Celtics 101, Wizards 93
Celtics 101, Wizards 93: Rajon Rondo collected 13 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the season as host Boston held off Washington in the front end of a home-and-home set.
Jeff Green added 25 points while Marcus Thornton tallied 21 for the Celtics, who have won three in a row for the first time this season. Avery Bradley scored 11 points while Jared Sullinger contributed 10 and 10 rebounds for Boston.
John Wall recorded 17 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds and three steals, while Kris Humphries secured 14 boards for the Wizards, who had a four-game winning streak come to an end. Rasual Butler led the way with 22 points, including a season-high six 3-pointers, while Paul Pierce scored 16 points for Washington.
Thornton sparked a 9-0 spurt to put the Celtics on top 41-22 and he and Rondo each scored 11 points as Boston held Washington to 31-percent shooting in the first half to take a comfortable 53-36 advantage into intermission. The Celtics led by as many as 23 in the third quarter before Butler nailed three consecutive 3-pointers during a 17-5 run to open up the final frame that cut the deficit to 82-76.
Sullinger and Thornton each connected from beyond the arc to push the margin back to 90-78 before Wall keyed a 10-0 burst to pull the Wizards within two with 3:38 left. Tyler Zeller made a pair of free throws to put Boston in front 94-91 and Bradley knocked down a clutch 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to prevent another fourth-quarter collapse.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Celtics have won nine of the last 12 meetings with the Wizards. … Boston went 8-of-17 from 3-point range while Washington finished 11-of-27. … Pierce passed Reggie Miller for 16th place on the NBA all-time scoring list.