Garnett hurt in Celtics’ loss to the Pistons
Kevin Garnett reacted to an injury suffered in the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons last night.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. » Kevin Garnett threw down an emphatic dunk, then grimaced before he even landed.
With that, Boston’s smooth run through this NBA season came to an end.
Garnett left in the first quarter with a leg injury, and the Celtics looked ragged without him in a 104-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons last night. Boston lost for only the second time in 17 games, but the Celtics are suddenly facing some adversity they hope isn’t too serious.
"It is a muscle injury, not a knee," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "You always worry when a guy goes down without anyone around him, because those always seem to be severe injuries, so that was the first thing that went through my mind. We don’t think this one is too bad, but we’ll see. He’ll probably miss some time, and we’ll have to adjust."
Tracy McGrady — himself no stranger to leg problems — scored a season-high 21 points for the Pistons. He also played more than 30 minutes for the first time since March.
"I’ve been making progress," McGrady said. "I’ve been confident mentally, physically for quite some time now. I’m just continuing to get better because I work. I see the improvement that I’m making on the court and I’m going to continue to do that. I’m excited about my future."
Detroit led 45-37 at halftime and pushed the margin to 16 in the third quarter.
Boston played without point guard Rajon Rondo, who missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left ankle. The Celtics have been able to win without him, but it was a struggle from the start against the Pistons.
Thunder 114, Nets 93
Kevin Durant scored 27 points before taking the fourth quarter off and host Oklahoma City rolled past error-prone New Jersey.
Heat 125, Rockets 119
Dwyane Wade scored 45 points and Miami extended its road winning streak to 10 games.
Lakers 103, Hornets 88
Lamar Odom responded to his first time out of the starting lineup this season by scoring 24 points, and visiting Los Angeles convincingly ended a three-game losing streak.
76ers 123, Suns 110
Jrue Holiday scored 25 points and visiting Philadelphia beat Phoenix.
Nuggets 119, Timberwolves 113
Chauncey Billups scored 15 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, hitting three huge 3-pointers to lift visiting Denver.
Bobcats 101, Cavaliers 92
Stephen Jackson scored 38 points, D.J. Augustin added 28 and host Charlotte moved to 2-0 under interim coach Paul Silas with a victory over Cleveland.
Hawks 103, Warriors 93
Josh Smith had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Al Horford had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Atlanta beat visiting Golden State.
Wizards 104, Pacers 90
Nick Young had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead host Washington past Indiana.
Jazz 103, Clippers 95
Al Jefferson had 31 points and 10 rebounds to help visiting Utah beat Los Angeles.
Kings 100, Grizzlies 98
Tyreke Evans made a 3-pointer from midcourt as time expired, lifting host Sacramento over Memphis.
Pistons 104, Celtics 92
BOSTON
Pierce 11-16 8-8 33, Garnett 1-3 0-0 2, S.O’Neal 2-5 1-2 5, Robinson 3-7 0-0 8, Allen 4-8 3-3 12, Davis 6-15 0-0 12, J.O’Neal 2-2 3-3 7, Daniels 3-7 2-2 8, Bradley 0-0 0-0 0, Wafer 1-2 1-1 3, Harangody 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 34-66 18-19 92.
DETROIT
Prince 6-14 5-6 18, Villanueva 5-10 0-0 14, Wallace 1-3 0-0 2, McGrady 7-11 6-6 21, Gordon 5-8 0-0 12, Wilcox 4-4 2-2 10, Hamilton 3-8 3-4 9, Bynum 1-2 0-0 2, Daye 5-7 0-2 12, Monroe 2-3 0-1 4. Totals 39-70 16-21 104.
| Boston | 21 | 16 | 25 | 30 | — | 92 |
| Detroit | 27 | 18 | 29 | 30 | — | 104 |
3-Point Goals–Boston 6-15 (Pierce 3-4, Robinson 2-5, Allen 1-3, Davis 0-1, Daniels 0-1, Wafer 0-1), Detroit 10-15 (Villanueva 4-6, Gordon 2-3, Daye 2-3, Prince 1-1, McGrady 1-1, Hamilton 0-1). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Boston 33 (Allen 7), Detroit 36 (Wilcox 8). Assists–Boston 18 (Pierce 8), Detroit 27 (McGrady 8). Total Fouls–Boston 17, Detroit 18. Technicals–Boston Coach Rivers, Boston defensive three second, Wilcox, Detroit defensive three second. A–22,076 (22,076).
