Garnett’s muscle, Rondo’s grit lead Boston’s win and pace S&Ds

Boston’s big stars had huge games Saturday night to pull the Celtics back into the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Kevin Garnett went for 28 points and 18 rebounds in the Celtics’ 97-81 victory over Miami. Paul Pierce added 27 and Ray Allen chipped in with 15 points.

But the most clutch contribution came from point guard Rajon Rondo, who played through a dislocated left elbow that sidelined him midway through the game.

Rondo scored only six points, but added 11 assists and was plus-19 as he directed the Celtics to the victory and pulled them within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

“I didn’t have to do much scoring—just directing,” Rondo told the Associated Press. “That’s using your mouth, using my legs.”

With his injured left elbow protected in a sleeve and dangling lifelessly at his side, Rondo still came up with some huge plays down the stretch. After he was injured earlier in the third quarter after colliding with Dwyane Wade, Rondo returned to the Celtics’ bench at the end of the third quarter to a standing ovation from the Boston fans. He was back in the game shortly thereafter.

“Once he [Rondo] walked out [of the locker room], it didn’t surprise me,” Boston coach Doc Rivers told reporters after the game. “We got a bunch of guys like that [on this team]. They just play and find a way. And that’s what he did.”

And despite his lack of shooting production because of the injury, Rondo thought he could help the team in other ways.

“I thought I could try to change the game’s momentum by getting to the ball defensively,” Rondo said. ” I only need two legs for that.”

However he was involved, Wade was impressed with the resiliency that Rondo and the rest of the Celtics produced when they most needed it.

“They played with their championship DNA that they have,” Wade told NBA.com. “We can learn a lot by their effort that they put forth tonight.”

Here’s a look at the players who sparkled and others who struggled in Saturday’s two playoff games.

STUDS

Boston F Kevin Garnett: Produced 28 points and 18 rebounds — more than he had in the first two games of the series combined — along with two steals, an assist and was plus-17 in the Celtics’ convincing 97-81 Game 3 victory over Miami.

Boston F Paul Pierce: Went for 27 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and was plus-12 in the Celtics’ victory over the Heat.

Memphis F Zac Randolph: Notched 21 points and a franchise playoff-record 21 rebounds (including eight offensive boards), two assists and a blocked shot in the Grizzlies’ 101-93 Game 3 overtime victory over Oklahoma City.

Memphis G O.J. Mayo: Came off the bench to provide 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocked shots and a team-best plus-23 in the Grizzlies’ triumph over the Thunder.

Memphis G Mike Conley: Went for 18 points, five  rebounds, four assists, two steals, a blocked shot and was plus-7 in the Grizzlies’ victory over the Thunder.

Memphis C Marc Gasol: Tallied 16 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots, two assists, a steal and was plus-11 in the Grizzlies’ triumph over the Thunder.  

Boston G Rajon Rondo: Bravely played through a dislocated left elbow in the fourth quarter, scoring six points with 11 assists and was plus-19 in the Celtics’ victory over Miami.

Miami G Dwyane Wade: Produced 23 points, six rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a blocked shot in the Heat’s loss at Boston.

Miami G Mario Chalmers: Tallied 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field, had four rebounds, three assists and three steals and was plus-2 in the Heat’s loss at Boston.

Oklahoma City F Serge Ibaka: Produced 14 points, eight rebounds, six blocked shots and was plus-7 in the Thunder’s loss at Memphis.

Miami C Joel Anthony: Scored 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds and was plus-5 in the Heat’s loss to the Celtics.

DUDS

Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook: Went for 23 points, six rebounds and 12 assists, but was only 5-for-16 from the field after halftime and finished 7-for-22 in his shooting. He also committed five of his seven turnovers after the third quarter before fouling out late in overtime of the Thunder’s loss to the Grizzlies.

Miami F LeBron James: Tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots, but also was 6-for-16 from the field with four turnovers and was a team-worst minus-21 in the Heat’s loss at Boston.

Oklahoma City F Kevin Durant: Produced 22 points and 12 rebounds, but hit only 10-for-22 from the field and missed all three shots in overtime of the Thunder’s loss at Memphis.

Miami F Chris Bosh: Limited to six points on 1-for-6 shooting with two turnovers and was minus-16 in the Heat’s loss to Boston. 

Memphis F Sam Young: Went 2-for-6 from the field with two turnovers and was minus-13 in the Grizzlies’ victory over Oklahoma City.

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