But give the Sixers credit for a great second half and continuing the C’s “Friday Night Curse.”
Boston is now 2-4 on Friday nights at home, 18-1 in all other games.
Some notable numbers from this one:
–The Celts shot 7-of-23 in the fourth quarter.
—Kevin Garnett made all 11 of his free throws en route to a team-high 21 points.
–The teams combined for 33 offensive rebounds. Philly had 10 in the second half.
After a stunning result here at the Garden, Boston has a day off before hosting Minnesota on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. We will have all the action in that one as the Green attempts to get back into the win column.
Fourth quarter, 7.7 seconds, Sixers 98-97: Paul Pierce switched onto Elton Brand and it ended up costing the Celtics there, as Brand gets a tip in the lane to put Philly ahead again.
One last chance, in all likelihood, for the Celts to extend this winning streak.
Fourth quarter, 23.0 seconds, Celtics 97-96: Kevin Garnett gives the Celtics the lead right back with two free throws after his shot rims out.
Marreese Speights seemed to talk a little smack to Garnett just prior to the free throws, for what it’s worth.
The Sixers will get the ball in the hands of Andre Iguodala here.
Fourth quarter, 29.4 seconds, Sixers 95-96: Marreese Speights hits a pair of free throws and a see-saw fourth quarter continues.
The Celtics appeared to want Paul Pierce to initiate things on their last possession. That might be a good idea once again; we’ll see if Pierce can get to the line or find Ray Allen, who has seven points in the fourth.
Fourth quarter, 1:24, Sixers 94-93: When this one is done both teams are going to lament their inability to secure rebounds on the defensive end.
It killed the Celtics in the third and the Sixers have given Boston a few second chances here in the fourth, including one when we get out of the timeout.
Fourth quarter, 1:43, Sixers 94-93: Andre Iguodala now has 14 points in the second half and has given the Sixers the lead again.
As big as the Ray Allen shot was a few minutes ago, the Celtics next three possessions were an eyesore.
First, Paul Pierce misses a dunk and then the team struggles to get into its set, causing Doc Rivers to go irate on the sidelines.
Fourth quarter, 4:15, 91-89: Rajon Rondo misses a chance for a three-point play, so Ray Allen, who has been so quiet since the early-going, decides to bury a big 3-pointer.
Seconds after the Sixers took their largest lead of the game at 89-86, Boston gets five points in a matter of seconds.
Fourth quarter, 5:52, Sixers 86-84: A pair of free throws by Elton Brand puts Philadelphia in front and this crowd is a bit stunned.
This is a 42-24 run overall for the Sixers going back to the early portions of the third quarter.
Fourth quarter, 6:02, 84-84: Marreese Speights’ basket gives us our first tie of the night. Philly last led when it was 10-9.
Fourth quarter, 7:30, Celtics 84-80: The absence of Rasheed Wallace is being felt here in the second half. Boston simply cannot secure a defensive board on some of these possessions.
Fourth quarter, 8:26, Celtics 81-80: Six straight points by the Sixers and Doc Rivers is not pleased.
He was also upset with the officials, who allowed Philly to camp in the lane before it scored on the previous possession.
The C’s are outshooting the 76ers 50 percent to 39.5 percent but have been beaten on the boards in the second half after owning the glass in the first.
The Sixers have grabbed 29 boards over the past two-plus quarters to the Celtics’s 18.
Fourth quarter, 9:59, Celtics 81-74: Rajon Rondo draws a foul and chucks a prayer off the glass. The ensuing free throw completes the three-point play and gives Rondo five straight Celtics points.
End of third quarter, Celtics 76-72: This has a similar feel to the last time these two teams met here in November, when Philly rode a big third quarter to take an unlikely lead into the fourth before falling apart.
The C’s are ahead in this one but were outplayed on both ends in the third. We’ll see if they have a fourth-quarter burst like they did on Nov. 25, when they scored 35 points in the last 12 minutes to win by three.
Sixers rookie Jrue Holiday missed his first seven shots before banking in a 3-pointer in the final minute. He followed that up with a step-back jumper that drew nothing but net. Perhaps all he needed was that first one.
Third quarter, 2:00, Celtics 69-67: Elton Brand’s three-point play pulls the Sixers within two points. They have not been that close since it was 14-12.
Third quarter, 2:41, Celtics 68-64: Sure enough, Andre Iguodala buries a 3-pointer to answer Paul Pierce and the Sixers, in danger of being left behind in the first half, are back within four points.
