Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, right, celebrates with Tony Allen after Gasol scored against the Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday in Memphis, Tenn.
AP PHOTO
BOSTON (AP) — Rajon Rondo had six points and 11 assists despite playing the fourth quarter with a dislocated left elbow, and the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 97-81 on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Miami leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 on Monday night in Boston.
Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 18 rebounds, and Paul Pierce scored 27 for the defending East champions, who managed to avoid a 3-0 hole that no NBA team has ever overcome.
Dwyane Wade had 23 points and seven assists, and Joel Anthony continued to contribute off the bench, scoring 12 with 11 rebounds. LeBron James scored 15, as he and Wade combined to make just 14 of 35 shots from the floor.
Rondo crashed to the court after a tangle with Wade in the third quarter and had to be helped off the floor, with his left arm immobilized by the team doctor. But he returned for the start of the fourth and — despite playing with his left arm dangling at his side — provided the Celtics with the spark they had been missing in the first two games.
In the building where James’ Cleveland career came to an end, Boston provided its first real resistance in the series, jumping to a 16-7 lead in the opening minutes. After Miami came back in the second quarter to take the lead, the Celtics posted a dominating second half, with Rondo as their emotional leader.
The point guard returned to the Celtics’ bench at the end of the third quarter, and the crowd rose to its feet when a picture of him on the bench was shown on the scoreboard. He returned for the start of the fourth and was obviously favoring his left arm, but that didn’t stop him from a right-handed dunk after a steal and breakaway with 8:39 left that gave Boston an 81-63 lead.
Two minutes later, with his left arm dangling helplessly at his side, he drove in and laid it up over James.
“It’s definitely tight,” Rondo said on the postgame broadcast, at one point referring to his elbow as broken. “It’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before. With our trainers, I’m sure I’ll be ready for the next game.”
Grizzlies 101, Thunder 93, OT
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Zach Randolph had 21 points and a franchise-record 21 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from a 16-point deficit to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-93 in overtime Saturday and grab a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal.
The Grizzlies are trying to do something no NBA team has done in climbing from the No. 8 seed all the way to the Western Conference finals. They moved two wins away from that by remaining undefeated on their home court this postseason.
They did it with an amazing comeback in a game the Grizzlies couldn’t have looked more out of synch or rusty early, but scored the first six points of overtime to finish off the victory.