Sacramento missed 8 of the 10 fourth-quarter free throws they attempted. And one of those made free throws was with under a minute left and Omri Casspi intentionally trying to miss.

The first quarter was played at a fast pace and featured little defensive intensity. The game was tied at 30 at the end of the first quarter, but Boston only allowed 62 points the rest of the game. For the first quarter, Sacramento was shooting almost 60% from the field; for the game, Sacramento shot only 38%.

Boston also struggled offensively in the second half. The Celtics scored only 38 second-half points, shooting 37.5% in the game. Paul Pierce and Rasheed Wallace led Boston in scoring with 17 points apiece, while Casspi led Scaramento with 19 points. As Jay predicted in our Celtics game preview, Tyreke Evans was a tough defensive match up for Rajon Rondo: Evans finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Boston won despite a sub-par game from the starting five of Rondo, R. Allen, Pierce, Garnett, and Perkins, who combined to shoot 17-50. All five starters had plus/minuses between -3 and -8, while the five players off the bench who played (Daniels, House, Wallace, Davis, T. Allen) combined for 44 points and 20 rebounds, and all had positive plus/minuses, led by Glen Davis with a +11. Rasheed Wallace also played fantastic off the bench, contributing 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks.