Marquis Daniels

By Julian Benbow, Globe staff The Celtics are close to reaching an agreement to bringing back free agent forward Marquis Daniels, according to two sources, giving a second chance to Daniels after a bruised spinal cord brought his 2010-11 season to an abrupt and unfortunate end. Daniels is expected to be in Waltham Thursday for physicals. The free agent period begins Friday along with training camp and teams can begin signing players at 2 p.m. Daniels spent the past two seasons in Boston, as a crafty slasher and a reliable defender.But injuries have always seemed to plague the...

WALTHAM -- The Celtics returned to practice Friday afternoon in preparation for their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. Coach Doc Rivers said the team would not go through a full practice but rather spend more time watching film of the 76ers, who won two of three meetings against the Celtics this season. Rivers said he is "concerned" with the sprained left MCL of Paul Pierce and the sore right ankle of Ray Allen. He would not put a percentage on their chances of playing in Saturday's Game 1 but Pierce told reporters he plans to play.

WALTHAM - It was like any other play. Rajon Rondo was bringing the ball up, yelling over to Marquis Daniels. "Get a layup," he called. "Get a layup. " It was nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary, and yet that voice still echoes in Daniels's head. He was running down the court as he caught the ball, getting ready to swing around, to go for that layup in the second quarter of the Celtics' Feb. 6 game against the Magic. That was when his face hit Gilbert Arenas. Really, though, it was barely a touch, barely enough to do any damage, barely enough to feel.

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff WALTHAM -- The Celtics returned to practice Friday afternoon in preparation for their Game 1 Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. Coach Doc Rivers said the team would not go through a full practice but rather spend more time watching film of the 76ers, who won two of three meetings against the Celtics this season. Rivers said he is "concerned" with the sprained left MCL of Paul Pierce and the sore right ankle of Ray Allen.

PHILADELPHIA - A two-week, eight-game Celtics' road trip ended on a somber note Friday night. The Celtics came undone in the second half of a 99-86 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the effects of travel taking a physical toll and Mickael Pietrus's disquieting injury in the second quarter that sent him off the court on a stretcher taking an emotional toll. Pietrus fell awkwardly onto his back after his left-hand shot was challenged by Lou Williams with 5:08 remaining in the first half.

The Celtics are moving on to the next round of the playoffs. Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 14 rebounds as the Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 83-80, in Game 6 of a first-round playoff series at TD Garden Thursday night. Even in a series that changed by the minute, Game 6 was a quirky, strange little game. Al Horford played 46 minutes for Atlanta. The Hawks were paced for much of the game by Marvin Williams. Ray Allen missed two big free throws, and Ryan Hollins got a clutch offensive rebound when the Celtics needed it most.

By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff Rajon Rondo returns after missing eight games with a sprained right wrist. The Celtics went 6-2 without Rondo, who was injured in a game against Toronto Jan. 18, STARTING LINEUPS BOSTON CELTICS (11-10) PG Rajon Rondo SG Ray Allen SF Paul Pierce PF Kevin Garnett C Jermaine O'Neal INACTIVES: Marquis Daniels, Keyon Dooling. NEW YORK KNICKS (8-14) PG Iman Shumpert SG Landry Fields SF Carmelo Anthony PF Tyson Chandler C Amar'e Stoudemire INACTIVES: Baron Davis, Josh Harrellson.

On the heels of the NBA players' union decision to disband and send the labor impasse to court, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo announced yesterday he is hosting a charity game Saturday featuring NBA players, including teammate Paul Pierce and two-time league scoring champion Kevin Durant. "The Boston Charity Classic" will take place at 6 p.m. at Lavietes Pavilion on Harvard's campus, with proceeds supporting Boston charities and supplying meals for the holiday season. Among those also scheduled to join Rondo are Celtics teammates Glen Davis, Jeff Green, and JaJuan Johnson,...

WALTHAM -- The Celtics today added to their depth in the front court, signing former Maryland forward/center Chris Wilcox and free agent center Greg Stiemsma. Wilcox was present as the Celtics conducted their first practice of training camp this evening. He appeared in 57 games for the Detroit Pistons last season averaging 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game. Wilcox also shot a team-high 58.1 percent from the field. He brings size and rebounding ability to a front court that is probably Boston's biggest weakness.

