtics 100, Wizards 94: Boston thrives in OT
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<p><span>Kevin Garnett</span> and <span>Rajon Rondo</span> both provided double-doubles as the Boston Celtics came back to beat the Washington Wizards, 100-94, on Wednesday night at the TD Garden in Boston MA.</p>
<p>The two squads would trade leads throughout the contest and it took overtime for the Celtics to prevail for their second-consecutive win.</p>
<p>Garnett continued his hot night from the first half, connecting on his first two attempts from the field to open the second half, after scoring five points and grabbing 10 boards over the first two quarters. Garnett would finish with 20 points, 13 boards, two assists, two blocks and one steal on the night.</p>
<p>Boston looked like a different team in the second half, functioning just fine when Garnett was forced to take a breather. The forward exited the game at the 7:43 mark with the Wizards up 46-44. Forward <span>Chris Wilcox</span> provided a third-quarter spark and the Celtics took a 66-58 lead into the fourth quarter– a lead Boston would not relinquish until there was less than two minutes remaining in the game. </p>
<p>In just his third game back from heart surgery that ended his season early last year, Wilcox scored six points, grabbed two rebounds, blocked one shot and was +8 in his four minutes on the floor.</p>
<p>Boston's bench came alive for the first time this year, combining for 41 points and 13 rebounds after only scoring 10 points in the first half. <span>Jason Terry</span> led the bench unit with 16 points over 32 minutes.</p>
<p><span>Kevin Seraphin</span> led the Washington team in scoring yet again, finishing with 16 points and nine boards over 36 minutes. Wizards' rookie <span>Bradley Beal</span> had his strongest game thus far in this young season, scoring 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting.</p>
<p>On the night, both teams were careless with the ball, with Boston forcing 19 Wizards turnovers, while giving the ball away 16 times. Through three quarters, Washington had only attempted two free throws, while the Celtics had taken 20. The Wizards finished with seven attempts from the line, while Boston shot 34 times from the charity stripe.</p>
<p>The Boston point guard, Rondo, had 18 points and 14 assists on the night, moving into third all-time with 28 consecutive games of 10 assists or more. Celtics' rookie <span>Jared Sullinger</span> started just his second career game Wednesday.</p>
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 11.7.2012 </span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>OT 1</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> </span></td>
<td>16</td>
<td>26</td>
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<td>30</td>
<td>6</td>
<td class="highlight">94</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> </span></td>
<td>21</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>26</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>12</td>
<td class="highlight">100</td>
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<p><i>For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit SB Nation's team blog, <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.celticsblog.com" target="_blank">CelticsBlog</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/7/3615928/celtics-vs-wizards-final-score-kevin-garnett-rajon-rondo-kevin-seraphin-bradley-beal-nba-news-2012Raj Prashad2012-11-07T20:38:09-05:002012-11-07T20:38:09-05:00Wizards 42, Celtics 37: Boston trails at the half
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<p><span>Kevin Garnett</span> had 10 rebounds and seven points as the Boston Celtics trail the Washington Wizards at halftime, 42-37, Wednesday night at the TD Garden in Boston, MA.</p>
<p>Garnett continues to be the stabilizing force for the Boston interior unit. With the Celtics up 11-5 at the 6:41 mark in the first quarter, <span>Brandon Bass</span> subbed in for Garnett. When Garnett returned at the 1:34 mark, the Celtics only led 17-16.</p>
<p>The veteran forward would exit the game at the 7:05 mark in the second quarter with Boston leading 26-22 yet again, this time with rookie <span>Jared Sullinger</span> taking his place. Less than a minute out of the game, Washington tied the ballgame at 28. In Garnett's absence, communication and ball movement was again a problem, with the Wizards taking a 38-34 lead.</p>
<p><span>Rajon Rondo</span> finished the half with eight points and five assists. He needs at least 10 assists to pass John Stockton for third all-time with 28 consecutive games of double-digit assists.</p>
<p><span>Kevin Seraphin</span> continued his domination of the Celtics from Saturday, this time connecting on 5-of-9 shots for 10 points and five rebounds in the first half.</p>
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Intermission</span> </th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>Total</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="undecided"> <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> </span></td>
<td>16</td>
<td>26</td>
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<td class="highlight">42</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="undecided"> <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> </span></td>
<td>21</td>
<td>16</td>
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<td class="highlight">37</td>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/7/3615530/celtics-vs-wizards-halftime-score-update-rajon-rondo-kevin-garnett-kevin-seraphin-nba-news-2012Raj Prashad2012-11-07T15:17:45-05:002012-11-07T15:17:45-05:00Celtics vs. Wizards: Boston takes on Washington
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<p>One game after notching their first victory of the season, the Boston Celtics (1-2) will look to win a home game for the first time when they host the Washington Wizards (0-2) on Tuesday night at TD Garden in Boston, MA.</p>
<p>Boston's first victory of the season came over Washington last Saturday in the first of a home-and-home series. The Celtics stormed out to a 16-point lead early in the first half, only to have the lead completely erased late in the fourth quarter. However, a late three by <span>Paul Pierce</span> (27 points, seven rebounds) lifted Boston to a narrow 89-86 win. <span>Kevin Garnett</span> finished with 15 points and seven boards, <span>Rajon Rondo</span> had 12 points and 12 assists and <span>Jeff Green</span> had a season-high 11 points off the bench for the Celtics, who shot 42.9 percent for the game.</p>
