After Regulation Buzzer-Beater, Rajon Rondo, Celtics Take Overtime Thriller From Heat

by abournenesn

Jan 7, 2010

After Regulation Buzzer-Beater, Rajon Rondo, Celtics Take Overtime Thriller From Heat As long as there's time on the clock, Doc Rivers is on the bench and both Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo are on the floor, never count the Celtics out.

On Wednesday night in Miami, the Heat learned this the hard way.

With less than a second to go in regulation, Rivers drew up a gutsy play that was carried out to perfection by the captain and guard to send the contest into overtime where the Celtics went on to top the Heat 112-106.

Pierce managed to drop 17 points in his first game back since Dec. 22. The Truth did show some weakness, however, as he shot just 4-of-11 from the field.

Celtics 112, Heat 106
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Fla.
Jan. 6, 2010

Live Blog | Box Score | Recap

Headliner: All five Celtics starters finished in double digits, but it was Rajon Rondo who led the way for the C's with 25 points and eight assists. Rondo bagged the game-tying shot as the regulation buzzer sounded to send it into overtime. Rondo hit 9 of 12 shots from the field and sank 7 of 8 free throws while playing a game-high 49:51.

Unsung Hero: Dwyane Wade was scorching hot for Miami as he led all scorers with 44 points. Wade shot 15-of-34 from the floor and could have added more had
he not struggled from the free throw line, where he shot 11-for-16. The
guard gave Miami the the lead with 0.6 seconds left in regulation, when
he picked Ray Allen's pocket and sprinted down court to dunk it home
for a two-point lead.

Center Kendrick Perkins put up 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor while Ray Allen went 3-of-4 from behind the arc and chipped in with 22 points.

Scrub: Michael Beasley notched just five points on 2-of-8 shooting and committed a team-high three turnovers.

The Celtics turned the ball over 24 times, including six by Rondo and five by Pierce.

Turning Point: After Wade gave the Heat a two-point lead with just 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation, Pierce made a perfect inbounds, alley-oop pass from mid-court to Rondo, who laid it in to send the game to overtime.

Up Next:
The Celts stick to the road as they fly up to Atlanta for a Friday night tilt with the high-flying Hawks who are 13-4 at home this season and topped the Nets 119-89 on Wednesday night.

The Hawks clawed the C’s in their last bout back on Nov. 13 in Boston by a score of 97-86 thanks to 24 points by Joe Johnson. It was Boston’s second loss of the season and their first in a skid during which they dropped three of four.

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