Celtics Improve to 16-0 Against West With 98-90 Smackdown of Spurs

Maybe there is hope for the Eastern Conference this year. Without MVP candidate Kevin Garnett (out for extended period with abdominal strain), the Boston Celtics improved to 16-0 against the Western Conference this year, behind the 35 points of Paul Pierce and near triple double from Rajon Rondo, beating the San Antonio Spurs 98-90 in Boston. The Celtics are an NBA best 39-9 (7-3 in last 10 games), and are sitting at 3 games above Detroit (37-13) for homecourt throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Spurs were their typical efficient selves on offense, but were outrebounded 46-37, and simply coldn't get big defensive stops when it mattered most in the 2nd half. Playing without the services of Tony Parker (out for extended period with bone spur in heel) yet again, the Spurs fell to 32-17 overall (6-4 in last 10 games), and 6th in the Western Conference playoff seedings.