Rondo's run of double-digit assists and league-leading six triple-doubles this season have banner No. 18 in sights for the Celtics.
Rajon Rondo had his sixth triple-double of the season on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. (AP Photo)BOSTON – Another crucial game for the Celtics in the race for Eastern Conference playoff positioning. And, of course, another triple-double for point guard Rajon Rondo, who posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and 20 assists as Boston was able to grind out a difficult overtime win over the Hawks—a possible first-round foe—here at TD Garden, 88-86.
There have been 15 triple-doubles in the league this year, and six of them belong to Rondo. No other player has more than one. Additionally, his 20 assists give him 19 straight games with double-digit assists, the longest such streak in the NBA since John Stockton set the NBA record with 29 straight in 1992. Over the length of that streak, Rondo has averaged 13.7 assists and has moved ahead of Phoenix’s Steve Nash for the league lead in that category.
He struggled to score on Wednesday (3-for-16 from the field), but managed to stay on the floor for 47 minutes after playing 40 minutes in Boston’s big win over Miami on Tuesday.
“He didn’t want to come out,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “He said, ‘Coach, we got tomorrow off. Let me just go.’”
The win was Boston’s fourth in a row, and there was no doubt that Rondo knew its importance, especially with shooting guard Ray Allen out again because of an ankle injury.
“It’s just how it is, you win some, you lose some,” Rondo said. “We kept fighting regardless of the other stuff out there, we stuck together and we followed through and got the win.”
The Celtics are now 34-24 and moved into a tie with the Hawks and Magic. Beating the Hawks clinched the tiebreaker in that series, and the Celtics already own the tiebreaker over Orlando.
The Celtics are likely to be the fourth seed in the East because they should win the Atlantic Division, but they won’t have homecourt advantage in the first round unless they finish with a better record than their opponent. Boston is two games behind the third-seeded Pacers, though the Celtics are likely to win that tiebreaker, based on conference record.
Rivers said he isn’t paying attention to streaks, but he certainly is aware of how his point guard has been playing lately.
“I know he is on a run. I don’t even know what the run is,” Rivers said, before being informed of Rondo’s 19-game streak. “That’s phenomenal. Honestly, I don’t even know what that means. I know it means he is playing very well, but I don’t need the numbers to tell me that is what I am trying to say. I just know he is playing extremely well. He’s just been spectacular. Not only in games, but everywhere.
“That’s why we’re winning. It’s not just him, obviously, it’s everybody. But we need a locked-in effort from him every night and he is doing it. That was shown tonight to me, because it was a fatigue game. … Tonight, he willed that game. He begged to stay in in the fourth quarter.”