Tony Parker's season-high 30 points included a go-ahead layup with 35 seconds left, Michael Finley made three key free throws, and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the Mavericks, 92-90, last night in Dallas, and remain alone atop the Western Conference. Parker added two free throws with 12 seconds left to make it 92-88. Marquis Daniels missed a shot for Dallas, but got the long rebound and threw a wild shot toward the basket, drawing a foul from Brent Barry to get three free throws with 6.1 seconds left.

Doc Rivers knew there would be no rest for the aging Boston Celtics. The only question was whether they would be in Atlanta playing Game 7 of the first round or at home opening the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia. "At least we don't have to travel," Rivers said Thursday night after the Celtics beat the Hawks 83-80 to win the series in six games. "It's a short turnaround, but I'd rather be going to Game 1 here than Game 7 in Atlanta. " The Celtics will open the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday in Boston against the 76ers, who eliminated East No. 1 seed...

BOSTON — Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 14 rebounds, hitting a jumper to give Boston the lead with 31 seconds left, and the Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 83-80 in Game 6 on Thursday night to win their first-round playoff series and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the fifth straight year. The Celtics will play the Philadelphia 76ers, who eliminated East No. 1 seed Chicago in six games with a 79-78 victory earlier Thursday. Garnett topped his regular-season high of 25 points and had five blocks and three steals for Boston, which has won at least...

Coach Doc Rivers made most of the right moves as the Celtics won their first-round playoff series against the Hawks in six games. But, as it turned out, the most important pregame talk came not from Rivers but from a Hawks' owner, whose bulletin-board comments provided extra motivation for Kevin Garnett to produce a 28-point, 14-rebound, 5-block performance in Boston's 83-80 victory Thursday night. And the Celtics' key defensive sequence in the final seconds owed more to good fortune than what Rivers and his assistants had devised during a timeout.

The Celtics are moving on to the next round of the playoffs. Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 14 rebounds as the Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 83-80, in Game 6 of a first-round playoff series at TD Garden Thursday night. Even in a series that changed by the minute, Game 6 was a quirky, strange little game. Al Horford played 46 minutes for Atlanta. The Hawks were paced for much of the game by Marvin Williams. Ray Allen missed two big free throws, and Ryan Hollins got a clutch offensive rebound when the Celtics needed it most.

Doc Rivers took a calculated risk by giving Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce the night off when the Celtics played a game in Atlanta last month. The Celtics lost that game, and they wound up failing to gain home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs. There is no way to measure the hoped-for payoff of Rivers's move - conservation of energy for the starters, experience for the reserves - but as the Celtics prepare for Games 3 and 4 against the Hawks at home, the coach's gambit appears to be justified.

Doc Rivers took a calculated risk by giving Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce the night off when the Celtics played a game in Atlanta last month. The Celtics lost that game, and they wound up failing to gain home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs. There is no way to measure the hoped-for payoff of Rivers's move - conservation of energy for the starters, experience for the reserves - but as the Celtics prepare for Games 3 and 4 against the Hawks at home, the coach's gambit appears to be justified.

Mikael Pietrus fell awkwardly onto his back after his left-hand shot was challenged by Lou Williams during the second quarter of the Celtics' visit to Philadelphia Friday night. Pietrus grabbed the back of his head, then coach Doc Rivers and trainer Ed Lacerte went onto the court, then the entire Celtic team and coaching staff joined them. After about five minutes of treatment, Pietrus was strapped onto a stretcher. The scenario was reminiscent of an incident involving the Celtics' Marquis Daniels, who returned to play this year after undergoing spinal surgery.

ATLANTA – Everything seemed to be going against the Celtics in Game 2 of their playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night. They started the contest without Ray Allen (ankle) and Rajon Rondo (suspended), then lost Mickael Pietrus to early foul trouble. By late in the third quarter, they were faced with a double-digit deficit. But the combination of stifling defense and Paul Pierce's 36 points carried the Celtics to an 87-80 victory, evening the series at 1-1 with Game 3 scheduled Thursday at the TD Garden.