BOSTON (AP)—Jermaine O’Neal and Paul Pierce finally showed up and sparked
the Boston Celtics to their first win of the season.

And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home
opener on Friday night.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed
all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they
had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just
eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

“Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can
get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look
at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost
impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which
ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when
the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

“He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc
Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding
and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final
margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12
points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay
spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting
ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

“It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to
be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a
lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could,
other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal,
injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds,
blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his
first three games.

“Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said.
“That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, `Why would you accept it?’ But
that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for
Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

“We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said
Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of
Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy
going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense
of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the
first time since 2006-07.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one
thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we
have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the
Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52
percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

“We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to
get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in
the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the
quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

“That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe
said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76
with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a
jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last
basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15
with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half,
38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

“He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,”
Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

Notes: Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots and
finished with three points and seven assists. … New Boston Red Sox manager
Bobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receivers
Deion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back Stevan
Ridley also were in the crowd. … Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed
his second straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Rivers said he could
return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.

 

BOSTON (AP)

Jermaine O’Neal and Paul Pierce finally showed up and sparked the Boston Celtics to their first win of the season.

And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home opener on Friday night.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

”Playing extended minutes,” he said. ”When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

”He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ”I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12 points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

”It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. ”I was expecting to be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds, blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his first three games.

”Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said. ”That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, `Why would you accept it?’ But that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

”We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. ”The beauty of Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.

”I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. ”We like who we have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

”We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

”That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe said. ”We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76 with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half, 38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

”He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,” Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

Notes: Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots and finished with three points and seven assists. … New Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receivers Deion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back Stevan Ridley also were in the crowd. … Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed his second straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Rivers said he could return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.

BOSTON — Jermaine O’Neal and Paul Pierce finally showed up and sparked the Boston Celtics to their first win of the season.And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home opener on Friday night.O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they had their starting five intact for the first time.O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just eight points in the other games.What was the difference?”Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.”He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding and doing all the little things.”The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final margin.Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12 points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting ability, opening opportunities for teammates.”It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused.”Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds, blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his first three games.”Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said. “That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, ‘Why would you accept it?’ But that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.”We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense of urgency.”Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.”I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.”We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.”That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76 with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half, 38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.”He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,” Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.Notes: Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots and finished with three points and seven assists. … New Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receivers Deion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back Stevan Ridley also were in the crowd. … Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed his second straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Rivers said he could return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.

After starting the season on a three-game losing streak, the Boston Celtics welcomed Paul Pierce back to the lineup and rolled to a 96-85 win in their home opener against the Detroit Pistons on December 30. The Celtics took control of the game early in the second-half and never lost their double-digit lead. Pierce showed surprisingly little rust as he logged 23 minutes for 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in his season debut.

The Celtics built a first quarter lead as big as seven with a 9-0 run in the closing minutes. They took advantage of Ray Allen’s size advantage on Ben Gordon for seven first quarter points. The Pistons ran much of their offense through Greg Monroe who led all scorers with eight in the quarter. Boston finished the first up 24-22.

Pierce and Boston’s second unit pushed the tempo and opened up a ten-point lead in the first few minutes of the second quarter. Boosted by an effective return by Pierce, the team’s energy level was far more encouraging than it was in the previous three games. Jermaine O’Neal led a balanced scoring attack with ten points and Allen added nine as the Celtics led 50-43 going into halftime.

Allen and Pierce opened the second-half with back-to-back threes to open up a double-digit lead that the Celtics never lost. Allen and Pierce knocked down two threes each and Brandon Bass scored nine off the bench as the Celtics built a lead as big as 25 in the third.

The Celtics’ reserves struggled to put points on the board and the Pistons chipped away at the lead. Midway through the fourth, the Celtics had only four points in the quarter and Detroit had their deficit cut down to 14 at 90-76. Boston’s starters reentered the game and ran off a 6-0 run to push the lead back to 20 to seal it.

Each Celtics starter played fewer than 30 minutes as they were in control for most of the much needed win. O’Neal led the team with 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while Allen and Bass added 17 points each. The fully restored starting unit clicked immediately and never gave the Pistons a chance to make a major push. Thanks to their crisp play, Boston finished with 25 assists and only ten turnovers in the victory.

