The Celtics played an up-and-down first half to say the least, and they trail the Kings at the half, 54-49.
Here are some thoughts:
* After an abysmal performance last night, Jason Terry has responded quite nicely. He leads the team with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. One of his misses was a missed dunk attempt, so he's only missed one real jump shot.
* Jeff Green continues his aggressive trend, which is an absolutely terrific sign. He also has 14 points on 4-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. He has been driving to the hoop at will and only taken two shots outside the paint.
* The Celtics started the second quarter with Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, and Kevin Garnett. This is the third time that I can remember that this combination has been rock-solid defensively. They allowed the Celtics to go on an 8-0 run to take a 26-24 lead. They did not allow a basket until the 9:25 mark of the second on a put-back dunk by James Johnson. Doc needs to use this lineup more...it clearly works!!!!!!
* The Kings had 38 points in the paint in the first half. Furthermore, 22 of their 24 first-quarter points were in the paint. The Celtics only had 2 points in the paint in the first quarter on their final bucket of the quarter, an alley-oop from Rajon Rondo to Kevin Garnett drawn up by Doc Rivers. The Celtics bounced back with 16 points in the paint in the second quarter.
* The Celtics had 17 points off 11 Sacramento turnovers. The Kings had 10 points off 7 Boston turnovers. The margin was 14-6 in favor of the Celtics, but back-to-back turnovers midway through the second led to transition layups to cut the deficit closer.
* Boston had a lot of bad offensive possessions to end the first half. Lots of shots late in the shot clock, and they seemed to lose some of the momentum they gained throughout the second quarter. They should come out strong in the second half.
* 24 points in first quarter for the Kings. Less than the 25 I mentioned in my game preview, but they still managed to lose the quarter. Not a good sign...let's see how it turns out.
* Rajon Rondo does not appear to be himself tonight. He is visibly hobbling around. He only has 2 points and 4 assists so far.
* Side note: Leandro Barbosa had himself a crazy day. He flew 16 hours today...TODAY...to get here, from Sao Paolo. Doc doesn't want to use him, but knows he's ready if his number is called. You have to commend Barbosa for getting here after dealing with a difficult family situation and flying that long on game day.
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