The AP reports: Rajon Rondo had 18 points and eight assists, outplaying the recent Pistons acquisition and leading the Boston Celtics to a 98-80 victory over Detroit on Thursday night in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals… Allen Iverson had 16 points and four assists for Detroit, which fell to 4-3 since he was acquired from Denver for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess… Kevin Garnett scored 15 in his return from a one-game suspension, and Kendrick Perkins had 10 rebounds before both teams emptied their benches down the stretch… The Celtics scored the first seven points of the second quarter and opened a 40-27 lead with 5:13 left in the half. It was 49-40 at halftime and Boston went on an 18-5 run in the third to turn a 10-point lead into a 75-52 blowout.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: For Boston, Rondo shot 7-of-11 and also had 3 steals. Garnett had 3 steals as well. Tony Allen shot 6-of-7 off the bench for 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Ray Allen scored 12. Eddie House shot 4-of-7 off the bench for 11. For Detroit, Iverson shot 5-of-13 for 16 points, just one rebound, and equal assists/turnovers. Rasheed Wallace had a modest 13 points and 6 rebounds. Richard Hamilton was shut down with 12 points and little else. Jason Maxiell had 10 points and 6 rebounds on 9 shots. All Boston did wrong was brick their free throws, shooting 19-of-28.
Michigan Live (A. Sherrod Blakely) reports: In the six games he has played with Allen Iverson, Richard Hamilton has averaged 16.6 points while shooting 35.4 percent from the field. Hamilton has never averaged fewer than 17 points per game with Detroit, and his worst shooting percentage in a season is 42 percent, which he did as a rookie in Washington. “It’s all about timing right now,” Hamilton said. “Anytime you play with a different point guard … with Chauncey, I knew what he was going to do every time up the court. He knew when I was going to come off a screen. He knew where to put the ball at. Now I have to learn (Iverson), just like I learned Chauncey when I first came here.” Joe Dumars said he is not surprised to see Hamilton struggle with the adjustment more than some of the other players.
The Detroit News (Chris McCosky) reports on the Pistons: Kwame Brown is the new starting center, and he played two solid games, first against his former team, the Lakers (10 points, 10 rebounds), then in a loss to the Suns (10 points, three rebounds, tough defense). “Kwame’s done a really good job defensively,” Curry said. “I think he’s gotten better each game. The numbers maybe didn’t show it, but I thought he was better (against the Suns) than he was in the Lakers game.” Brown’s presence helps the starting unit a couple ways: He’s a true center, which allows Rasheed Wallace to play his natural power forward spot; and he also has a legitimate NBA big-man’s body, which the starting lineup sorely lacked previously.
Allen Iverson has made a career out of being a big-time scorer (27.7 points per game).
The Chicago Bulls today signed Lindsey Hunter. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. Hunter, a 6-2, 195-pound guard, will be with the Bulls tonight when they host the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center at 7:30 p.m.