The Celtics get back to business on New Year’s Day as they play the first-half of a home-and-home with the Washington Wizards in Washington. Entering tonight, the Wizards were also seeking their first win of the season.

Sources:

Detroit at Boston, Friday, December 30, 2011, NBA—Yahoo! Sports

William Menna is a native New Englander and longtime Boston sports fan.

More from this contributor:

Celtics can’t find the hoop, drop to 0-3 in loss to Hornets

Bruins edge Coyotes in OT for seventh consecutive win

Red Sox bolster bullpen with Andrew Bailey

Still without Pierce, Celtics’ comeback falls short against Heat

Celtics’ schedule presents obstacles for veteran team

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Read More: Paul Pierce (F – BOS), Doc Rivers (H – BOS), Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics

BOSTON - Paul Pierce will see his first action of the 2011-12 season on Friday night, as Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers told Sean Grande of WEEI that the Celtics’ captain will start against the Detroit Pistons in the home opener.

Pierce missed the majority of training camp with a bruised right heel suffered a few days before the start of camp. As a result, Pierce missed the team’s two preseason games against the Toronto Raptors as well as the first three games of the season. On Christmas Day, Pierce was with the Celtics as they took on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Two days later, Pierce was a game-time decision against the Miami Heat before the Celtics decided to shut him down for the road trip finale against the New Orleans Hornets.

Pierce has averaged 22.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 13 seasons in Boston.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

By Gethin Coolbaugh

– Regional Editor

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Dec 30, 2011 – Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics host the conference rival Detroit Pistons as they continue to search for their first win of the season in the home opener at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Friday at TD Garden in Boston, MA (TV/Radio: CSNNE/WEEI).

Boston (0-3) is coming off three consecutive losses to open the season, with the Celtics most recently losing to the new-look New Orleans Hornets, 97-78, in the second game of a back-to-back on Wednesday night. Ray Allen had 15 points and Rajon Rondo finished with 13 points and six assists for Boston, which made 29-of-78 baskets to shoot 37.2 percent.

Detroit (0-2) is also winless on the season, having dropped its first two games. In their most recent loss, the Pistons were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 105-89, on Wednesday. Ben Gordon paced the Pistons with 25 points and four assists while rookie Brandon Knight had 23 points and six assists off the bench. Detroit shot 44.4 percent in defeat.

The Celtics and Pistons met four times last year in the regular season, with the Celtics winning three of the four games. Boston won 109-86 in the first meeting in November behind 22 points from Garnett and 17 assists from Rajon Rondo, but the C’s were defeated 104-92 in the next meeting on December 29 despite 33 points from C’s captain Paul Pierce. In the final two meetings, the Celtics posted an 86-82 win on Jan. 19 (Pierce had 22 points and Shaquille O’Neal had 12 rebounds) and won 101-90 on April 3 thanks to a 23-points, eight-rebound game from Garnett.

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Read More: Ray Allen (G – BOS), Paul Pierce (F – BOS), Kevin Garnett (F – BOS), Rajon Rondo (G – BOS), Ben Gordon (G – DET), Brandon Knight (G – DET), Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics

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Celtics fans must be wondering why everyone was in such a hurry to end the NBA lockout.

For the first time in the Big Three (or Big Four) era, the Celtics have begun a season 0-3 and they own the worst record in the league. Their window of opportunity to capture another NBA title with their aging stars seems to have slammed shut.

The Celtics haven’t been 0-3 since the 2006-07 season, when they finished 24-58. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined the team the following year and the Celtics captured their 17th NBA championship. In the five years that Garnett and Allen have been Celtics, this the first time the team has been below .500 at any point in a season.

But before fans completely give up on the Green, help could be on the way tonight when the 0-3 Celtics play their home opener at 7:30 at the Garden against the 0-2 Detroit Pistons. Captain Paul Pierce could make his season debut after missing the first three games with a bruised heel. Losing without Pierce is nothing new for the Celtics. Prior to this season, they had dropped four of their last five with him out of the lineup.

