National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Boston 105, San Antonio 103
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #70 Brent Barnaky, #67 John Goble
Attendance: 18624

Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen played catch-and-shoot all night, and Allen sparked a game-winning run as the Boston Celtics defeated the visiting San Antonio Spurs, 105-103, on Wednesday night in a battle between the top teams in their respective conferences.

Rondo had 22 assists and Allen shot 13-of-16 from the floor, most coming on curl moves that the Spurs could not defend. And after a last-minute meltdown, captain Paul Pierce stepped up and blocked a 3-pointer by Manu Ginobili, who sparked a fourth-quarter comeback with 20 of his 24 points.

Rondo had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second triple-double of the season and added six steals. Allen scored 31 points, Glen Davis added 23 and Pierce 18 for the Celtics (27-7), who have won three in a row.

In a closely contested game, Boston used a 10-0 run late in the third quarter sparked by 3-pointers from Pierce and Allen that opened a 77-70 edge. San Antonio chipped away in the fourth quarter and took a 92-90 lead on two free throws by Tim Duncan with 4:54 left.

But Boston put together a 15-4 surge over the next four minutes to pull away. Davis started the spurt with a pair of jumpers, Allen added a pair of free throws and drained a 3-point dagger for a 105-96 lead with 1:37 left. Forty seconds later, he stripped George Hill and converted a fast-break layup to complete the run.

The Spurs looked dead but rallied with a 3-pointer from Ginobili, a steal and layup by Tony Parker and a steal by Ginobili leading to two free throws by Richard Jefferson. When Allen uncharacteristically missed two free throws, San Antonio had a chance to tie or win but Pierce's play saved the win.

Duncan and Parker scored 18 points apiece for San Antonio (29-6), which allowed Boston to shoot 61 percent in dropping consecutive games for the first time this season.

Top Game Performances
 
San Antonio   Boston
Manu Ginobili 24 Scoring Ray Allen 31
Tony Parker 5 Assists Rajon Rondo 23
Manu Ginobili 8 Rebounds Rajon Rondo 10
Manu Ginobili 7 Free Throws Made Ray Allen 3
Manu Ginobili 5 Steals Rajon Rondo 6
Tim Duncan 2 Blocks Jermaine O'Neal 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
San Antonio 103 45.3 9-22 16-17 20 37 2 8 15
Boston 105 61.3 5-9 8-15 34 36 4 10 18
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Celtics have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • San Antonio will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Spurs have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.