<p>The Wizards' bench brought the back into the game, with <span>Jordan Crawford's</span> 21 points and <span>Kevin Seraphin's</span> 19 points pacing Washington. Trevor Book scored 11 and <span>A.J. Price</span> finished with eight points and four assists. Washington shot 43.6 percent from the floor and out-rebounded Boston, 46-35. Wizards star guard <span>John Wall</span> and forward <span>Nene Hilario</span> did not play in the loss with injuries.</p>
<p>Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will be aired on CSNNE and WEEI.</p>
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<p class="game-title"><a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> <br> <span class="blog_link">@ <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> </span></p>
<p class="game-info"><span>Wednesday, Nov 7, 2012, 7:30 PM EST</span><br> TD Garden</p>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/7/3614508/celtics-vs-wizards-2012-preview-rajon-rondo-paul-pierce-kevin-seraphin-nba-scores-newsGethin Coolbaugh2012-11-03T21:31:26-04:002012-11-03T21:31:26-04:00Celtics 89, Wizards 86: Boston notches win No. 1
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<p><span>Rajon Rondo</span> notched his third double-double in as many games as the Boston Celtics won their first game of the season, beating the Washington Wizards, 89-86, on Saturday in Washington, DC.</p>
<p><span>Paul Pierce</span> dropped in 27 points as <span>Kevin Garnett</span> added 15 for Celtics.</p>
<p>With the lead in doubt, and the Wizards only trailing by three in the fourth quarter, Pierce returned to the game and his eight fourth-quarter points helped to put Washington away.</p>
<p>Thanks to a quick start in the first quarter, the Celtics controlled the pace and led throughout most of the contest. Boston didn't trail until there was just over two minutes remaining in the fourth, when the Wizards took a brief lead before a Pierce three-point shot helped propel the Celtics.</p>
<p>Without point guard <span>John Wall</span> or center Nene, Washington relied heavily on bench players <span>Jordan Crawford</span> and <span>Kevin Seraphin</span>. Crawford led the Wizards with 21 points before injuring his left foot in the fourth quarter. Seraphin didn't miss a shot until the fourth quarter, connecting on his first seven shots. The reserve forward, Seraphin, finished with 19 points.</p>
<p>Despite an awful season-opener, Celtics forward <span>Jeff Green</span> played significant minutes for the second night in a row, notching a bench-high 11 points.</p>
<p>Boston rookie <span>Jared Sullinger</span> got the first start of his young career, scoring four points and snagging seven boards over 30 minutes. The man whose place Sullinger took in the starting lineup Saturday, <span>Brandon Bass</span>, connected on 2-of-6 shooting, scoring five points and grabbing five rebounds over 28 minutes.</p>
<p>Boston shot 42 percent from the field, allowing Washington to connect on 43 percent of their shots. For the first time in this early season, the Celtics forced more turnovers than they gave away, forcing 15, while giving away only nine.</p>
<p>The Celtics will get another crack at the Wizards Wednesday night, when Washington travels to the TD Garden to match up with Boston at 7:30 pm E.T.</p>
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<th class="td-left">FINAL - 11.3.12</th> <th>1</th> <th>2</th> <th>3</th> <th>4</th> <th>Total</th>
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<tr>
<td class="td-name"><span class="undecided"> <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> </span></td>
<td>26</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>18</td>
<td class="highlight">89</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="undecided"> <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> </span></td>
<td>12</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>25</td>
<td>19</td>
<td class="highlight">86</td>
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<p><i>For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit SB Nation's team blog, <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" target="_blank" href="http://www.celticsblog.com">CelticsBlog</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/3/3596826/celtics-vs-wizards-final-score-paul-pierce-rajon-rondo-jordan-crawford-kevin-seraphin-nba-news-2012Raj Prashad2012-11-03T20:11:45-04:002012-11-03T20:11:45-04:00Celtics 49, Wizards 42: Boston leads at the half
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<p>Paul Pierce had 12 points, four boards and one assists in the first half as the Boston Celtics lead the Washington Wizards, 49-42, on Saturday in Washington, DC.</p>
<p>After a tough night against the Milwaukee Bucks Friday, Pierce got going from the opening tip to lead the C's.</p>
<p>Boston blew open the first quarter, leading 17-2 over the first eight minutes of the game, with Washington's only bucket coming on a Kevin Garnett goal tend. The Celtics finished the first quarter leading 26-12, which is the first time they've led at the end of a quarter this season.</p>
<p>Controlling possessions was key coming into Boston's third game of the year as well. The Celtics had six turnovers, while dishing out 15 assists at the end of two.</p>
<p>Defensively, the Celtics turned up their intensity after a pair of uncharacteristic games. That is until Kevin Seraphin entered the game. They forced the Wizards to shoot 4-of-19 in the first quarter and 45 percent from the field in the half, but Seraphin had eight points in the second quarter, shooting 5-of-5 from the field.</p>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="undecided"> <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> </span></td>
<td>26</td>
<td>23</td>
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<td class="highlight">49</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="undecided"> <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> </span></td>
<td>12</td>
<td>30</td>
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<td class="highlight">42</td>
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<p>For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit SB Nation's team blog, <a href="http://www.celticsblog.com" target="_blank" style="background-color: #ffffff; ">CelticsBlog</a>.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/11/3/3596470/celtics-vs-wizards-halftime-score-2012-rajon-rondo-kevin-garnett-trevor-ariza-john-wall-nba-newsRaj Prashad