Hawks at Celtics
THE
STORY: Rajon Rondo made his
presence felt in his return from suspension and seeks another memorable
performance when the Boston Celtics host the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the
Eastern Conference series on Sunday. Rondo etched his seventh career playoff
triple-double to fuel a 90-84 overtime victory on Friday as the Celtics took a
2-1 lead. Atlanta forward Josh Smith remains questionable with a knee injury
after missing Game 3. Boston has won the last two games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, Sport South (Atlanta),
Comcast SportsNet New England (Boston)
ABOUT
THE HAWKS: Atlanta was so
shorthanded in the frontcourt in Game 3 that Tracy McGrady spent most of his season-high
41 minutes playing power forward and center Erick Dampier racked up more than 22 minutes after playing less than 10 minutes total over the final five-plus weeks
of the season. Joe Johnson (29 points) and Jeff Teague (23) did their best to
rally the Hawks in the fourth quarter, but Boston was stronger in the
overtime. “There were a few possessions it seemed no one could score,” Johnson
said. “We definitely felt like we let one get away. We felt like this was our
chance to get one.”
ABOUT
THE CELTICS: Rondo had 17 points, 14
rebounds, 12 assists and four steals in a terrific performance. Rondo has 20
career triple-doubles and Boston has a 19-1
record in those contests. Jason Kidd (11) is the only active player with more
career playoff triple-doubles. Rondo also scored Boston’s first four points of
overtime in his return from a one-game suspension for bumping official Marc
Davis. “I felt good about all the shots I took,” Rondo said. “My teammates told
me to stay aggressive.” Paul Pierce hit all 14 of his free-throw attempts and
scored 21 points and Kevin Garnett had 20 points and 13 rebounds.
BUZZER
BEATERS:
1. Pierce will play in his 109th playoff game Sunday, tying Bob Cousy and Dennis Johnson for 10th
on Boston’s all-time list.
2. McGrady scored 10 of his 12 points in
Game 3 in the second quarter before tweaking an ankle and later returning.
3. Boston guard Ray Allen (ankle) had 13 points in his first outing since April
10.