Tony Allen is getting ready to check in for the Celts. He had 10 points, three steals and two assists all in the second quarter and played tremendous defense on Iguodala.
Third quarter, 3:13, Celtics 68-61: Paul Pierce has been pretty quiet on the offensive end but hits a big 3-pointer, after which Brian Scalabrine draws a charge to get the crowd alive again.
The Sixers’ run had stood at 26-15 before Pierce’s basket.
Third quarter, 5:46, Celtics 64-56: We have taken our shots at Willie Green in this one, but he certainly does not lack for offensive skills.
Green has seven points already in this quarter and a team-high 14 in the game.
Third quarter, 7:03, Celtics 62-54: A three-point play by Kevin Garnett breaks a 19-9 run spanning halftime for the Sixers.
Third quarter, 8:50, Celtics 59-52: Although the Sixers have managed to cut into this one, their guards are really up against it tonight.
Jrue Holiday, who will have some good nights in this league, looks a bit lost on the offensive end. He is 0-of-6 from the floor.
Willie Green, meanwhile, looks out of sorts on the defensive side of things. Moments ago Ray Allen went by him as if he had a ticket to the lane and Green was a lax doorman.
Third quarter, 11:30, Celtics 53-44: We are underway in the second half and Thaddeus Young starts the scoring with a baseline jumper for the Sixers.
Halftime, Celtics 53-42: I believe I mentioned this in the last game but I’ll say it again. The Celtics have been remarkable in end-of-quarter possessions this season.
Paul Pierce just kept alive that trend by scoring with just 0.4 seconds left, the C’s first field goal in over four minutes.
Still, Philly was able to close the half on a 7-3 run to keep it a game.
Boston is dominating the interior. Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins have combined for 19 points and Perkins already has a season high with 13 rebounds. The Celtics own a 28-18 lead in points in the paint and a 31-20 advantage on the boards.
Back in a bit for the second half.
Second quarter, 2:35, Celtics 51-37: A fan just hit a half-court shot to win $50,000 and this place is going nuts.
Wearing a Kevin Garnett jersey, the guy looked supremely confident and let fly a swish that brought the house down.
A nice moment for him before the holidays.
As for the game, the Celtics just had a possession in which every player touched the ball, almost no dribbles were taken and the Sixers were a step behind throughout.
Although it led to just a solitary free throw by Kendrick Perkins, the Celts were so fluid that they convened and gave high-fives like a volleyball team does after every point.
Second quarter, 4:23, Celtics 48-33: Tony Allen just scored on a leak out after a Rajon Rondo steal, but Allen deserved the hoop for the way he hounded Andre Iguodala just prior to the takeaway.
Second quarter, 5:35, Celtics 40-29: I mentioned earlier how Rasheed Wallace did a nice job to keep his composure on his first foul of the night but after picking up two more he seemed just a tad upset.
Wallace picks up a technical foul from the bench during the break and then has to be restrained from going at one of the officials by Doc Rivers.
Wallace was quickly booted from this one and may face some penalties from the league. He had gotten his technical foul issue under control a bit but he simply lost it right there. Absolutely no need for that from the bench with your team up by 11 points.
Second quarter, 5:35, Celtics 40-29: The Celtics had plenty of problems finishing off the Sixers when these two teams last met, but you get the sense they will be able to pull away in this one.
Every Philly basket just feels like a chore and they simply don’t have the bodies in the backcourt to match up.
Second quarter, 6:16, Celtics 40-29: Rasheed Wallace just picked up his third foul on a screen but he remains in the game as of this moment.
It looks like Kevin Garnett will take his place at the next whistle.
Second quarter, 7:15, Celtics 35-27: Great to see that burst from Tony Allen, who has played very well since returning from ankle surgery.
Allen let out quite a shout upon throwing down that dunk, causing Eddie House to crack up a bit on the other end.
Second quarter, 8:56, Celtics 31-23: You almost expect the technical foul sometimes when Rasheed Wallace is called for a questionable foul.
This time he gets an offensive foul and tosses the ball aside while jawing a bit, but managed to keep his composure.
Wallace has made a serious impact here in the second, scoring all five of his points in a short span. Remember, he had his only 20-point game as a Celtic against these Sixers back on Nov. 3.
Second quarter, 10:45, Celtics 27-21: Keep an eye on sharpshooter Jason Kapono here. He made 4-of-6 3-pointers and scored a season-high 20 points the last time these two teams met.
