Rondo's triple-double sparks Celtics over Rose-less Bulls

By Paul Levine Feb 13, 2012, 5:49 GMT

Los Angeles - Rajon Rondo was at the top of his game against the NBA's top team Sunday, as the speedy guard collected his second triple-double of the season-high with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics held off a late charge to beat the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls 95-91.

'When he's assertive, aggressive, the way he plays, the way he played tonight, we're a tough team to stop,' Celtics captain Paul Pierce said of Rondo.

'When he's out in transition, pushing the ball, taking the shots right there, the mid-range jumper, rebounding, he's all energy. He just did it all tonight. He was great to watch.'

Kevin Garnett had 13 points with 12 boards, rookie JaJuan Johnson scored 12 while fellow reserve Chris Wilcox added 11 with nine caroms for the Celtics, who snapped a two-game slide without injured Brandon Bass and Jermaine O'Neal.

'I thought he (Rondo) got guys involved and he was all over the place,' said Garnett. 'I thought he came out and played with that edge. Any time he's got that, it makes everybody's job easier.'

CJ Watson, filling in for the ailing Rose, scored 22 points as did Carlos Boozer for the league-best Bulls (23-7), who had their five-game winning streak stopped and finished 6-3 on their road trip.

'We got out-competed,' said Bulls big man Joakim Noah, who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Rose missed his second straight game because of stiffness in his lower back. He is expected to see a specialist Monday after the team returns to Chicago.

The reigning league most valuable player said his back has been bothering him since the start of the Bulls' nine-game road trip, which began January 29 in Miami.

'It's been hurting the whole trip,' Rose said. 'I just played through it. It tended to get worse after every game. I was really worried about it. But I'm trying to stay positive. I don't know what the diagnosis is. I just know my back is not right.'

With Rose helplessly watching from the bench, Rondo came out energized and kept Boston in front the entire contest.

The Celtics appeared to take control after a 14-4 run extended an early four-point fourth quarter lead to an 86-72 cushion with five minutes nine seconds remaining.

Rondo found Allen and Pierce for three-pointers. He then spotted Johnson and Wilcox for alley-oop slam dunks in transition to cap the surge.

The stubborn Bulls refused to go away, though. Two free throws by Luol Deng ended a 16-5 charge, putting them as close as 91-88 with 86 ticks left. But that's as close as they would get.

Rondo grabbed a rebound off a Watson missed jumper and was fouled. He made both free throws with 21 seconds left and added two more from the stripe to seal the win.

Elsewhere: LA Lakers 94, Toronto Raptors 92: Kobe Bryant buried the go-ahead jumper from the right corner with 4.2 seconds left, lifting the visiting Lakers over the Raptors despite a career-high 30 points from Spaniard Jose Calderon.

The Raptors erased an early 18-point deficit and had a shot to force overtime after Bryant split a pair of free throws with 3.7 ticks remaining. But DeMar DeRozan's corner jumper fell well short of the mark at the buzzer.

Bryant finished with 27 points while another Spaniard Pau Gasol had 16 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, who split their six-game road trip.

Miami Heat 107, Atlanta Hawks 87: Dwyane Wade scored all 21 of his points in the decisive opening half, when the Heat led by as many as 32, en route to crushing the host Hawks.

LeBron James led Miami with 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists while Chris Bosh added 14 points and 16 boards.

Washington Wizards 98, Detroit Pistons 77: JaVale McGee and Nick Young tallied 22 points apiece, John Wall handed out 15 assists and the visiting Wizards outscored the Pistons by 21 in the lopsided second half to stop Detroit's season-high four-game winning streak.

Golden State Warriors 106, Houston Rockets 97: Monta Ellis scored 10 of his 33 points in the final quarter, David Lee had 15 points with 13 rebounds and the Warriors beat the visiting Rockets for consecutive wins.

Kevin Martin 28 points for Houston, losers for just the fifth time in the last 18 outings.

Utah Jazz 98, Memphis Grizzlies 88: Gordon Hayward scored 23 points, Al Jefferson had 21 and 15 rebounds as the Jazz beat the Grizzlies to stop a three-game skid overall with just its second road win of the season.