Last Updated on February 22, 2009 7:12 pm by admin
PHOENIX (AP) -Rajon Rondo scored a career-high 32 points to go with 10 assists on his 23rd birthday and the Boston Celtics didn’t need Kevin Garnett to beat the Phoenix Suns 128-108 on Sunday.
Ray Allen scored 31 and Paul Pierce 26 in Boston’s first game since Garnett went down with a strained muscle in his right knee that is expected to sidelined him for at least two weeks.
The Suns have bigger problems, losing leading scorer and rebounder Amare Stoudemire following eye surgery on Friday. He won’t be able to resume physical activity for about eight weeks.
The Celtics blistered Phoenix with 63 percent shooting.
Jason Richardson scored 21 for the Suns in their first loss in four games under new coach Alvin Gentry.
Raptors 111, Knicks 100
TORONTO (AP) – Andrea Bargnani had 28 points and 10 rebounds to help the Raptors beat New York two days after absorbing a 30-point loss against the Knicks.
11 assists.
Al Harrington scored 31 points and David Lee had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost nine straight games in Toronto.
Pacers 98, Bulls 91
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Troy Murphy had a season-high 27 points and the Pacers survived a second-half stretch of 11 minutes without a field goal to beat Chicago.
The Pacers, playing without injured leading scorers Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, led 69-55 midway through the third quarter but did not make another field goal until a 3-pointer by Murphy with 6:43 left in the final period.
Chicago took an 80-77 lead before Murphy’s 3-pointer. There were two more ties before T.J. Ford put Indiana ahead for good with a 3.
Ben Gordon had 28 points to lead Chicago.