This Pierce could drive and get to the rim with relative ease. He could make life miserable for Nuggets focal point Carmelo Anthony. He could score 27 points in a 113-99 victory without being the most dominant player on the floor.
“The Paul Pierce that you saw out in Denver wasn’t the Paul Pierce that usually shows up to play,’’ he said. “I’ve battled through a lot of injuries this year and right now I’m as healthy as I’ve been all year.’’
It’s the difference a month makes. The Celtics, who pulled down eight offensive rebounds in Denver, grabbed 17 last night. Kevin Garnett, still regaining his form a month ago, put up 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists last night, looking like a version of himself five years ago. Rajon Rondo, who may have felt like he had to do it all a month ago, did a little bit of everything last night, putting together a triple-double (his second of the season) of 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists.
“It’s a completely different team,’’ coach Doc Rivers said. “All of them are different. They’re better, they’re healthier. They’re feeling better.’’
The difference couldn’t have been clearer than in the second half, when the Nuggets tried to make a run. The Celtics led by as many as 21 points in the third, but by the end of the quarter the lead had been whittled to 7, with Anthony and J.R. Smith doing most of the damage.
A month ago, the Celtics let Smith go off for 19 points and shot it out with the Nuggets, 32-32, in the fourth quarter. Last night, they simply let their fourth-quarter defense put Denver in a sleeper hold.
After Pierce drove for a layup, Smith drilled a 17-footer that made it 98-87 with 8:30 to go. It’d be almost four minutes before the Nuggets would score again. Sparked by Tony Allen offensively (13 points) and defensively (five hard-earned fouls), the Celtics held the Nuggets to 7-of-16 shooting in the quarter, keeping them under the century mark, if only barely.
“We know Denver is a high-scoring team,’’ Pierce said. “So it really means a lot when you hold a team like that under 100. That just shows the type of defense we want to play and continue to play throughout the rest of the season.’’