“I’m close, very very close very,” Pierce said last night via Twitter.

If Pierce doesn’t play tonight, he should be back soon. His return won’t solve all of the Celtics’ problems, but he should provide scoring, defense and leadership. Remember, the 6-foot-6 small forward has led the team in scoring in each of the last 11 years.

Pierce’s bruised right heel has enabled him to practice only a couple of times since the 149-day lockout ended, so it could take him awhile to get his game together, but he’ll certainly be an upgrade over Sasha Pavlovic, who started the first three games in his place.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he started Pavlovic because he wanted Marquis Daniels to develop chemistry with the second unit. That decision hasn’t worked out. Pavlovic has averaged only four points and allowed Carmelo Anthony to score 37 points in the season opener and LeBron James to pour in 26 in the next game. Meanwhile, Daniels has shot only 32.1 percent (9 of 28) and averaged 6.3 points off the bench.

In the early going, Rajon Rondo has done his best to eliminate any regret that the Celtics failed to acquire Chris Paul, but Jermaine O’Neal has Celtics fans wishing his trade for Paul’s former New Orleans teammate, David West, had gone through. Rondo has averaged 22 points and 10.3 assists, but he needs to reduce his 5.33 turnovers, second most in the league. O’Neal’s ineffectiveness has made Celtics do the unthinkable — miss Nenad Krstic.

Rivers called O’Neal the MVP of training camp, but in the first three regular-season games, the 6-foot-11 center has totaled more fouls (13) than points (eight) or rebounds (nine). O’Neal has blocked a few shots, but teams don’t have the same fear driving to the basket as they did when Kendrick Perkins was around.

Last year, the Celtics allowed the fewest points (91.1) in the NBA and teams shot only 43.4 percent against them. During their 0-3 start, the Celtics have allowed 106 points, third most in the league, and teams have shot 49.6 percent against them, second highest. The Celtics have defended so poorly that Rivers has reluctantly resorted to using a zone at times. Even defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, who left to coach Chicago last year, and his replacement, Lawrence Frank, who left for Detroit this year, would have had their hands full with this aging group.

O’Neal has contributed so little that CSN analyst Donny Marshall and Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix have both urged the Celtics to acquire another big man. Mannix suggested signing Erick Dampier or Joel Pryzbilla, both free agents. Rookie center Greg Stiemsma is not a threat to score, but he did block six shots in his debut Wednesday at New Orleans, so he will likely receive more playing time.

Rivers admitted his team looked old after it lost its third game in four days Wednesday in New Orleans.

Garnett, 35, may have looked the oldest. During training camp, Rivers called on Garnett for more scoring this season, but he has averaged only 11.7 points and has shot just 45.7 percent. In his previous four seasons in Boston, Garnett has not averaged fewer than 14.3 points or shot below 52 percent.

The lockout apparently had no ill effect on Allen, who is averaging 21 points and has made 12 of 19 3-pointers (63.2 percent). Off the bench,

Brandon Bass (14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds) and Keyon Dooling (10.7 points, 5 of 10 3-pointers) have performed well, but Dooling has looked more like a shooter than a distributor who can relieve Rondo at the point. After second-year guard Avery Bradley failed to score in Boston’s first three games, Rivers announced that rookie E’Twaun Moore would receive most of his minutes.

Jeff Green, counted on to be the team’s sixth man and a possible building block for the post-Big Three era, won’t be back this season after an aortic aneurism was discovered, but Chris Wilcox should return soon after missing Wednesday’s game with a bruised shoulder.

The Celtics can glance down the hall at the Garden for inspiration. The Bruins were in last place after beginning their season 3-7, but have since vaulted to the top of the standings. Fans don’t expect the Celtics to turn into the NBA favorite, but they’d like to see them win a game.

By now, plenty of fellow fans of the Boston Celtics are feeling the frustration of three straight losses and not a single win during a season which is supposed to be the final title shot for the big three. I think there are some pretty decent reasons to start getting worried after Wednesday night’s 97-78 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. Nevertheless, Greg Stiemsma isn’t one of them.