End of first quarter, Celtics 24-17: Doc Rivers cannot be pleased with the Celtics’ six turnovers, but Boston has dominated on the glass and has limited Philadelphia to 31 percent shooting.
The Green have a 20-9 advantage on the boards. Kendrick Perkins, who always seems to get the better of Samuel Dalembert when the two meet, already has eight.
Perkins’ season high in rebounds is 11.
First quarter, 30 seconds, Celtics 24-17: Marreese Speights is in his second game back from a torn MCL in his left knee, and he looks it.
Speights is very ginger out there and grimaced after a recent shot.
He is marking Rasheed Wallace, but the Celts have yet to look that way on the offensive end.
First quarter, 2:34, Celtics 20-12: Just to show how hard Kevin Garnett works, he just had a possession in which he set two back picks on opposite sides of the court, then moved into the lane and held off a defender to get position underneath, fielded a low entry pass and then scored, all within about 10 seconds.
Garnett converted on the very next possession as well and it is now an 11-2 run for Boston.
First quarter, 4:56, Celtics 16-12: It took over six minutes for a Celtic other than Ray Allen or Kendrick Perkins to take a shot, as Rajon Rondo scores with 5:54 to go in the quarter.
All five Sixers starters had taken at least two shots to that point.
Apparently the C’s are committed to letting Allen go at Willie Green. Allen has taken eight shots already, 10 shy of his season high.
First quarter, 7:18, Celtics 11-10: Another in a seemingly endless run of notes on Ray Allen.
Over his last two games, Allen is 1-of-11 on shots taken inside the arc, but 6-of-7 from 3-point range.
He has missed four times in the lane already tonight.
First quarter, 9:20, Celtics 7-6: It has been all Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins on the offensive end so far for the Celtics.
The two have combined for all six of the C’s shots.
First quarter, 11:30, Celtics 3-0: Fittingly, Ray Allen buries a 3-pointer to open the scoring moments after he is honored.
7:40 p.m.: Ray Allen was just honored at half court for reaching the 20,000-point mark, receiving a well-deserved standing ovation.
It means nothing, I’m sure, but I was just watching the Celtics warm up moments earlier and they missed eight straight shots at one point, some of which were complete bricks.
Of course, Brian Scalabrine broke the skid with a soft jumper from the corner. Maybe, just maybe, it will be Scal’s night.
Anyway, we are about set to tip.
7:00 p.m.: We are about a half-hour from the tip at the Garden and the starting lineups are in.
Boston goes with its regulars, tossing out Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. That group is now 105-28 as a starting unit.
The Sixers will start rookie Jrue Holiday and Willie Green at guard, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young at the forward spots and Samuel Dalembert underneath.
Green, of course, is starting in place of the injured Allen Iverson, out with knee and shoulder ailments. In his last start earlier this month, Green had 26 points, four assists and no turnovers in 40-plus minutes of a loss to Charlotte.
1:34 p.m.: The Celtics will shoot for their 12th straight win for the 12th time in franchise history against a Philadelphia 76ers team which recently snapped a 12-game losing streak when the old rivals meet at the TD Garden on Friday night.
We will have follow all the action courtside in just the second home game in the last 21 days for the C’s, who have thrived on the road this month.
Monday’s 110-105 win at Memphis was Boston’s eighth consecutive road victory. Paul Pierce led six players in double figures with 19 points. He and Ray Allen were a combined 8-of-9 from 3-point range for the Celtics, who will look to thrive against a Philadelphia defense which has given up 3-pointers by the boatload.
Sixers’ opponents make an NBA-high 3-pointers per game at 8.2, shooting at 42.2 percent from beyond the arc. The second-worst defensive team in that category is lowly New Jersey, which allows opponents to make 38.3 percent from long range.
Boston’s lead in the Atlantic Division is already 11 games, far and away the largest in the NBA.
That has plenty to do with the Green’s great start, but also the fact that the division opponents have been so poor, including the Sixers, whom many felt would at least be a playoff team this season.
But after Wednesday’s 108-101 loss to Cleveland at home, Philadelphia had fallen to 6-19 and enters the Garden without the use of Allen Iverson, out with a bum knee.
Andre Iguodala had 26 points in the loss to the Cavs. He had 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a 113-110 loss to Boston at the Garden on Nov. 25.
That was the Sixers’ sixth straight loss to the Celts, which matches Philly’s longest losing streak in the series since a 20-game skid in the early 1970s.
