Rivers said the idea is to keep Garnett about where he was last season.
"He was at 34 or 35 or 33 on a lot of nights," said the coach. "Then that way, once in a while you could extend it. That would be a great number."
Said Garnett, "Whatever Doc says, I'm with. I wish I was perfect. But I feel really, really good. I haven't always had the chance to say that this year."
Before the Sacramento game, Garnett, 32, had played at least 37 minutes in four of the previous seven games. His minutes became a major concern for Rivers during the Celtics' first back-to-back losses of the season, to the Lakers and Warriors last week.
In the 92-83 loss to Los Angeles on Christmas Day, Garnett had a solid game with 22 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes. But the next night the fatigue factor set in, and he had just 14 points and four rebounds in 38 minutes in the 99-89 loss at Golden State.
"The Lakers game was kind of weird," Garnett said. "They came out with a lot of calls and I thought a lot of those calls were questionable. Against the Warriors, I felt like we were a little fatigued. I felt like I wasn't even in the game.
"I told Paul [Pierce] and Ray [Allen] that I could have stayed at the hotel after the performance I gave. I pride myself about playing hard every night and I felt like I have taken a step back."
The Celtics took Saturday off and didn't have a shootaround before Sunday's 6 p.m. game in Sacramento. With lots of rest, Garnett felt a lot fresher and played that way.
"[Sunday] was bigger for me, just coming out with a lot of energy and being able to be active, rebound, blocking shots," Garnett said. "Playing, not necessarily thinking. I'm not a perfect individual. But I do work hard and I do strive for the best.
"It was just good to feel refreshed and go out there and do the things I know I can do. After having a game like that in Oakland, you want to play immediately. But it's good to have a day of rest. It totally helped. Any time you get to watch your teammates play, especially the ones that don't get a lot of opportunities, it's always a good thing."
Allen said, of all the starters, it's most important Garnett rested.