On a night when no Celtic player had more than 15 points let alone double-digit assists or rebounds, Stiemsma quietly took to the court for his first ever performance in a regular season game. Stiemsma made the most of it, quickly establishing himself as a dominant defensive presence worthy of the D-League credentials he’s racked up. He was last season’s defensive player of the year in the NBDL, and it certainly showed.

Over the course of roughly 20 minutes on the court, Stiemsma (aka “Steamer”) had 6 blocks and 2 points, showing this Celts fan one of the more remarkable rookie debuts in recent memory. Indeed, Stiemsma may prove to be as potent a defensive force as the Cs have had in years, and there’s no reason to believe his performance on Wednesday was a fluke.

Stiemsma spent time playing internationally, in Turkey and South Korea. Last year, he was picked up by two NBA teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers, only to be waived one after the other by October. After playing with the D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, Stiemsma became a standout player at the Pan Am games, helping to win Team USA a third place finish and a bronze medal.

While he was with the Skyforce, Stiemsma had a per-game average of 3.7 blocks, more than any other D-league player last season, and also averaged 7.3 rebounds and 9.1 points. Stiemsma’s 6 blocks, 4 rebounds, and 2 points in his Wednesday night regular season debut should make it clear that he’s capable of the same level of play in the NBA.

Stiemsma’s defensive skill will definitely come in handy considering the Celts’ anemic play in New Orleans. At this point, the persistence absence of Paul Pierce doesn’t excuse KG’s surprisingly lackluster minutes or the simple fact that Jermaine O’Neal is, well, garbage (playing like it anyway). Danny Ainge is undoubtedly gearing up for more roster-shakeups to come, but as far as this fan is concerned, Stiemsma is a keeper.

Taurus Londono has lived in Massachusetts for over ten years. He is a longtime fan of the Boston Celtics.

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Stats that stand out from the Hornets’ 97-78 victory against the Boston Celtics Wednesday night:

1. 12. Blocks by the Hornets, their most since having 11 against the Chicago Bulls in a March 11 game last season.

2. 21. Points scored by point guard Jarrett Jack to lead Hornets in his debut game as Chris Paul’s replacement.

3. 48. Rebounding total by Hornets.

4. 46-24. Differential of points in the paint, led by New Orleans.

5. 37.2. Boston’s shooting percentage for the game after going 29 of 78 from the field.

FIRST QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 24, Celtics 18

Hornets points in the paint: Eight.

Celtics points in the paint: Eight.

Hornets second chance points: Seven.

Celtics second chance points: Two.

Hornets fast-break points: Three.

Celtics fast-break points: Two.

Hornets biggest lead: Six.

Celtics biggest lead: Seven.

Times tied: None.

Hornets leading scorer: Marco Belinelli, seven.

Celtics leading scorer: Sasha Pavlovic, Brandon Bass, four.

SECOND QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 24, Celtics 21

Hornets points in the paint: 14.

Celtics points in the paint: Eight.

Hornets second chance points: Four.

Celtics second chance points: Seven.

Hornets fast-break points: Two.

Celtics fast-break points: Four.

Hornets biggest lead: 16.

Celtics biggest lead: Zero.

Times tied: None.

Hornets leading scorer: Carl Landry, eight.

Celtics leading scorer: Rajon Rondo, Keyon Dooling, five.

THIRD QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 24, Celtics 24

Hornets points in the paint: 14.

Celtics points in the paint: Six.

Hornets second chance points: Six.

Celtics second chance points: Two.

Hornets fast-break points: Two.

Celtics fast-break points: Two.

Hornets biggest lead: 15.

Celtics biggest lead: Zero.

Times tied: None.

Hornets leading scorer: Jarrett Jack, 11.

Celtics leading scorer: Ray Allen, Bass, Six.

FOURTH QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 25, Celtics 15.

Hornets points in the paint: 12.

Celtics points in the paint: Eight.

Hornets second chance points: 10.

Celtics points in the paint: Two.

Hornets fast-break points: Zero.

Celtics fast-break points: Two.

Hornets biggest lead: 21.

Celtics biggest lead: Zero.

Times tied: None.

Hornets’ leading scorer: Landry, six.

Celtics leading scorer: Dooling, five.