Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Without Rajon Rondo or Ray Allen, Paul Pierce
put the Celtics on his back, scoring 36 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to
lead Boston to an 87-80 victory over the Hawks in Game 2 of their Eastern
Conference quarterfinal matchup at Philips Arena. Rondo missed the contest
after being suspended for one game by the NBA for making contact with
referee Marc Davis with 41 seconds left in the Celtics' 83-74 Game 1 loss
Sunday, while Allen missed his 11th straight game with an injured right
ankle. Kevin Garnett recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Rondo's
replacement, Avery Bradley, added 14 points to help the Celtics even the
best-of-seven series. Joe Johnson led the way for Atlanta with 22 points and
Jeff Teague chipped in 18. Josh Smith added 16 points and 12 boards, but
departed the game with a left knee sprain with 4:20 left in the fourth
quarter. Game 3 is slated for Friday in Boston.
Final Score: Philadelphia 109, Chicago 92
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - The 76ers found a way to turn out the lights on
a Bulls team trying to rally without Derrick Rose. They shot 'em out. Jrue
Holiday, Lou Williams and Evan Turner combined to score 65 points Tuesday
night and Philadelphia shot almost 60 percent to beat Chicago 109-92 and even
their first-round series at a game apiece. The Bulls won the series opener on
Saturday but lost the reigning MVP Rose for the rest of the season to a torn
ligament in his left knee. Game 3 is Friday in Philadelphia. Holiday scored 26
points, Williams had 20 off the bench and Turner added 19 for the Sixers, who
shot 59 percent for the game and led by as many as 24 down the stretch. They
shot better than 68 percent while outscoring the Bulls 36-14 in a third
quarter punctuated by alley-oop dunks and 11 fast-break points.
The Sports Network